Flathead skiers win freeride event on home terrain

Skiing on their home mountain, Flathead Freeride team members Liam Byrd and Hana Fassnacht landed at the top of the podium in the IFSA Junior Freeride competition at Whitefish Mountain Resort last weekend.

The three-day event took place on Haskill Slide on Friday and Saturday, with the finals running through the East Rim cliff bands above Whitey's on Sunday.

Byrd accumulated 80.57 points to win the competitive U19 ski men's division. His finals run Sunday on East Rim drew loud cheers from the crowd as he landed huge airs and carried speed down the steep bumped-out terrain below Chair 5.

Bridger Bowl Freeride competitor Ian Tuttle placed second in U19 with 78.33 points. Flathead's Kyle Smith placed fifth with a cumulative score of 75.27, while local ripper Jesse Deats took 10th with 72.84 points.

In the U19 women's ski, Flathead's Eleanor Fogarty placed ninth overall.

Fassnacht took first place in the U15 ski women's division with a two-day total of 68.86. Teammate Peyton Wilson also made the podium with a strong performance, taking third in U15 women with 65.64 points. Edie Duston was seventh and Jacqueline Fortin was 10th to round out the top Flathead Freeride finishers.

The U15 men's division saw Flathead Freeride's Jack Garver place fourth overall with a 69.73, while Zion Brown took seventh.

A foot of fresh snow prior to the event softened up conditions and blue skies graced Big Mountain on both days of the three-star competition.

    Flathead Freeride team member Weston Heller finds a rowdy line on Haskill Slide during the IFSA Junior Freeride competition at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (Matt Baldwin/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Flathead Freeride team member Jesse Deats catches air on Haskill Slide during the IFSA Junior Freeride competition at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (Matt Baldwin/Whitefish Pilot)