FWT JAPAN Official Website Completely Renewed! New 'FWT JAPAN SERIES Ranking' Established for Domestic Series

The FWT Management Office (within Earth Hopper Co., Ltd., headquartered in Taito-ku, Tokyo, Representative: Kei Inoue) completely renewed the official FWT JAPAN SERIES website (https://freerideworldtour.jp/) on Thursday, June 4, 2026, aiming to promote freeride (a ski and snowboard competition where athletes ride natural terrain and compete on technique and style) in Japan and to support athletes and the development of the sport.

Furthermore, looking ahead to the potential adoption as an event in the 2030 Winter Olympics, which is scheduled to be announced at the end of June 2026, this renewal established a unique Japanese 'FWT JAPAN SERIES Ranking' with the aim of promoting domestic competition and clarifying evaluation criteria. Going beyond a simple schedule and results announcement site, it will launch as a community platform where riders, partner companies, host municipalities, and fans can organically connect and elevate Japanese freeride culture to the next stage.

■ Background of the Official Website Renewal

Since its first holding in Japan in 2017, the 'FWT JAPAN SERIES' has created numerous dramas on world-renowned Japanese heavy snowfall areas such as Hakuba, Maiko, Yuzawa Nakazato, and Arai Mountain Resort. In recent years, the environment surrounding the competition has been rapidly heating up, with Japanese riders participating in the Freeride World Championships by the FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation) and junior athletes becoming active overseas.

However, until now, official information for the world's premier tour, the 'FWT', was primarily disseminated from its home base in Switzerland (in English, etc.), creating a certain barrier to information access for Japanese athletes, fans, local governments, and companies considering sponsorship.

Therefore, the FWT Management Office fundamentally restructured the website's architecture, not only to expand official Japanese-language information and eliminate language barriers, but also to strengthen the domestic cultural scene and clarify competitive results in the domestic series in anticipation of Olympic inclusion.

■ 'FWT JAPAN SERIES Ranking' System

As the core of this renewal, a unique 'FWT JAPAN SERIES Ranking' system was implemented to clearly visualize a [new evaluation axis] based on performance in the domestic series.

[Features of the Calculation Logic]

This ranking is a uniquely Japanese system calculated solely from the total points of the top two events (the highest points '1st' and the second-highest points '2nd') among the points earned in each event of the FWT JAPAN SERIES. It is completely separate from existing global ranking systems that accumulate points by touring the world or regions, and is deliberately designed not to include points from overseas tours.

[Purpose of Introduction: Enhancing the Value of the JAPAN SERIES and Expanding Events]

Currently, about half of the participating athletes in the FWT JAPAN SERIES are foreign athletes, and because it is held in world-class heavy snow and powder environments (JAPOW), its high level of competition is noteworthy globally. In this world-class field, a [new evaluation axis] will be established that recognizes the achievements of riders who deliver outstanding performances on Japanese snow-covered mountains, unaffected by the circumstances of overseas expeditions.

This system, which purely highlights and honors domestic results, is an important milestone for increasing the value and excitement of the JAPAN SERIES itself and for the future expansion of domestic events (strengthening the series). This will directly support the discovery of the next generation of star riders and the further development of the entire JAPAN SERIES.

■ 2026 FWT TOYO TIRES JAPAN SERIES Champions

The 'CHAMPIONS' section of the new site visualizes the top title holders who have conquered the FWT JAPAN SERIES held in Japan.

Ski Men: YUKI SHIBATA

Ski Women: SACHI HIRAKAWA

Snowboard Men: TAKEO KIKUCHI

Snowboard Women: SAYAKA KATO

■ Future Outlook and Value Provided to Stakeholders

Starting from this official website renewal, the FWT Management Office will accelerate medium- to long-term initiatives to create social and economic value, not just promoting freeride competition and expanding domestic FWT JAPAN SERIES events.

① Athlete Support: Establishment as an Official Portfolio

Profiles, competitive results, and riding visuals of each rider will be updated as appropriate. By clarifying their official domestic standing through this 'FWT JAPAN SERIES Ranking', the site functions as an objective and highly reliable 'official profile' for athletes to secure sponsors from domestic and international companies. It guarantees their value not just as local riders, but as 'athletes ranked in the world's hottest JAPAN-quality environment'.

② Sports Tourism: 'Inbound Regional Revitalization' Leveraging 50% Foreign Athlete Ratio

The FWT JAPAN SERIES has an extremely international character, with about half of its participating athletes being foreign. The new site aims to seamlessly introduce the tourism information and appeal of world-renowned host locations (Hakuba Valley, Yuzawa Nakazato Snow Resort, Arai Mountain Resort, etc.) to both domestic and international audiences. In conjunction with the 'ZONE FWT' certified freeride areas, which have expanded to 13 locations nationwide, and the 'Sustainability' section promoting environmental conservation, it will fully commence contributions to sustainable inbound regional revitalization with sports as a hub.

③ Provision of 'Stock-Type Premium Media (Replays)' That Doesn't End as a One-Off

Enhance the 'Replay' pathway to archive FWT's overwhelmingly high-quality videos, backed by broadcast records on J SPORTS and other networks. Unlike social media content posts, this serves as an asset-type media that fans repeatedly view throughout the year, including the off-season, providing long-term and premium exposure for the brand value of sponsoring companies.

■ Comment from the Representative of the FWT Management Office (Representative: Kei Inoue)

'Freeride is rapidly developing into a major sport that attracts young people from all over the world. It is an incredibly exciting sport where riders express their individual styles on the stage of nature. With this new official website as our base, we aim to work with the riders who will create and energize the JAPAN SERIES, and to communicate the appeal of the event more powerfully than ever before. Together with the athletes, fans, and partners, we want to further ignite the future of Japanese freeride.'

■ New Website Overview

Site Name: FWT JAPAN SERIES Official Website

URL: https://freerideworldtour.jp/

Launch Date: Thursday, June 4, 2026

Main Sections:

Hero Section: Captures the world view