Riders Film Festival — Ski and Snowboard Film Festival of Méribel

Snow Sports Cinema at the Heart of the Three Valleys

The Riders Film Festival was born in 2020 in Méribel, driven by the passion of a community of riders — skiers and snowboarders — eager to share their art of sliding through cinema. Established in the Savoyard resort, which hosts an international community of winter sports enthusiasts every winter, the festival has become, in just a few editions, an unmissable event for freeride and freestyle culture in France.

The concept is as simple as it is exciting: about ten local and international rider teams are invited to produce and present a short ski or snowboard film shot during the current season. These films, made with creativity and daring, capture the essence of sliding — vertiginous descents, acrobatic tricks, breathtaking landscapes — in a cinematic format that transcends simple sports videos.

Three Days of Sliding and Cinema

The festival unfolds over three days with a packed program combining sports competitions and film screenings. The first two days are dedicated to rail jams — competitions of tricks on rails and modules — organized on the Méribel slopes with the support of partners like Avalon Boardshop.

The snowboard rail jam brings together up to 20 riders who compete in groups of five in heats followed by a Best Trick Challenge, all on Méribel's Open Park. The ski rail jam follows the same format the next day, with the support of brands like Volcom, Bataleon, and Peak Performance. The evenings are punctuated by screenings of films from partner brands — Volcom/Bataleon Film Night and Peak Performance Film Night — as a prelude to the grand finale evening.

The highlight of the festival is the screening and awards night at the Méribel auditorium, where the ten films produced by the participating teams are screened before an enthusiastic audience. A jury composed of professional skiers and snowboarders — including riders like Maria Hidalgo and Grant Giller — evaluates the films, complemented by an audience vote.

A Committed and Supportive Festival

Beyond the celebration of sliding, the Riders Film Festival upholds values of solidarity and commitment. The profits generated by the event — sale of access wristbands, partnerships — are entirely donated to charitable organizations. This charitable dimension gives the festival a strong identity, consistent with the spirit of community and sharing that animates rider culture.

The Riders Film Festival embodies a modern and creative vision of winter sports culture, where athletic performance meets cinematic art in a friendly and generous atmosphere.