Kappl as an international freeride hotspot in 2026: three events, one destination

Kappl is hosting three top-class freeride events this winter season, once again becoming the international meeting place for the scene. From the Open Faces to the Freeride Junior World Championships and the Dutch Freeride Championships, the region showcases the entire diversity of the sport. Kappl thus confirms its status as the leading freeride destination in the Alps.

Kappl is once again establishing itself as an important venue for international freeride sports this winter season. With the Open Faces Contests, the Freeride Junior World Championships and the Dutch Freeride Championships, the region brings together a wide range of ages and skill levels in one place, creating a triad of sporting excellence, youth development and community culture. The varied terrain, striking topography and snow conditions provide the natural setting that makes Kappl an ideal destination for high-class competitions.

Open Faces Kappl: January 10–11, 2026

With the Open Faces Freeride Contests, Kappl will once again become the stage for some of the strongest athletes on the international qualifier scene on 10 and 11 January 2026. On the impressive Quellspitz, experienced riders will demonstrate technically demanding lines, perform precisely executed jumps and make use of the diverse slope options that the terrain has to offer. The combination of steep passages, variable snow conditions and natural topography creates ideal conditions for top athletic performances and spectacular runs. At the same time, the event creates a dense freeride atmosphere that transforms the alpine setting in Kappl into a centre of the scene every year.

Freeride Junior World Championships Kappl: 17–23 January 2026

The Freeride Junior World Championships will turn Kappl into a meeting place for the world's best young athletes from 17 to 23 January 2026. Young talents between the ages of 14 and 18 will demonstrate the potential of the next generation of freeride sports on challenging, untouched terrain. The runs require technical precision, control and creativity in line selection – qualities that determine who can succeed at international level. With its alpine slopes, Kappl offers the perfect backdrop for this and underlines its status as a training ground for future professionals, who gain their first major competition experience here.

Dutch Freeride Championships Kappl: 14–21 March 2026

With the Dutch Freeride Championships, Kappl will be hosting a top national event from 14 to 21 March 2026, bringing the Dutch freeride community to the Tyrolean mountains. Around a hundred skiers and snowboarders will compete against each other as part of the Poederbaas Freeride Festival, impressively demonstrating how lively and diverse the scene has become. The event combines sporting ambition with a community experience: workshops on safety and avalanche awareness, joint sessions in the terrain and an atmospheric supporting programme create an environment in which competition and freeride culture flow together naturally. Kappl offers the ideal conditions for this and consolidates its role as an internationally renowned freeride destination.

By hosting these three major events, Kappl is underlining its position as a versatile freeride destination that offers ideal conditions for both professionals and young athletes. The region is once again becoming a lively meeting place for an international scene that celebrates sporting excellence, nature and community in equal measure. Kappl is proving itself to be a place where freeriding is not only practised, but lived.