All Photographs: Connor Clayton, LINE Skis | Featured Skier: Lisa Zimmermann
The 2025 TBL Classes set a brand new milestone for ladies’s freeskiing in each metric conceivable. From prize cash to expertise, the occasion had us fired up from the primary lap to the final chair.
Because the brainchild of the one and solely Taylor Brooke-Lundquist, the occasion had stirred up pleasure within the freeski group because the preliminary announcement earlier this winter. The premise was easy: collect one of the best girls in freestyle snowboarding for 4 days in a personal park at Brighton Resort. Fifteen athletes have been invited, with an extra 10 chosen to attend primarily based on video submissions.
“Seeing this entire factor come to life was loopy,” Lundquist informed FREESKIER. “The desires I had for this occasion lastly took form— every little thing felt superb and truthfully sort of surreal. This was about creating an area that centered on girls and marginalized genders, permitting them to not simply exist in snowboarding, however to thrive, take dangers, and be seen.”
She continued by saying, “There was no strain to compete, only a area to ski onerous, construct group, and have enjoyable. I see this as an essential occasion as a result of it confirmed how a lot expertise is on the market whenever you broaden the lens and provides individuals the possibility to shine. The game is inevitably pushed ahead by together with individuals who’ve at all times belonged, however haven’t at all times been given the mic—or the drop-in.”
The grasp park shapers at Brighton didn’t disappoint within the slightest, as they rigorously constructed a plethora of elaborate and artistic options for the four-day occasion. The course was labeled as a Streetstyle construct, that means the options have been meant to considerably emulate the texture and movement of road snowboarding.
From Monday, 4/28 to Wednesday, 4/30, the crew gathered for a personal park shoot. The climate was lower than optimum as clouds and cooler temps got here in, however the vibes have been sky excessive nonetheless.
After Wednesday’s jam periods concluded, riders have been proven video components that have been stacked over the previous days. Everybody casted a vote to find out an MVP, Greatest Rookie, Greatest Fashion, Most Inventive and Greatest Slam.
MVP: Olivia Asselin
Greatest Rookie: María Esteban
Greatest Fashion: Jennie Lee Burmansson
Most Inventive: Dasha Agafonova
Greatest Slam: María Esteban
The clouds parted simply in time for Thursday’s Streetstyle Jam, the place $16k was on the desk with $8k for first place, $5k for second and $3k for third. That kind of money is nothing to scoff at in any freeski comp, particularly in a Streetstyle occasion. For 2 hours, these girls put every function within the finely tuned Streetstyle course to work. The caliber of talent was astounding, with a variety of ages and kinds on show.
With solely three spots on the rostrum, the judges needed to be exact with their picks. Acquainted faces rose to the highest of the group when the mud had settled.
2025 TBL Classes Streetstyle Podium
🥇 Olivia Asselin
🥈 Lisa Zimmerman
🥉 Marion Balsamo
Later that afternoon, the course was opened up for a public session. Lundquist confirmed she’s actually a skier of the individuals, wheeling and dealing $5k in money for methods. Do one thing sick, get a stack of chilly onerous 20, 50 and even 100 greenback invoice; a method that’s tried and true!
To listen to extra from these on the bottom, we pinged our buddy and TBL Classes rider Audrey Friess to get her perspective.
“I’m past grateful to have attended the first-ever TBL Classes alongside so many gifted skiers,” Friess informed FREESKIER. “This occasion was every little thing freeskiing wanted. Taylor noticed a niche and did one thing about it. Once I was an adolescent rising up in Ohio, I seemed as much as Taylor as a boundary-breaking skier. Now, I’m fortunate sufficient to be snowboarding alongside her and so many different inspiring girls.”
When requested about what separates TBL Classes from different occasions, Freiss acknowledged, “[TBL Sessions] was every week for the ladies, a gathering of acquainted faces and new pals from all around the world, multi functional place. One of the best half for me was the vitality and group we constructed collectively at Brighton. Occasions like this don’t simply uplift the rivals, in addition they assist shift the tradition of snowboarding in an inclusive and artistic route. The entire occasion was supportive and deeply inspiring. It wasn’t about chasing the rostrum, it was about development, friendships, and celebrating one another.”
Snowboarding wants extra of this, plain and easy. An enormous shoutout to Lundquist for main the cost, to all of the athletes for placing it on the road, to the filmers and photographers who enabled us to assist share this occasion with the world, and to the manufacturers who put within the funding that made TBL Classes potential.
Photographs: Connor Clayton
