Mountainwatch Podcast with Freeride World Champion Ben Richards.

In the 2026 Freeride season, New Zealand’s Ben Richards cemented his place among the world’s best freeskiers, winning the inaugural FIS Freeride World Championships in Andorra and three FWT events to claim the overall 2026 Freeride World Tour title.

Richards was back home in Wānaka when Reggae Elliss caught up with him, enjoying 40cm of fresh snow on his home mountain, Treble Cone. It’s a wide-ranging conversation covering the Freeride World Tour, competition versus filming, Wānaka’s mountain culture, and freeriding’s debut at the 2030 Winter Olympics.

Listen to the interview on Soundcloud, Spotify or where you get your podcasts