Judging

When it comes to freeriding, we all know that there are different terrains and different ways to express oneself within a terrain.

The goal of this judging system is to allow any style of riding to win on any given day. Whether a rider’s strength is steep terrain, big airs, technical tricks or speed, each style should be able to win if on that day, the rider simply showed the most impressive run utilizing his own strengths.  Riders shouldn’t have to adapt their riding to a system; the system should be adapted to  freeriding. So how can we create a judging system that is both fair and not restrictive? Freeriding encounters the same dilemma as other disciplines such as surfing, skateboarding or freestyle skiing/snowboarding. These respective sports have all gone through their own distinct experiences and     it is interesting to see that they all ended up with similar judging systems: systems with overall impression scores, given mostly by former riders respected by the new active generation.

 

How judges evaluate a run

To evaluate the run, judges use a point system of a hundred increments from 0 to 100. The goal of this rider-approved system is to have a unified judging system for all FWT, Challenger, Qualifier and Junior competitions that allows every style of riding the possibility to win.

Judges are fully certified and supervised by a head judge. They are using an evolving method and there will always be a human factor left which could lead to different interpretations of the run. This is part of freeriding as a sport and has to be accepted by riders as well as judges. For the FWT events, the judging panel is composed of 4 judges: 1 head judge, 2 judges, and 1 video judge (2 coming from the ski panorama and 2 coming from the snowboard panorama).

 

5 criteria and “the overall impression” are taken into account to determine the riders’ final score:

 

DIFFICULTY & CHOICE OF THE LINE

But let’s look at each category a little closer. The difficulty of the line is pretty straightforward: it’s all about the path a competitor chooses to take down the mountain. What’s the danger factor like on his line? How does the rider link up the tricky passages along the way? How unique, and imaginative, is her route compared to other riders? Is it a cool line? Does it tickle people’s imaginations? That’s what the judges have to determine here.

 

CONTROL

Control is key in big-mountain riding. Possess it and you're golden. Lose it and you can die. That’s why the judges can be ruthless with those who don’t show enough of it during their competition run. Did the athlete fall? Did he run the ragged edge of recovery all the way down? Or did he ride like he knew exactly what he was doing from start to finish? Oftentimes, this is the category where neophytes struggle.

 

FLUIDITY 

Nobody likes watching stop-and-go action. And the Fluidity mark is all about rewarding those athletes who can ride from start to finish with no hesitation, no stoppage and no confusion. Did the rider have to embark on a long traverse to hit his landmark cliff? Did he get lost on the way down and have to climb to regain his line? Did she hesitate before dropping the big cliff? This is what the judges are looking for in this sector. Again – flow is what it’s all about.

 

JUMPS & TRICKS

For many in the sport, the next category, Jumps, is what makes freeride competitions so exciting. Why? Because nothing is man-made – what you see is what you get. But like any other aerial sport, style and aggression play huge. How big was the jump? How did the rider enter the jump? What happened in the air? How well did he stick his landing? Was she like a cat thrown out a speeding car’s window? Or did she know exactly where she was at all times? This is what the judges need to assess before assigning their overall mark.

 

TECHNIQUE

Technique is a criteria that will be looked at closely in Junior or amateur competitions. For Pros, judges will ask themselves if a control issue occurred because of a lack of technique but otherwise, if a rider is in control, he can have his own technique and won’t be penalized. One can lose points however when the side slips down a section where other fellow competitors were carving turns. This would fall under the Technique criteria.

There will always be a human factor left which could lead to different interpretations of the run. This is part of freeriding as a sport and has to be accepted by riders as well as judges. Only one unique score, “the overall impression” will determine the riders’ final score. To evaluate the run, judges use a point system of a hundred increments from 0 to 100.  The Line, the Air&Style, the Fluidity, the Control, and the Technique are the five judging criteria. The Pro Freeriders Board and the head judges have worked closely to create a judging system that allows potential judges to be trained, evaluated, and then certified.  The goal of this rider-approved system is to have a unified judging system for all FWT, FWT QUALIFIER and FWT JUNIOR competitions that allows every style of riding the possibility to win.