​North Vancouver’s Lukas Bennett stands atop the 2024 Freeride Junior World Championships podium alongside second-place finisher Tyler Blocker and third place Michael Wheatley. | Mia Maria Knoll/Freeride World Tour

By Andy Prest, North Shore News.

North Vancouver skier Lukas Bennett is on top of the world after winning the 2024 Freeride Junior World Championships held last week in Kappl, Austria.

The 18-year-old Argyle Secondary grad, a member of the Whistler Freeride Club, earned the title of world’s best after putting together a trick-filled freeride run that started with a 360 over an avalanche barrier and only picked up speed from there.

Bennett’s score of 93.33 gave him first place at the junior worlds, topping Americans Tyler Blocker who scored 91.00 to finish second and Michael Wheatley who placed third with 90.00 points.

“This is the most insane feeling being here with all my friends – they’re like a family,” said Bennett in a press release. “I had to do a little bit of improv on my run, getting lost at the top, and I wasn’t supposed to go over the barrier. All the riders sent it today. Anybody could have won. It’s insane.”

Bennett is the second straight world junior champ from the Whistler club, following Marcus Goguen who claimed the title in 2023.

You can see Bennett's full run at the 4:07:30 mark of this video: