Tilden Wooley, one of Team Palisades Tahoe’s alumni, recently qualified for the Freeride World Tour (FWT). The FWT is the worldwide circuit of freeride snowboarding and skiing at some of the most iconic and challenging alpine faces. Tilden is a 22-year-old athlete from Tahoe, who recently graduated from UC Santa Barbara. This winter, Tilden is looking forward to another successful competition season.
How did you start skiing or snowboarding? What keeps you coming back?
My parents put me on skis before I was two years old, but I always had the urge to snowboard. When I was around six, I switched to snowboarding and learned through the Alpine Locals’ program. I instantly fell in love with it, and I keep coming back because it’s a ton of fun.
What made you choose Palisades Tahoe as your home mountain? What makes this place special to you?
Palisades Tahoe is a very special place. It offers a combination of some of the best freeride terrain in the world, first-rate coaching, and a rich history of attracting top skiers and snowboarders. This season alone, four athletes from the Palisades Tahoe Freeride Program have qualified for the Freeride World Tour. I don’t think there is any other individual resort in the world that can make this claim. You can’t find this terrain combined with this quality of coaching anywhere else.
What does freeride mean to you?
Freeride is a huge part of who I am. It allows me to push myself physically, mentally, and creatively. It helps me feel entirely present and allows me to reconnect with myself and nature. I value the athletes and coaches I’ve met through this amazing and supportive community.
Aside from the competition, what part of the FWT experience are you looking forward to the most, and why?
Outside of the competitions, I am looking forward to riding with and getting pushed by the best freeride skiers and snowboarders in the world. I’ve looked up to and been inspired by so many of the athletes on the FWT for years and I can’t wait to take some laps with them!
If you could go back to your early days of competing, what would you say to your younger self to help them enjoy the journey more?
Dreams do come true! Just keep believing in yourself, working hard, and don’t forget to have fun along the way. Whenever I feel stressed about a competition or bummed about results, I remind myself that I’m doing this because I absolutely love the sport. At the end of the day, the results matter less than the opportunity to travel and ride with amazing athletes from all over the world!
