Life on the edge - GB freerider Bramwell chases Olympic dream
Watch highlights of British snowboarder Cody Bramwell's winning run at the Freeride World Tour season final in Verbier, Switzerland
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As Cody Bramwell balanced on the summit of the Kakhiani mountain face in Georgia, it was not just the edge of his snowboard that was teetering over the precipice - his life's dream was too.
The 30-year-old feared this could be his last chance to make it back to the top of his chosen sport of freeriding, after a season out with injury and subsequent poor form had put the brakes on a promising career.
With plans taking shape to include the daredevil discipline in the Winter Olympics in 2030, he knew this would be the perfect time to make his mark in a sport that rewards those who take the biggest risks.
Until recently, Bramwell had been one of the rising stars of freeriding - which combines the thrills and spills of freestyle skiing and snowboarding with the freedom of off-piste riding, with competitors judged on the tricks they pull and the difficulty of the route they take down a sheer, rocky mountainside.
But for the Swedish-born snowboarder, who has an English father and has chosen to compete for Great Britain, his career now looked to be fading fast.
After being given a wildcard to compete this season on the Freeride World Tour (FWT), Bramwell crashed out of the opening three events and was facing relegation from the top-tier as he prepared to "drop in" for his fourth run in Georgia.
"I was so down and disappointed and kind of thought 'oh well, my career is over I guess'," he said.
"It was going to be so hard to make it back from last place. So I just decided to go in, have fun and enjoy it, as this might be one of my last competitions."
Freeriders have to plot their own route from the summit to a finish gate using photos and drone footage. They only have one run at each event and are not allowed to practise on the course
From fears of missing out, to winning the biggest prize
Bramwell was bottom of the overall standings with two events of the regular season remaining - only the top 60% of the field would make it through to the FWT final in the Swiss resort of Verbier and retain their pro licence for the 2025-26 season.
He claimed successive overall third-place finishes in 2021 and 2022, but had struggled since missing the 2023 campaign with a broken ankle and looked set to lose his place in the FWT top tier for what promises to be a transformative year for the sport.
The tour is ing forces with the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), which runs the World Cup programmes in alpine skiing, as well as freestyle skiing and snowboarding.
Developments planned for 2026 include the first Freeriding World Championships, while an application will be submitted to the International Olympic Committee today (Monday, 31 March) to request inclusion in the 2030 Winter Games in .
Bramwell faced the prospect of missing out on the wealth of opportunities about to open up to the top riders, but he still had one more chance to redeem himself - and this time his stars aligned.
Throwing caution to the wind, he aced his run in Georgia to claim just the second win of his career and first in five years. A second-placed finish in the next event in Austria saw him jump to third place in the overall standings and qualify for the tour final.
Even better was to come in the sport's spiritual home of Verbier, where Bramwell produced a jaw-dropping run to win FWT's blue-riband event.
"I guess I just earned so much confidence from that win in Georgia," he explained.
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