The Lake Tahoe area has long been home to some of the top big mountain skiers and riders.

From numerous athletes emerging on the junior level to three-time Freeride World Tour Champion Sammy Luebke, the region’s mountains, programs, and teams have produced world-class talent. This year, local skier Lily Bradley has taken the mantle of representing the area at the highest level, bursting onto the Freeride World Tour to finish fourth overall in her rookie season.

“Thank you so much to everyone who made this whirlwind so incredible,” posted Bradley, 19, to Instagram following Saturday’s run at Xtreme Verbier. “I feel like I’ve gained another chosen family.”

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Saturday’s final was held on the iconic Bec des Rosses in Switzerland. Bradley had a decent run coming down, but near the bottom she launched off a cliff and crashed, tomahawking end over end. She finished the event in fifth place.

As a rookie, she picked up a first-place finish at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, British Columbia, Canada; a third place at Ordino-Arcalis, Andorra; and managed to qualify for the two-event finals, which also included a stop in Fieberbrunn, Austria, where she finished in fourth place.

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“I’ve never skied a face that big and my legs and psyche were absolutely feelin’ it,” said Bradley on competing in Austria.

New Zealand’s Jessica Hotter, 28, captured the women’s overall ski championship.

Another skier from the area, Ross Tester caught fire to end the year, finishing runner-up in men’s skiing at Xtreme Verbier to close the season out in third place overall.

Tester launched off a massive cliff at the top of his run, and then threw a 360 near the bottom to finish second. His season also included a runner-up finish at Ordino-Arcalis.

Switzerland’s Maxime Chabloz, 20, took home the men’s overall ski title.

Justin Scacco is a staff writer with the Sierra Sun. He can be reached at jscacco@sierrasun.com