What is freeride skiing and snowboarding?

What is freeride skiing and snowboarding?

Around the 1970s, skiers around the world began to look for a more freeform alternative to the traditional groomed runs that define alpine skiing. Instead, these skiers carved up the backcountry, choosing whatever lines were most untouched or had the best features. Snowboarders eventually joined the fold in the years to come, and formal competitions started to spring up in the early 1990s.  The new discipline of freeride skiing and snowboarding …