After 15 seasons on the Freeride World Tour and 20 incredible years of competition, Reine Barkered is officially retiring from the world of competitive freeriding. The 40 year old Swede has won the iconic Xtreme Verbier three times, and was the Freeride World Champion back in 2012. In short, he is 100% a legend of the sport.
The Yeti Xtreme Verbier, set to take place at some point in the next week (weather window is 3/25-4/02, current estimated start on Tuesday, 3/28), will be Barkered’s last competition. He’s set to start off the ski men’s category after receiving an event wildcard for his 13th Xtreme.
“After 15 incredible seasons on the Freeride World Tour, one season on the FWQ and 20 years of competition I have decided to announce my retirement from competitive freeriding after the 2023 Extreme Verbier. It is a decision that I have been considering for some time now, and after much reflection, I feel that now is the right time to move on to new adventures. I want to express my deepest gratitude to my family, my sponsors, my fans, without whom my journey in the freeride world would not have been possible.” – Reine Barkered
It is certainly sad to see such an icon leave the competitive sphere, but there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s got some awesome things ahead of him. Congrats on the retirement Reine, we’re all looking forward to to seeing the work you’ll do in the future!
Image Credit: Reine Barkered via Instagram