Finn finished the 2024 season, his second year in tour, fourth on the world rankings and while he may not have won an event, his skiing is pushing the refresh button on big mountain freeride competitions. Reggae Elliss caught up with Finn a few weeks ago when he was in Haines Alaska on a film shoot for Matchstick Productions’ 2024 release.

Hey, Finn, I know you’re busy, thanks for taking the time for a chat. You’re up in Alaska now, filming with Matchstick Productions, how has that been? 

Insane, definitely one of the best trips of my life. It’s a humbling place to come ride as a skier, the sheer magnitude of these mountains and the scale of the terrain is hard to grapple with until seeing it in person. This trip has given me a whole new perspective on what’s possible in the mountains. 

What other athletes are involved? 

I’m up here with Colby Stevenson, Karl Fostvedt, Emily Childs and a full production crew from MSP Films. The crew has been going hard up here, stoked to show ya’ll the shots we got in the new movie coming out this fall.

Let’s get back to the start of it for you. You grew up in Wanaka and come from a skiing family, can you remember when you started skiing? 

My first memories of skiing track as far back as I can remember. I was plonked on skis at just two years old and spent most of my childhood chasing around my older brother, Hank at Treble Cone & Snow Park NZ. 

What was it like growing up in Wanaka and who did you ski with as a kid? There is a lot of talent there and a strong older crew – Sam Smoothy, the Wells bros – Who did you look up to and was anyone a particular influence? 

Growing up in Wanaka was a huge privilege and definitely has had a huge impact on not just my skiing style but the way I approach life today. There’s ample amount of opportunity to do so many different types of activities and I was fortunate to be surrounded by a motivated crew of grommies that were keen to do exactly that. I ripped around lots with my older brother, Hank and the likes of The Porteous boys, The Wells Brothers, Craig Murray, some of the NZ Snowboarders like Carlos Garcia-Knight & JJ Rayward. We were all inspired by the older generation of Kiwi pro’s and were lucky to have mentorship from guys like Jossi Wells, Sam Smoothy, Will Jackways and OG’s such as Geoff Small. All of those people have had a huge influence on me in life. 

The place is such a hot bed of talent and then you have the option of skiing the freeride terrain in Treble Cone or the Cardrona, which is renowned for its terrain parks. Best of both worlds. Did you split your time between the two? 

For sure. The variety of terrain is one of my favorite parts about Wanaka, there’s always something to do not matter what the conditions cater for. Growing up, I would spend a fairly equal amount of time between Snow Park and Treble Cone. 

You made your name as a park and pipe skier, made the NZ team for Youth Olympics, Junior Worlds and then the PyeongChang Olympics in 2018 and Beijing Olympics in 2022. Did you have a goal as a kid to be a pro skier?

My parents always encouraged chasing what you love and as a byproduct I became a Pro Skier. There’s been lots of hard work along the way and so many people who have helped make that dream become a reality. However, I think that cliché rings true. I remember watching the old Poor Boyz Productions films religiously and being so drawn to the lifestyle and energy of freestyle skiing. I was probably six or seven years old when I knew I wanted to dedicate a lot of my life to this sport. 

You scored an invite to the Aspen Xgames in 2019, which is the biggest freeski event on snow. Was that a big moment, was that when you thought you were a pro skier? 

It was definitely a gratifying moment being invited to the X-Games. However, I find you’re so focused and there’s a lot going on at those big events that you don’t have much time to digest those moments. I remember more clearly flying out of the New Zealand after finishing High School and you have to write down your occupation on your departure card. I could no longer write ‘student’ and was like “damn, I guess I’m a pro skier now”, ha ha. 

Classic. That would have been a cool moment. While you may have made your name as park skier, it’s fair to say you’ve always been an all-rounder. You did the NZ junior freeride series when you were a kid and then in 2019 entered the freeride qualifying events in the Remarkables, winning the two-star and then fourth in the four-star. That was during a period between the 2018 and 2022 Olympics – at that stage did you think you’d stay in park and pipe? 

Skiing has always been multidisciplinary to me. As I got older, specialising in a singular discipline became more encouraged. The competition schedules began to overlap, and it was really challenging to be at everything all at once. I didn’t want to spread myself too thin, so I had to start prioritising different events. When I was 16-years-old, I’d actually qualified for the Junior Freeride World Championships but couldn’t attend as I had also qualified to represent NZ at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games. Looking back this was one of the first major decisions I had to make on which pathway to go down. 

When did you decide to make the change to freeride full-time? 

Although the Park and Pipe schedule was busy I’d often be able to sneak away for a few pow trips between contests. However, once Covid sunk in, this was no longer a possibility as we were under strict guidelines from our National Team as to where and who we could travel with during our off time. I really didn’t enjoy these restrictions and having to be more singular focused on Park and Pipe. Throughout those years of travelling through the Covid pandemic was ultimately when I realised that I was craving some change. I was given the opportunity to compete as a Wildcard in Fieberbrunn stop of the FWT just two weeks after competing in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. It was the perfect opportunity to dive back into the Freeride scene. That event was super fun and I was stoked to be back in that community, so I decided to keep chasing it the following year. 

Your brother Hank is an awesome skier and he did a few years on the FWT and he lit it up with some radical lines. Did his success inspire you to switch to freeride? 

For sure. I think watching both my brother Hank and Craig Murray ski on the Freeride World Tour made it seem far more attainable. I’ve skied with both of them so much growing up that I could begin to relate to the lines they were skiing. 

How did you find the tour when you first competed? Did you know many of the other athletes? 

It was exciting, compared with the structure of Olympic programs the Freeride World Tour felt far more loose and honestly, just a damn good time! Riders want to do well and they’re going to push themselves in the contest, but they’re also there to mess around, have fun and party a bit. ha, ha. I was lucky to have known a bunch of the riders before joining the Freeride World Tour as I’d met them through my brother in previous years. Unfortunately, my brother was no longer competing on the FWT when I joined but I was super grateful to have the likes of Craig Murray, James Hampton & Jess Hotter competing at the same time as they helped me get my head around the contrast and similarities of competing in the Freeride World as opposed to the Park & Pipe World. 

You’ve brought progressive skiing to the FWT – it has always been about big mountain lines, aggressive skiing, big cliff drops etc. It still is, but did you go on tour with the intention of shaking it up? 

Thank you. I saw my wildcard invitation last season as an opportunity to showcase maybe a different style of skiing on the Freeride world Tour. I find the Freeride Judging Criteria wants to funnel you into a certain style of skiing and I tried to think less about the results and more about trying to ski lines that represented the style of skiing that I’m most drawn too. Maybe a little less fall line, more cross court and freestyle. I like seeing those creative, fluid lines on large exposed faces. 

I reckon that has freshened up the tour and the audience love it. There’s a pretty rad crew of young guys on the tour – Max Hitzig, Marcus Goguen, Ben Richards, Maxime Chabloz, Max palm etc. It’s pretty inspiring. Do they push you? 

No doubt! The level of riding this season was insane! Those guys are all animals, it’s been a cool era of the FWT to be a part of and I’m stoked/scared to see where it goes in the future ha-ha. 

What’s the story with Kiwis and success in freeride? There’s a heap – first it was Sam Smoothy and now it’s you and Ben Richards, your brother, Blake Marshall, Craig Murray, Jamesa Hampton. Jess Hotter was 2022 women’s world champ. 

Good question. I’d say it’s a combination between having access to so much amazing  terrain, skiing in subpar snow conditions and, most importantly, the community that supports Freeride Skiing in NZ. We’ve got a really strong network of riders, supportive parents and guidance from NZ Junior Freeride Tour organiser and judge – Dion Newport. Without all of those people, I don’t think any of us Kiwi’s would’ve had half the opportunities we’ve had. The pathway to the World Stage is only getting stronger so I’m sure you’ll see plenty more Freeride Rippers from NZ in the coming years. 

You’re up in Alaska now, filming with Matchstick Productions, how has that been? What other athletes are involved?  

Insane, definitely one of the best trips of my life. It’s a humbling place to come ride as a skier, the sheer magnitude of these mountains and the scale of the terrain is hard to grapple with until seeing it in person. This trip has given me a whole new perspective on what’s possible in the mountains. I’m up here with Colby Stevenson, Karl Fostvedt, Emily Childs and a full production crew from MSP Films. The crew has been going hard up here, stoked to show ya’ll the shots we got in the new movie coming out this fall.

You’ve now done two years on the FWT. What’s your plan now – keep competing and mix it up with filming?  

I’m going to take a few weeks to decompress after this Northern Hemisphere Winter and then start to figure out what next season is going to look like for me. I’m really enjoying the direction I’m going with my skiing at the moment, so I’ll be looking to spend more time in the backcountry with good friends and family. I’ve also got some new visions and concepts I’d like to bring to life with my sponsors. We’ll see how much competition plays into that plan. 

What about this southern hemisphere season? 

I’ll be back home in Wanaka, New Zealand in late July. Have got a few projects in the  works so looking forward to getting stuck into those and being back in my home mountains. See ya out there! Thanks legend!

Thanks Finn, good to have a chat.

Thanks legend, See ya out there. 

The post Finn Bilous is Setting the Freeride World on Fire appeared first on Chillfactor.

Zanna Farrell is a 24-year-old freeskier from Sydney, who finished third on the 2024 Freeride World Tour qualifying rankings, winning two events, along the way. However, prior to entering an event in Japan in Feb 2023, Zanna, a racer in her teenage years, had never competed in a freeride event. She won that comp in Japan which encouraged her to enter the two North Face Frontier events in the Remarkables, NZ last winter, where she podiumed in both and her freeride career was underway…

Zanna, you burst onto the scene out of nowhere and got a second and a third in the Frontier events in New Zealand last year. What had you been doing before those events?

Just skiing with friends, really. Freeride happened accidentally in a way. I grew up skiing in Thredbo and raced when I was younger. I was on the national team for maybe three or four years, but I stopped when I was around 16, during my first or second year in FIS. I took a big break from skiing, went to university, worked a bit and took a couple of years off.

How did you end up competing on the Freeride Qualifier tour?

I ended up going on a ski trip with some friends last year to Japan and Canada. At the end of it, I did a comp just for fun in Lotte Arai in Japan. It was a three-star event at the very end of the season and there weren’t many people, so I got in and put down a really good result. And then, with only one result, I was able to do the two-star in New Zealand off that. I came second there, so they gave me a wild card for the four-star!  That was my trajectory into freeride, and that gave me the opportunity to come here to Europe. But it was honestly a total accident, and I was just skiing with friends on holiday.

That’s extraordinary. As an ex-racer you’ve obviously got the technical skills. So, tell me about the second event in New Zealand.  The Remarks has some varied, steep and challenging terrain, and of course it’s NZ, so it’s not necessarily great quality snow.  How do you deal with that? 

I put no pressure on myself because I’d never really done it before, and I didn’t have expectations on my performance.  It really took the pressure off relative to what I’d experienced in racing. Obviously, the start gate experience is similar, and I’m used to skiing that kind of variable snow. I just made a plan in the morning and tried to stick to it. But, yeah, there wasn’t a whole lot that went into it. 

New Zealand was my first big hurdle to overcome mentally, in terms of dropping in, and changing quite a lot in the way that I ski to fit into the freeride mode. Really dialing back the speed, focusing on navigation, and speed control is a big one. Not just to handle the terrain, but also to find your landmarks. Honestly, the New Zealand faces were nowhere near as hard to navigate as the ones I’ve skied here in Europe this season, on that course you could pretty much see most of it from the top.

So, you’ve done the New Zealand events and podiumed in both and gathered quite a few points on the rankings.  You say “Wow, okay” Then you decide to head to Europe… But let’s take a step back, what were you doing at the time – work? university?

I’m working, I’m in my last year of a Master’s in Law. I studied politics, philosophy, and economics as an undergrad and I’m working at the Attorney General’s office in international investment law. I didn’t ski at all for about two or three years after I stopped racing, and it was challenging. I had multiple surgeries, and just the classic racer story of ACL and being a bit burnt out. So, really, I took two or three years off skiing before I took this long ski trip with my friends. And I just really started enjoying myself again. It’s a completely separate life.

Reggae:  Totally. So, you headed to Europe to compete but again you were carrying a knee injury at the start of this season? 

Yeah, so it was MCL and also possible ACL. I had mixed advice from different surgeons saying I needed a reconstruction, saying maybe I could get away without it, but I ruptured the MCL for sure as well. So that put a hole in the plans. Because after New Zealand I decided, “Okay, I’m going to go to Europe and I’m going to do the four-star events and see how it goes. I was training in Jindabyne on the airbag around the end of November. I got injured on my second jump, which was super unlucky. I ruptured my MCL and then pretty much wasn’t able to ski until the end of January.

So, it was really stressful, because in missing the four-star events it’s really difficult to get enough points to make the challenger events because they only run five of them. One of them is in Japan and it only leaves two. So essentially the first half of the season was botched, and I just did heaps of rehab. I was still pretty motivated; when you’re doing rehab in the middle of a season when you’d really like to be skiing, it’s quite motivating.  Then I was ready, so I came over here to Verbier and did all my competitions. I think I did eight comps in three weeks or something crazy like that. Really, I did so many comps, and probably way more than recommended.

What, so you did all the smaller events to try and chase the points?

Yeah, I couldn’t do the four-stars. So, I did three-stars and two-tars, and basically just tried to win each event because, otherwise, you can’t get enough points.

Yeah. So that builds up points to get a start in the four stars. And then you won the Nendaz event in Switzerland. So, you’re back competing, talk us through your results…

I did a comp in Tignes, that was a bit early to come back and I was pretty injured, so that didn’t go so well. The next two were both in Verbier and Bruson, and I crashed both of them, so I’m not looking so good. We’re in mid-February now. Then, I actually had some friends who were going to Kazakhstan for some comps, so I thought, “Okay, cool, let’s go.” I did a two-star and a three-star there and won both of them. Then I came back to Nendaz. I did the three-star. I came second, I think. And then did the four-star and I won. Prior to the four-start I was completely below the cut, so I think I had to come first, second, or third to even make the cut for the challenger events. So, it’s been quite a lot of pressure this season, a lot more than I really wanted it to be. It was just a case of try and squeeze everything into February and I pulled it off, and just slid in at the end.

Yeah, right. And then, tell us about the challenger events, so where did you end up?

Yeah, I ended up third. The challengers were okay. I had the first one in Italy. I crashed the first two, actually. First one was honestly probably the best run of my life until the bottom. So that one, even though technically I crashed, I still count that as a win because I definitely dropped the biggest cliff I have all season and was feeling really good. On the second one, I crashed. The third one in France, I didn’t do so well. I got a bit lost. At that stage I think my confidence was a bit low, to be honest, from the previous two. My head game wasn’t quite there. And then the last one, in Austria, I came third. I finally put down a run, landed a run, and was super happy about it. I think I found a good medium between pushing a little bit harder and just dialing it back a little bit. I just wanted to put down a run – so that was my challenger journey; not so good.

When you think about it, you’ve really had only a year’s experience in freeride competition. It’s pretty amazing for someone coming in without any experience in junior freeride events.  So, you start at the Lotte Arai in February ’23 and now, here you are, knocking on the door of the Freeride World Tour 14 months later. That’s pretty amazing.

Kind of. It’s been a really, really steep learning curve though. I’ve learned so much about my skiing, myself, everything.

Yeah. Well, you mentioned before the airbag and hurting yourself. Obviously, in freeride now, there’s a lot of progression in it, 360s and back flips. That’s something you wouldn’t have done as a kid, I suppose, much with your race training. Is that the plan to come back down here to Jindy and do some more training, hopefully uninjured this time?

I think so. I really enjoy the freestyle part of skiing. And it’s something I’ve been wanting to progress for a while, and something I’ve done throughout my life in a very ad hoc way, and just sending it on big days without a lot of direction. So that’s something I’m keen to develop in a safe and structured way. And, for sure, the level of competition with women is going through the roof right now. 

I’m super, super open to that side of the sport and it’s something I’ve been developing for a while. Just it’s been a bit difficult to put into comps this year with my injury. The advice was not to rotate and not to put any more strain on the ligaments. So that’s been a little bit frustrating for me, personally, just have not been able to progress that at all this season. I do feel like I have lots of time. I think I’m really at the beginning, I’m still learning how to navigate faces and everything.

Okay, so you’re coming back to Australia soon, back to work in Canberra. What’s the plan? Are you going to New Zealand again for the comps in August and September?

Hopefully. It depends mostly on finances and scheduling, stuff like that. I’m looking to get a bit more support this year and, hopefully, start some longer -term relationships with companies that are really care about freeride. I actually am going to work, or I’m going to be associated with Thredbo this year as an ambassador and do a bit of stuff with them.

So yes, I hope to go to New Zealand. I’m hoping to compete, but it just depends on a few logistics that I’ll need to work out to make it happen.

Yeah. And what about the knee? Is that an issue now? 

Not really and hopefully I can avoid surgery. I’ve had trouble with my ACL for a long time and I play a lot of AFL. I play for Ainslie in Canberra.

Footy as well? 

Yeah, so normally, at home, I’m playing footy a lot.  I went to ANU so I’ve been in Canberra for five or six years which makes it easier to go to the snow too.  I’m planning to play footy there and am signed on to play at a high level, more semi-professionally, when I get home.

I love footy, it keeps you really strong. Because I think freeride is, in a way, a contact sport, in terms of the impact on your body. I know it’s no one tackling you, per se, but it’s funny how it’s similar on your body as footy. So, it’s good training and it’s nice to play a team sport. 

Well, you’re not the standard 24-year-old corporate lawyer. So, if you get back to Europe next season, you want to compete, make the cut for the challengers again. Long-term – the Freeride World Tour, is that the goal?

I’m thinking about it now. But to be honest, at the beginning of the year it never even seemed a possibility. Now I’m thinking about it as a goal, and it doesn’t seem so impossible, having done a season here and getting a bit of experience, and understanding what it means to be successful in the comp setting.  It’s so different to freeskiing with your friends and skiing in a comp. I’m starting to understand the way the judging works, And I’m really getting a sense of the best way to approach the comps, and for me to adjust my skiing. For example, I went way too fast in a few events; I had this ticking time bomb in my head where I’m thinking, “I have to get down,” and that’s just not realistic or useful. So just these little things are all elements I am learning. 

I definitely think the World Tour is a possibility, but I want to find a bit of support. And I think the most important thing for me is to find a team of other riders. I think that’s what we’re lacking in Australia is a community of freeriders and people to train with to push yourself. 

* You can listen to the full interview with Zanna in an upcoming Chillfactor podcast.

The post Aussie rookie Zanna Farrell shaking up the freeride tour appeared first on Chillfactor.