Growing up in Mona Vale on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, the ocean was always close by but for Vaughn Hardwick, it was the mountains that called him. His dad was a keen snowboarder, and by the age of eight, Vaughn and family were heading regularly to the snow. He tried skiing, for sure. But when he put a snowboard under his feet, Vaughn said that, “something clicked”.
Starting out in the Parks, at just 13, Vaughn was heading to a park comp in Japan when fate intervened. The event was cancelled but hearing about another comp, freeride this time, Vaughn entered the comp and won it. Suddenly he found himself with an invite to the Junior Worlds and a new path opened up.
“I love the flow,” Vaughn says, explaining what he likes about Freeride. “After that first event I went to Andorra, qualified for Junior Worlds, and kept going every year. There wasn’t a huge reason for the switch from park, but freeride just felt right. “I enjoy it a whole lot more.”
So what goes through his head at the top of a freeride competition line? Vaughn doesn’t have a fixed routine: “I act like it’s any other day. I’ll go over my run, check everything through the binoculars to make sure it looks good. Then the nerves kick in the start gate. I just try to roll with it. Breakfast is usually a bowl of eggs or porridge, nothing too fancy.”
His highlights so far? “Junior Worlds was really cool having my mates there from home and the friends I’d made overseas, all watching. Every comp run is pretty special in its own way.”
Vaughn spends plenty of the off-season building strength. “I hit the gym for core and legs, and I do trampolining in the backyard. It keeps me sharp and helps with air awareness when I get back on snow.”
How would he describe his own riding style? “Pretty flowy, light,” he says. “I like to keep it natural.”
Vaughn’s talent hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2025 he was identified for the Snow Australia Emerging Talent Program and picked up by The North Face.
“It felt awesome,” he says. “The North Face is such an epic sponsor. You can tell they actually care and put effort into supporting me.” This past season Vaughn took out the Hotham freeride comp and scored wins at two New Zealand events, stacking up enough points to qualify for Andorra, where he lined up against some of the top riders for the first time. Next stop is the Challenger Series. Goals? “Top two, so I can get onto the Tour. That’s the main goal . I’d love to ride on the Freeride World Tour, I just want to keep going.”
Keep an eye out for Vaughn in BOOMERANG, the latest snowboard edit released by The North Face, where he features in clips alongside fellow team mates, Tess Coady, Andy James and Freddy Perry. With his flowy style and fearless drive, Vaughn Hardwick is a name you’ll be hearing a lot more of in freeride. Vaughn is sponsored by Salomon (for board, boots, and bindings) and wears Modest goggles.
