A changing of the guard is afoot on the Freeride World Tour (FWT) and Marcus Goguen finds himself squarely in the mix. The Whistlerite reached deep into his bag of tricks in Verbier, Switzerland for his second career FWT triumph at March’s season finale.
“That’s one of the biggest achievements you can get in freeriding,” Goguen said. “The competition has been running for so long, before we had the Freeride World Tour, and that’s where the legends came from. Being able to win in Verbier is a dream come true, and I definitely didn’t think I was going to achieve that goal this year but I’m super happy.”
Adverse weather held the skiers atop the Bec des Rosses face for over an hour, nervously waiting for conditions to improve. It wasn’t easy, but Goguen—who has been competing since he was eight years old—knows how to play the mental game. A 10-minute power nap helped him relax, as did his familiar mantras and routines. Then it was his turn to drop in.
What followed was a run freeride enthusiasts won’t soon forget. Goguen blazed a new trail down the storied venue, which he calls “one of gnarliest faces” he’s ever tackled. His first 360 came together with relative ease, and he forged on to something more daring: one of the most monumental double airs in FWT history.
“My game plan was to do just what I did in my run,” explained the Whistler Freeride Club (WFC) product. “It was definitely the biggest double I’ve ever done. I might’ve even yelled a little bit in the air because I was scared I was going to be tumbling off the second one, but I managed to just bounce off that pad, stay balanced in the air … and somehow landed it.”
Goguen notched 96.00 points and a gold medal for his daredevilry, which was also enough to secure him second overall in the 2024 FWT overall ranking. Only Max Hitzig of Germany placed above him in that regard.
“Second overall is huge and just shows all the accomplishments and progression that I’ve made throughout the season,” Goguen remarked. “I wouldn’t say it’s the most important—the Bec des Rosses win and the Georgia win are what meant the most to me. I’ve just got to keep pushing and working for those single results, and then the overall comes.”
Onward and upward
Not one to wilt under pressure, Goguen ascended to his first career FWT victory in the shadow of Georgia’s Khakhiani face. He attacked the venue with three high-amplitude tricks in rapid succession: first a massive 360, then an equally huge backflip, and last but not least a corked 720. His numbers added up on the judges’ scorecards too: 98.00 points for gold.
The 19-year-old needed eighth place or higher to punch his ticket to Verbier, and he cleared the bar with lots of room to spare.
“I mean, I couldn’t be more happy with that run,” said Goguen. “Everything went right as I planned it, and every time I landed a jump I was surprised. As I continued to land, I was like: ‘alright, let’s keep it going.’ I made it all the way to the bottom and was in disbelief, that’s for sure.”
Young Swiss talent Martin Bender earned silver in Georgia, while Hitzig clinched bronze to go with two wins and the silver from Verbier. All three podium finishers scored in the 90s, as did four others.
The campaign’s penultimate stop in Fieberbrunn, Austria presented a tougher hurdle. Weather and snow conditions were far from ideal, leaving the two-run event in doubt until roughly 30 minutes before go time. Goguen failed to complete his second trip down the mountain, but the first proved enough to net him bronze (94.67).
He didn’t rest on his laurels about it.
“Definitely one of the harder competitions mentally this season,” Goguen admitted. “I wouldn’t say that Fieberbrunn was my best skiing and I would have loved to have shown a bit more, but I was happy to get that result and it gave me a bit more confidence going into the Bec des Rosses.”
‘I’d love to keep the dream going’
Goguen’s meteoric rise gained notoriety at the 2023 Freeride Junior World Championships, which he won using the same gusto and skill that buoyed him to glory in Verbier. Outside of contests, he’s starred in at least two major films: Daymaker by Warren Miller Entertainment and Teton Gravity’s Legend Has It.
Before long, Goguen will be back on camera working with Matchstick Productions.
“I love filming: having the opportunity to shoot these movies and progress my skiing in different ways,” he said. “I think it's a good way to show a different side of our skiing, and we have a chance to send it a bit more. There's not not necessarily as much pressure when we're out filming, as opposed to competitions.”
The WFC alum is also a known two-sport athlete. He’s historically been a full-time mountain biker (finishing a respectable fourth at last year’s Canadian Open Enduro) and credits the discipline with shoring up his physical and mental resilience. That said, it may be time for a change of pace.
Goguen still plans to enter his share of local bike races this summer, but may forgo overseas travel to give himself some semblance of an actual offseason.
In any case, Goguen’s fortunate to have a solid network of peers and supporters. WFC founder Derek Foose, who commentates on FWT events, is usually around to help him pick his line. Fellow Sea to Sky athletes Wei Tien Ho and Jackson Bathgate have pushed him in the best of ways, though they did not qualify for finals this time around.
“I'm super proud of them,” said Goguen. “It was the dream to be on the tour with my buddy Wei Tien for so long, and for that to happen is quite the adventure. We had a blast shredding together and having Jackson on the tour too has been pretty sweet. I hope they can crush it in the [FWT Challenger Series] and get back on here next season, because I'd love to keep the dream going.”
