From Pressure Drop to Podium: Mia Jones Wins FWT Opener

The next generation isn't just arriving; they are taking over. This morning at the 2026 Freeride World Tour season opener in Baqueira Beret, Spain, 19-year-old TGR athlete Mia Jones proved that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. In Mia Jones' FWT run, the rookie delivered a masterclass in technical riding to claim the top spot in the Snowboard Women’s category.

While Mia may be a fresh face on the World Tour, TGR fans have watched this storm brewing for years. We recently saw her alongside her brother Cass and father Jeremy in the "Jones Family Day" segment of our latest film, Pressure Drop. In that segment, the trio tackled heavy lines at their home turf in Palisades Tahoe, proving that the mountain is the natural classroom for the Jones family.

That same energy, composed, fluid, and undeniably fast, was on full display in the Spanish Pyrenees. Dropping into a venue that hasn't hosted a competition since 2023, Mia Jones FWT run attacked the upper section with aggressive technicality. She capped off her run by stomping a mandatory cliff drop with the kind of precision we’ve come to expect from the Jones name, earning a massive 69.67 to secure the win.

The rest of the field didn't make it easy. In the Women’s Ski category, Justine Dufour-Lapointe defended her Baqueira title with a dominant 86.33, featuring a backflip in a high-consequence zone. On the men’s side, Liam Rivera took the Snowboard win with a massive backflip of his own, while Ben Richards edged out a tight Ski podium.

With the first stop in the books, the Tour now heads to Val Thorens. If today was any indication, the rookies are hungry, and the veterans are going to have to work harder than ever to stay on top.