freeriding

Freeriding refers to off-piste skiing or snowboarding in natural terrain, typically outside marked trails and lifts. In this sense, freeride emphasizes exploration and riding on un-groomed snow, with terrain and snow conditions varying widely. It is distinguished from resort skiing or alpine touring by its focus on backcountry terrain, often in remote locations. The sport has grown since the 1990s and is showcased in competitions such as the Freeride World Tour. Safety considerations include avalanche risk, weather, navigation in remote terrain, and the use of avalanche safety equipment (beacon, probe, shovel), as well as communication devices and partner protocols. Riders commonly use equipment like wider boards or skis, splitboards for ascent, and skins; some deploy air and rescue training.

In economics and public policy, freeriding describes benefiting from a good or service without paying for it or contributing to its cost, a manifestation of the free rider problem associated with public goods and collective action. Free riders can undermine provision and maintenance, since individual contributions are voluntary. Examples include benefiting from a polluting company's cleanup funded by others, or using open-source software without supporting its development. Addressing freeriding typically involves governance mechanisms that align incentives, such as taxes or fees, property rights, licensing, or compulsory contributions.

The term may also occur in risk-sharing contexts, auctions, or insurance to describe similar beneficiary dynamics.

See also: free rider problem, public goods, backcountry skiing, avalanche safety.