Security

The criteria for FWT and FWQ competitions encompasses: i) a challenging face for elite level riders, ii)
snow conditions – untracked and secure snow-pack and iii) weather – judges must be able to see participants from start to finish.

Every rider taking part is a mountain professional and will first of all inspect the lines and snow conditions from the base of the mountain. After a precise evaluation in order to choose what he or she feels is the best line, riders will usually hike to the start area without being allowed to ski down the face before the contest. Their descent will then feature steep sections with narrow couloirs, rock bands to jump, big open spaces for fast big turns and exposed terrain.

The competition face is always secured before and during the competition by professional mountain guides and resort ski patrols, who also organise avalanche rescue training sessions. In addition, there are strict security measures in place for all FWT and FWQ competitions and these include mandatory protection for riders (helmet and back protection) and complete avalanche equipment (transceiver, shovel and probe).