Flathead skiers win freeride event on home terrain
MATT BALDWIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 months, 2 weeks AGO
Flathead Freeride team member Kyle Smith launches off a rock 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 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)
Flathead Freeride’s Hana Fassnacht won the U15 womens ski division at the IFSA competition last weekend at Whitefish Mountain Resort. (Photo provided by FVSEF)
Flathead Freeride's Liam Bryd placed first at the IFSA competition last weekend. (Photo provided)
Hagadone Media Montana REGIONAL MANAGING EDITOR Matt Baldwin is the regional editor for Hagadone Media Montana, where he helps guide coverage across eight newspapers throughout Northwest Montana. Under his leadership, the Daily Inter Lake received the Montana Newspaper Association’s Sam Gilluly Best Daily Newspaper in Montana Award and the General Excellence Award in 2024 and 2025. A graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism, Baldwin has called Montana home for nearly 30 years. He and his wife, Sadie, have three daughters. He can be reached at 406‑758‑4447 or [email protected]. IMPACT: Baldwin’s work helps ensure Northwest Montana residents stay connected to their communities and informed about the issues that shape their everyday lives. | January 14, 2026 12:00 AM
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 the 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)
Flathead Freeride’s Hana Fassnacht won the U15 womens ski division at the IFSA competition last weekend at Whitefish Mountain Resort. (Photo provided by FVSEF)
Flathead Freeride's Liam Bryd placed first at the IFSA competition last weekend. (Photo provided)ARTICLES BY MATT BALDWIN
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