Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

The "Scariest" Run of Freeride Champ Marcus Goguen's Life

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 12:54 PM ET

Almost every skier has their personal “scariest run.” Maybe it involved ice, moguls, and a chute that was a little too small. Or the exposure was enough to make your head spin.

When you’re a professional skier, the bar for what constitutes “scariest” is higher and might involve a Freeride World Tour-winning line on the imposing Bec des Rosses in Verbier, Switzerland. That's the case for freeride champ Marcus Goguen.

This is Goguen explaining what made his trip down the Bec in 2024 so memorable.

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It started with a weather hold that lasted 30 minutes. To ensure skiers and snowboarders have safe riding conditions, the Freeride World Tour sometimes pauses competitions until visibility improves. That gave Goguen time to think about what he was going to do.

“I was pretty nervous,” said Goguen in the YouTube video. At the start gate, he took a nap, which, he said, made him feel “a lot better.” After he woke up, it was time to drop.

Peering down the Bec, skiers—professional or otherwise—will find a wickedly steep maze-like face peppered with rocks and cliffs. No fall zones where crashing could lead to a serious injury are, unsurprisingly, part of the Bec program.

As Goguen entered his line from the ridge, he knew he needed to stay upright. Sluff management is another challenge. During the earlier stages of his line, Goguen had to slow down to ensure that the cascades of snow following him down the mountain didn’t knock him off his feet.

Then, it was time for the first big feature of Goguen’s line, a 360. He flew over a cliff section and landed in one piece. The next crux, an enormous double stager, would cap off his run. Goguen didn’t mince words describing the two cliffs that he aired in quick succession.

“This is the scariest thing I’ve ever hit in my life,” he said, noting that moments before he launched, he thought, “I might die.”

But Goguen kept his composure, gracefully bouncing from snow pad to snow pad before racing to the bottom of the venue. The judges took notice. Goguen ended up earning the highest score of the day and placed second overall on the 2024 Freeride World Tour circuit.

Here’s the drone video angle of the run.