Frequently Asked Questions

Freeriding is a sport that has experienced tremendous growth during the last few years and is supported by a “pyramid” of development programs. Under the leadership of the Freeride World Tour, the FWT Qualifier and the FWT Junior are designed to support grassroots growth in the sport. In addition, the FWT Academy was implemented in cooperation with ski schools throughout the world, including Europe and Japan:

The Freeride World Tour Pro Series (FWT)

The FWT Pro is the highest level of competitive freeride skiing and snowboarding. The world’s best riders compete on the most legendary and challenging alpine faces at leading ski resorts around the world.

The Freeride World Tour Challenger Series

The FWT Challenger is the final step toward qualifying for the FWT Pro. The highest-ranked Qualifier riders compete alongside FWT Challenger riders and FWT Pro riders who did not qualify for the FWT Pro Finals.
Participation is by invitation only. The final FWT Challenger ranking determines which riders qualify for the following season’s FWT Pro.

The Freeride World Tour Qualifier Series

The FWT qualifier is designed to develop the talent and skills of up-and-coming athletes. Riders accumulate points via more than a 100 events held around the world.

The Freeride World Tour Junior Series

The FWT Junior was founded in 2011 in order to develop a platform for young athletes (boys and girls) aged 14-18 to develop their skills and become future world champions. In 2018 an additional age group for 10-14 year old riders (U-15) was added. Beyond the coaching to develop their riding skills, these events teach young athletes how to safely pursue their passion for freeriding by emphasizing prevention, safety, and responsibility in mountain environments.

Since 2012 the FWT has collaborated with ski schools to develop the skills of youth and adult skiers and snowboarders. The FWT Academy offers a great variety of FWT certified programs: seasonal, weekly or daily, for kids, teenagers and adults. Lessons will be taught by qualified and certified instructors, with a long experience in Freeriding. Teachers will be supported by pro-riders who will share their experiences and provide valuable technical advice.

The best 4 ski men, 2 ski woman, 2 snowboard man and the top snowboard woman of each region on the FWT Challenger ranking will qualifiy for next season’s Freeride World Tour, having a total of 18 athlete’s qualify each year.

Based on the ranking, the top riders will be invited to compete in the FWT Challenger. For more information, refer to the Region 1 or Region 2 Riders Rulebooks.

All riders have to respect the hosting country’s rules and laws. Although FWT Management is not conducting doping tests, FWT Management expect riders to adopt the IOC rules in regards to doping. Riders who are seen using illegal substances in official areas such as start, finish, inspection area, at prize giving ceremonies and official happenings could face FWT sanctions. All riders are expected to behave accordingly and properly towards our hosting resorts, local organizers, partners, and media.

The Pro Freeriders Board (PFB) was founded to ensure the best possible conditions for the growth of freeriding. The PFB is a consultative board with riders from the FWT and they are consulted by FWT for all decisions concerning rules and formats which might affect riders. It is made up of eight of the most prominent riders in the sport of freeride led by a General Secretary. Their task is to voice their opinions and wishes regarding the season calendar, competition format, judging rules and a fair path for newcomers to qualify for the FWT through the FWT Qualifier and its ranking system. This approach ensures greater security and riders’ satisfaction.

The FJWC is a one-day event for riders aged 15-18 (respecting each region’s age eligibility dates) and crowns the Freeride Junior World Champions. The FJWC will be awarded a 4* points status and the FJWC results will count towards the 52 week seeding list, but will not count towards the junior tour ranking. The FJWC usually takes place every year.

FWT Management will invite riders according to the FJWC qualification system (based on past year’s results, age restrictions and continental quotas)

There is no guarantee for any nation to keep the same number of spots per championship or category from one year to the next and there is no guarantee for a world champion to be re-invited based on the title alone.

Please see here for the current season rules:

The following equipment is mandatory at every competition:

Avalanche transceiver, helmet, back protection, backpack with probe and shovel. A harness might also be necessary if announced by the organizers. A RECCO reflector will be mandatory too but will be provided at every event if the rider does not have one already. A RECCO reflector check along with a transceiver check will be done prior to the competition. An avalanche airbag is not mandatory unless specified otherwise. The equipment will be checked prior to the competition and any rider missing any of the mandatory equipment will not be allowed to start and will get a DNS (did not start).

Yes. Every rider competing in an FWT-sanctioned event, including wildcard riders, must have a valid FWT licence.

Riders must register using their legal first name and family name, exactly as shown on their passport or official identification document.

A rider who starts an event without a valid licence will be excluded from the event ranking.

With this membership we offer the following services:

• Online registration for FWT events
• Rider’s results in the seeding and ranking list
• A unique athlete profile on the FWT website.
• Rider assistance

Two licences types are available in Region 1, and apply to both FWT Junior and FWT Qualifier riders.

• FWT one event Licence: For riders competing in one event during the season
• FWT Tour Licence: For riders competing in two or more events during the season.

The FWT one-event Licence costs 39€.

The FWT tour licence is 109€.

These prices apply to both FWT Junior and FWT Qualifier riders in Region 1.

If you purchase a One-Event Licence and later decide to enter additional events, you must upgrade to the Tour Licence and pay only the difference.

If you want to become a member and get a licence, please sign up here:

If you are already a member you just need to Login with your logon ID and your password to renew your licence:

You can retrieve your password with the email address you signed up with by clicking here:

If you do not remember your email address please contact your regional office.

Licences expire at the end of each season. To compete in an event that is part of the following season, competitors must purchase the Licence for that new season.

The official FWT Junior and FWT Qualifier season begins on June 1 and ends on May 31 of the following year.

For example, the 2027 season starts on June 1, 2026, and ends on May 31, 2027.

The season dates may be adjusted when necessary to accommodate postponed events.

Licences are purchased for the applicable competition season.

You must purchase the licence for the region in which you want to compete.

There are 2 regions:
- Region 1 - Europe, Asia, Oceania
- Region 2 - Americas

For example, if you want to compete in an event in Europe, you must purchase a Region 1 – Europe, Asia, Oceania membership.

FWT Junior is open to riders aged 10 to 18, with eligibility determined by the rider’s age on the event date.
The series includes U-15, U-17 Ski Men in Region 1, and U-19 categories. Riders must enter the category corresponding to their age, and U-15 riders must be accompanied by an adult throughout the event day.

For full category requirements and age-transition rules, please consult the current FWT Rider Rulebook.

The minimum age for all FWT Qualifier events is 18, without exception.

A rider may register before their 18th birthday, but they must turn 18 on or before the competition date.

Yes. Once a rider turns 18, they may choose to remain in FWT Junior or move to FWT Qualifier, even during the ongoing season.

For example, the 2027 season runs from June 1, 2026, to May 31, 2027. A Junior rider who turns 18 during this period may continue competing as a Junior or move to the Qualifier series.

Once the rider moves to FWT Qualifier, they cannot return to the Junior series. Points earned in Junior events do not count toward the FWT Qualifier season ranking.

Special conditions apply to riders participating in the FIS Freeride Junior World Championships.
Please consult the Rider Rulebook for details.

A nationality change can be approved only once during a rider’s career.

Competitors must possess the citizenship and a valid passport of the country for which they wish to compete. In addition, competitors must have their principal legal and effective place of residence in the new country on the date of the request to change nationality. 

Requests must be submitted before the 1st of May of the current season. If approved, the nationality change will take effect for the following competition season.

Once you have a Licence you are eligible to register for events of the current season.
Registration will open on a fix date and will close about 4 weeks before the event. During the registration period you can login and register for the events.

You need a valid credit card to complete the registration process but as long as you are on the waiting list the registration fee will only be held on your credit card. Registration will close 4 weeks prior to the event, at this time you will receive an invitation email if you were selected for this event. If you do not want to accept the invitation, you must cancel within three days. If you decide to cancel, your spot will be given to the next rider on the waiting list otherwise your participation will be confirmed and your credit card will be charged.

No. Initial registration places the rider on the event waiting list. A registration acknowledgement is not confirmation that the rider has been selected.

Riders invitation and confirmation take place approximately four weeks before the event, the day after the closing of the registration.
Check the event page for its exact deadline.

Check the event website to see what is included in the registration fee. Depending on the event the fee may or may not include a ski pass, goodies, bib, lunch bag etc.

Selection depends on the event category:

For all FWT Junior and Qualifier events, riders will be accepted based on their seeding list rank at the time registration closes. Only in the case where the event is not full, riders on the waiting list will be accepted.

The 1* events (FWT Junior and Qualifier 1*) and all U-15 categories are the only exception, here the riders will be accepted based on a "first registered, first confirmed" rule.

The FWT Challenger and Pro Series are invitation-only.

No, the email you get only confirms that the registration was received. Registrations are confirmed only after the closing date when you will receive an email if selected. Always check the event entry list after the closing date to see if you are confirmed or on the waiting list only.

When you sign up for a competition you will receive an email stating that you are on the waiting list for the competition.

One day after registration closes we will send an invitation email to all selected athletes.

Selected athletes then have 3 days to decide if they want to compete.
If they do not want to compete they can just login and cancel the registration.
If they do want to compete they do not have to do anything and will receive an email confirming that they are on the start list 3 days later.
With the confirmation email the credit card will then be charged.

If a place becomes available later, the next eligible rider on the waiting list may be automatically confirmed and charged immediately.

All entries will have this blue clock after their name before the registration closing date. After the closing date the event is seeded, meaning those riders who will be selected will be invited to compete. As long as you see the blue clock after your name in the entry list of the event you are not confirmed to compete at the event.

If a rider cancels their registration, the next rider on the waiting list will be confirmed and charged immediately.
Replacement procedures and timelines can be found in the Rider Rulebook.

So if you are on top of the waiting list chances are that you will be invited if another rider in your category cancels.

If the event is not full once the normal registration period ends, all registered riders will be invited and registrations will be re-opened. Riders inscribing during the second registration period will then be accepted based on a first-come, first-served basis and will be confirmed right away with their credit cards being charged immediately. Once the event is full registration will close without warning as spots might fill up quickly.

At FWT Junior and Qualifier 4* events, registering first does not guarantee acceptance. Riders without FWT points will not be accepted, and FWT may refuse riders who have not previously competed in an FWT Junior or Qualifier 3* event.

If you forgot to register on time and the event is already full, you will not be able to sign up for the event anymore.

Depending on the total number of spots available per event, a certain percentage of riders who registered will be confirmed for the event. The number of riders accepted per category and gender reflects the number of riders that signed up per category and gender.

That means a number of spots per category will not be determined until registration will close and there is no way to tell prior to the registration closing date how many riders will be invited per category and gender.

As of season 2023/2024, there will no longer be a minimum amount of riders per category in order
to validate the category itself.

A rider may cancel without charge while still on the waiting list.

After receiving an invitation, after the normal registration timeline, the rider has three days to cancel without charge.
After confirmation, the registration fee is normally non-refundable except under the medical, cancellation or postponement provisions in the Rider Rulebook.

However, in case there is a waiting list in place and the spot can be replaced with another rider in the same category, cancellation and refund is possible.

A rider who is still on the waiting list can cancel the registration at any time. Please note that, if the rider is still on the waiting list after the confirmations have been done, he can be confirmed at any time as a replacement.

A confirmed rider may receive a registration-fee refund, excluding banking fees, by providing a valid medical certificate.

The rider must:
1. Inform FWT as soon as possible and no later than before the riders’ meeting.
2. Submit the medical certificate no later than three days after the event.
3. Request the refund directly by email to the FWT.

A rider who does not inform FWT before the riders’ meeting is not eligible for a refund.

If an event is postponed to a date outside the weather window, all confirmed riders will be informed by email and given a deadline to either remain confirmed for the new date or cancel their participation, no matter the reason, and receive a refund. After this deadline, cancellations will no longer be eligible for a refund.

If an event is postponed, the remaining spots taking all cancellations into account, will be filled from the waiting list. If the event is still not full, registration will re-open. If the event gets postponed for a second time, the confirmed riders will have another chance to cancel and to be refunded.

If the organiser cancels before the weather window, the registration and applicable insurance fees are refunded, excluding banking fees.
If the event cannot be held during its weather window, registration and insurance fees are not refunded.

Depending on the local organiser there could be various types of event formats, events in one day, events over two days with a qualification day and a final day with a new score for the final day or events over two days combining scores of both days with or without a cut after day 1.

Yes, in Region 1 Europe Asia Oceania there will be different age groups: U19 / U17 (Ski Men only) years and U15 at selected events only.

FWT Junior U17 & U19

The minimum age to participate in this category is 14 years of age and anyone can sign up once they turn 14.

Due to the large numbers of Ski Men in many regions the Ski Men category only was split into 2 age division: U-19 and U-17

The other 3 categories do not have U-17 division.

FWT Junior U15

There will be special venues for this age category and all junior riders in the “under 15 year category” must be accompanied by an adult (parent or coach) at all times.

Prior to every competition there will be a mandatory riders meeting. The riders meeting will take place on the day before the competition or in the morning before the competition depending on the event organiser’s schedule.

The competition venue(s) are closed 30 days prior to the event or latest after the last snowfall. If competitors are seen riding the competition venue(s) which is clearly marked or communicated, the organiser has the right to disqualify these riders and they could face FWT sanctions. Riding the competition venue(s) before they are officially closed is permitted.

Riders meetings are held prior to the competition and are mandatory for all riders for safety reasons. During these meetings, points such as snow conditions, potentially closed areas on the face, access routes to the start, event schedules or potentially additional mandatory safety gear (harness) will be discussed. Riders who cannot attend the riders meeting for valid reasons must announce themselves to the organiser to get their safety speech and BIB number at another time. Failure to do so might result in an exclusion from the competition.

Riders meetings are mandatory due to safety reasons and an event organizer has the right to not accept a rider if they fail to attend the riders meeting. If you cannot make it for a valid reason you have to get in touch with the event organiser and to make sure you get the safety speech and your BIB number at another time. If a rider fails to get in touch with the organiser prior to the riders meeting, the organiser has the right to exclude the rider from the competition.

Riders who made it on the podium have to be present at the prize giving ceremony in order to receive their prize. A rider who cannot be present for a valid reason has to inform the organiser the latest on the day of competition, otherwise an organiser may decide to retain the prizes.

However, the organiser will announce at the riders meeting if any other customs for the prize giving apply and has the right to retain prizes if a podium rider cannot make it to the prize giving.

The following equipment is mandatory at all events:

• Avalanche transceiver (switched on and with full batteries)
• Helmet
• CE-certified back protection (backpack with integrated protection does not replace separate CE-certified back protection)
• Backpack with probe and shovel
• RECCO reflector

An airbag backpack with a connected crotch strap is mandatory for FWT Junior 4*, FWT Qualifier 3* and 4*, FWT Challenger, FWT Pro and the FIS Freeride World Championships (Junior and Adult). It is highly recommended at other events.

All riders must take a harness to the competition as well but it will only be mandatory if the organiser announces it prior or during the riders meeting. It is the sole responsibility of the athlete to have a harness handy and the organiser will not be responsible to provide one.

A RECCO reflector will be mandatory but it will be provided at every event if the rider does not have one already. A RECCO reflector check along with a transceiver check will be done prior to the competition. An avalanche airbag is not mandatory unless specified otherwise.

The equipment will be checked prior to the competition and any rider missing any of the mandatory equipment will not be allowed to start and will get a DNS (did not start).

The FWT rider supplementary personal accident insurance covers the costs of evacuation / snow patrol / ambulance / heli costs to hospital and back home if the private insurance of the rider doesn’t cover it.

There are two types of supplementary insurance:
- The One-event (included in the registration fee of certain events).
- The Annual (valid from Nov 1st or date of subscription to October 31st).

The One-event supplementary insurance fee will be included in the registration fee for all events where the organiser is using the FWT supplementary personal accident insurance (Most of the European events except Norway and some events in Asia).

Both one-event and annual supplementary insurances can cover some medical costs (provided that the treatment is directly linked to the accident), but each rider has to ensure that they have a personal medical insurance valid in all countries where they are competing and that they are covered in case of participation in an extreme freeride contest (should they need extensive local medical treatment in case they can’t be transported back home). In the disclaimer that each rider will have to sign when entering a contest, it will be mentioned that they have checked the above.

Please find a detailed description in the insurance paper

One-event supplementary insurance

The FWT rider One-event evacuation insurance is 28 EUR per rider per event (if applicable at the event, and including the banking fee).

Annual supplementary insurance

The cost for a full year is 299 EUR incl. VAT per athlete.
The price will adapt based on the number of months of validity to ensure you get the best price for your coverage!

Yes each rider has to make sure that they have a personal medical insurance valid in all countries where they are competing and that they are covered in case of participation in an extreme freeride contest (should they need extensive local medical treatment in case they can’t be transported back home) since the FWT insurance has a limited coverage. In the disclaimer that each rider will have to sign when entering a contest, it will be mentioned that they have checked the above.

If you got hurt on the day of the competition make sure that you announce the injury to the event organiser or FWT Management immediately. It is crucial that the insurance process is launched within 24 hours after the accident happened. In case of minor injuries the event organiser might not be aware of the incident if you do not announce it.

Then you have to first check with your personal insurance as the FWT supplementary personal accident insurance will only cover if there is written proof that the rider's personal insurance does not cover the accident.

In case of accident, you will have to declare it to the insurance company, check out the full protocol on the link just below.

Note:
- Make sure to declare your accident in the first 24 hours following it!
- You must first check if your personal insurance covers the accident. If not, the FWT Annual supplementary insurance will cover it.

If the event that you registered for after buying your annual supplementary insurance includes an FWT one-event one (ask us if you are not sure), you can receive a refund of 26 €.
Once you competed on one or more events, please fill in the following form to request a refund:

Please note that there will be a credit card fee of 2 € retained from the 28€ initial fee and that our team will treat your request within 14 days.

Season Rankings

A season ranking measures a rider’s results within a specific series during the current competition season. For the FWT Junior, FWT Qualifier and FWT Challenger Series, each region has its own separate season rankings.
For FWT Junior and Qualifier Series, the final ranking is based on the rider’s three best results of the season in that series.

Seeding lists

The seeding list is a rolling measure based on the rider’s three best results from the previous 52 weeks. It is used to select riders for events.

Since competition spots are limited, the seeding list is used to determine which athletes among all the registered athletes are invited to a competition. The seeding list is formulated by a rider’s best 3 results over the past 52 weeks. Riders who have not competed before or who are ranked low on the seeding list might not get into 3* and 4* events and will have to start collecting points on lower level events (1* and 2*) to move up on the seeding list.

Season Rankings

Riders can compete and collect points anywhere in the world but will only be ranked in the region where the event was held. Riders cannot transfer the points earned from one region to the other, with the exception of Southern hemisphere events.

Seeding Lists

FWT Junior Series:
There is no global Junior seeding list. Region 1 and Region 2 each have their own Junior seeding list. If a Junior rider plans to compete in another region, they may request a transfer of their seeding points by contacting FWT and IFSA. This transfer requires manual coordination and should be requested well in advance.

FWT Qualifier Series:
Qualifier riders are included in a Global Seeding List, which is based on their three best results from the previous 52 weeks from the 2 Regions. Qualifier seeding points are therefore not divided between separate regional seeding lists.

A national ranking combines the FWT points earned by riders representing the same country.
Riders may compete in as many events as they wish and in any country within their region. Their three best results count toward the national ranking, and at least one result is required.
National rankings are maintained only for the FWT Junior and Qualifier Series.

When moving from the FWT Junior to the FWT Qualifier Series, a rider’s current seeding list points from the FWT junior will become their new FWT Qualifier seeding list points. This way a junior will be ranked according to his former FWT Junior points on the FWT Qualifier seeding list and will be able to register for FWT Qualifier events.

The Frozen Points Protocol allows an injured rider to retain their seeding rights during the period of injury and for a period of time after their has recovered from the injury. To achieve this a riders points on the seeding list will be “frozen” as of the week when the injury occurred.

To freeze your points on the seeding list please submit a valid medical certificate to FWT Juniors OR Qualifiers as soon as possible after the injury occurred.

The injury period of a rider shall last a maximum of 52 weeks from the date that the injury occurred. During this time, the rider’s status will be “injured”. If a rider does not resume competing within 52 weeks, his/her frozen status will be automatically changed from “injured“ to "recovered".

If a rider does resume competing or declares himself/herself as recovered within the first 52 weeks since the injury was reported, their status will change automatically to recovered. The rider will continue to be ranked based on his/her frozen points until one of the following conditions applies:

• 52 weeks have passed since the riders status was changed to “recovered”. In this case the rider’s status will be changed to normal, all frozen points will be dropped and the rider will be ranked based on their current points (which will be zero at this point because the rider has no more results)
• The rider has competed in a maximum of five events since he/she recovered. In this case, the rider’s frozen points will be dropped and the rider will be ranked on the seeding list based on their current FWT Qualifier points.

When it comes to freeriding there are different terrains and different ways to express oneself within a terrain. The goal of our 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. Our judging system evolves over time and changes to accommodate the development of the sport and the riders.

The Line, the Air & Style, Fluidity, Control, and Technique are the five judging criteria and “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 goal of this rider-approved system is to have a unified judging system for all FWT Series competitions that allows every style of riding the possibility to win. If a competitor is riding in a part of the face that cannot be seen by judges, what he does (good or bad) will not be scored unless judges have live video feed showing the action.

To find all judging rules, visit the following page:

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.

A final score can only be changed if:

• If the scores have been entered wrong on the computer/web by accident
• If a rider was penalized for riding into a closed area but judges were wrong about the limits of the closed area
• If a rider was not penalized for riding into a closed area
• If a rider falls after the end-of-judging line but still got penalized for it

Riders can only complain about scores on the day of the competition by talking to the head judge if they are convinced that their score is not correct based on the description above. After the competition day no complaints will be accepted.

If you want to become a judge please ask for the judging files by contacting us and by completing them while watching the judging video below: 

Or get in touch with us to see where the next judging clinic will take place!