Wānaka’s Ben Richards (25) finished in third place at the Kicking Horse stop of the 2025 Freeride World Tour in British Columbia, Canada on Sunday (February 9).

It was Ben’s second podium finish of the season.

“It was amazing, I love Canada and being in BC and I have a lot of friends around here so I am pumped,” he said. 

As one of the first riders to drop into the venue in the men’s ski category, Ben had a long and nervous wait to see if his score of 87.67, which put him in provisional second place, would hold up for a podium finish.

“It was a stressful wait but I couldn’t be more stoked to land on the podium,” Ben said. 

Ben came into the event looking to change his approach after finishing eighth in Val Thorens just over a week ago.

He opted for a unique line on the ‘Ozone Face’ entering from the skiers far right and immediately put his foot on the gas, throwing a stylish 360 over the cliff band at the top before stomping a huge, lofty front flip off the final feature at the bottom of his run.

Watch Ben's run here.

Marcus Goguen of Canada took the win with Abel Moga (Spain) in second place.

Ben is currently in third place on the overall rankings, with two events to go before the cut to the finals in Verbier, Switzerland at the end of March.

The next stop on the Tour will be in Georgia, with the weather window set to start on February 23.

PHOTO: B. Long / Freeride World Tour