Ross Tester’s Freeride World Tour Comeback Film Is Live

A new short documentary following Ross Tester’s return to the Freeride World Tour, is now live on YouTube and free to watch: 

After stepping away from competition to reconnect with skiing on a personal level, Ross returns to the Freeride World Tour facing renewed expectations, lingering pressure, and the challenge of redefining success on his own terms. Comeback offers an intimate look at one of freeride skiing’s most naturally gifted athletes as he navigates burnout, identity, and the pursuit of joy, both on and off the mountain.

Blending raw interviews, vérité moments, and high-impact riding from Baqueira, Val Thorens, Verbier, Utah, and Tahoe, the film captures Ross at a pivotal moment in his career. It’s not just a story about returning to competition: it’s about returning to himself

It's part of a wider release from Pangea. Pangea Collective is proud to present four new character-driven freeride films, each following a different athlete through the highs, lows, and defining moments of the 2025 Freeride World Tour season.

These films are not episodes or part of a traditional series — they are four standalone documentaries that together paint a vivid portrait of what it means to ski and snowboard at the highest level of big-mountain freeride.

Filmed across the most iconic venues of the FWT calendar and rooted in vérité filmmaking, this collection blends cinematic action with deeply personal storytelling. Each film focuses on one athlete’s internal world: the history they bring to the mountains, the obstacles they face, and the emotional landscape that shapes their decisions before they drop onto a face.

Collectively, these four films offer a rare look inside a sport defined by risk, creativity, resilience, and the unfiltered realities of life on tour.

Across four unique perspectives — from injury recovery to identity, reinvention, pressure, fear, and pure joy — the Pangea FWT Film Collection captures a season of consequence.

• Ross Tester returns to the Tour after stepping away, searching for joy and stability in his skiing. “Comeback” follows Ross Tester through a vulnerable and transformative return to the Freeride World Tour. After stepping away from competition to reconnect with skiing on a personal level, Ross enters the 2025 season with renewed intention — but the weight of expectation still hangs over every decision he makes on snow. The film examines the emotional cost of early success and the pressure that accompanies
  being considered one of the greatest natural-talent freeriders of his generation. Through candid interviews and raw verité moments, we see Ross grapple with identity, purpose, and the search for joy after burnout. On the mountain, Ross brings his trademark creative skiing — massive airs, playful features, and a flowing style that feels effortless. Off the mountain, we witness doubt, introspection, and the rebuilding of confidence. “Comeback” paints a rare portrait of an athlete confronting his past while redefining his future. It’s not just about returning to competition — it’s about returning to himself.
• Holden Samuels navigates identity and belonging as a snowboarder raised in a skier-only environment.  “Outlier” explores what it means to come up in a sport that wasn’t built for you. Holden  Samuels grew up on a skier-only freeride team in Big Sky, fighting for legitimacy in a system that didn’t have space for snowboarders. That upbringing forged a unique blend of  stubbornness, creativity, and style — traits that shaped him into one of the most compelling young riders in freeride today.
• Taylor Dobyns fights her way back from a season-ending crash, rebuilding trust in her body and mind.  “Redemption” is the most emotionally raw film in the collection — an intimate, human story of injury, grief, and resilience. After a violent crash in Verbier ends her 2024 season and leaves  her physically and emotionally shaken, Taylor Dobyns spends months rebuilding her body and her trust in herself. This film captures the quiet moments that define long recoveries: the frustration of slow  progress, the fear of re-injury, and the internal battle to stay connected to her identity as an  athlete. We see Taylor’s strength beyond the surface — not just the determination to return, but the honesty to admit when she’s scared, overwhelmed, or unsure.
• Jonathan Penfield balances a dual life as a biochemist and elite snowboarder, approaching freeride with a scientist’s precision.  “Technician” explores the unusual duality of Jonathan Penfield — a world-class freeride  snowboarder and practicing biochemist. This film dives into how Jonathan’s analytical mind shapes his approach to riding: meticulous line selection, deep snowpack analysis, and a  snowboarder and practicing biochemist. This film dives into how Jonathan’s analytical mind shapes his approach to riding: meticulous line selection, deep snowpack analysis, and a  methodical style that sets him apart from the chaotic energy of big-mountain competition.  Through scenes in the forest, quiet moments at home, and powerful on-mountain visuals,  Penfield reveals the intersection of intellect and instinct. We see how logic becomes a tool for managing fear, how precision becomes freedom, and how his scientific perspective  influences everything from risk assessment to line choice.

Each story stands on its own, yet together they form a layered portrait of athletes who push their limits not just physically, but emotionally and psychologically.

Pangea Collective is a creative agency dedicated to telling authentic, character-driven stories from the world of mountain sports.  Working closely with elite skiers, snowboarders, mountain bikers, and surfers, Pangea creates cinematic films, branded content, and global event experiences that reveal the human side of high-performance sport. From FWT documentaries to commercial productions and athlete-led projects, the Pangea blends immersive cinematography with emotionally honest storytelling while supporting emerging
talent, elevating athlete careers, and producing impactful work across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and beyond.