Alpine Competition Explained

Understanding “RACE Points”

When junior athletes move into the U14 age group, they become eligible to earn official US Ski & Snowboard points. To do so, they must be registered with US Ski & Snowboard as a scored Competitor.


All new U14 racers begin the season with a points value of 999.99 in every discipline (SL, GS, SG, DH, and AC). These points decrease as the athlete completes races.


A racer’s point total is used to establish their start order. Lower points result in an earlier start position, with one exception: the 15 competitors holding the lowest points. Athletes who still have 999 points are placed by random draw and start after all other racers. The first 15 start positions are reserved for the lowest-point athletes, but their exact order is also determined by random draw. This system is designed to give the strongest racers an opportunity to ski the course before conditions deteriorate.


After each race, a competitor’s finishing time is compared to the winner’s time and multiplied by a factor set by US Ski & Snowboard (which varies by event). This calculation produces the athlete’s race points. The race winner always receives zero race points.


Without further adjustment, a racer could dramatically lower their points by placing well in a weak field, while earning much higher points when competing against elite athletes such as Marco Sullivan or Julia Mancuso. To balance this, a race penalty is added to the race points. This penalty is calculated using a complex formula based on the starting and finishing points of the top competitors in the event. Strong fields produce low penalties, while weaker fields result in higher penalties. The goal is for the combined total of race points and penalty points to be comparable regardless of the level of competition. Detailed explanations of these calculations can be found in Chapter 3 of the US Ski & Snowboard Competition Guide – Alpine.


US Ski & Snowboard publishes updated points lists multiple times each year. For each discipline, a racer’s points are calculated as the average of their two best results, meaning athletes will have separate point values for SL, GS, SG, and DH.


Start positions are determined using the most recently published US Ski & Snowboard points list—not by newly earned results that have not yet been included. After every race, results are submitted to US Ski & Snowboard. Each list has a designated Closing Date, after which no additional race results are counted for that update. Points are calculated using all results completed before the closing date, and the new list becomes official on the Valid Date. Both dates are listed near the front of the US Ski & Snowboard Competition Guide – Alpine.

At the end of each season, US Ski & Snowboard adjusts the points for all U.S. racers. Since top athletes can sometimes earn negative points during the season—but the national standard sets the best competitor at zero—points are normalized. These adjustments vary by discipline, so it’s normal for points earned during the season to increase slightly when the next season begins.


A first-year U14 racer can move off the 999 starting value in a discipline (such as SL) by competing in and finishing at least one race before the Second Points List closes, which typically occurs shortly after the New Year. Doing so provides a fair start position in that discipline once the second list becomes valid. If only one race is completed, the list will reflect those points with an additional adjustment due to having a single result.


Most of a new U14 racer’s first season is focused on simply finishing two races in each discipline to establish fair seeding for future events. Points usually drop quickly early in a racer’s career, but reductions become progressively harder as experience and performance improve.


When athletes move into the U18 category, the process begins again under FIS (International Ski Federation) rules, with FIS points also starting at 999. Multiple FIS points lists are published annually, ranking racers worldwide.


In the United States, FIS races are typically dual-scored, meaning athletes earn both FIS and US Ski & Snowboard points from the same race. Although the race-points calculation is the same, FIS penalties and US Ski & Snowboard penalties are calculated separately and usually differ.


Complete details of the points system can be found in the US Ski & Snowboard Competition Guide – Alpine.

Overview of Points Rules

Ski racers are:

  • awarded points for every seeded race they finish without disqualification,

  • ranked at the national level—and internationally in FIS events—based on their total points,

  • seeded into future races according to the points they have earned in prior competitions.


In ski racing, performance is measured “by the numbers.” Points are essential because the sport does not use a standardized field, course, or track. Conditions vary from race to race, so U.S. Ski & Snowboard and FIS points systems are designed to account for differences in course difficulty, field size, and competitive strength. This allows athletes from around the world to be compared on a single scale, where lower points represent stronger results.

The U.S. Ski & Snowboard points list ranks athletes who hold a valid U.S. Ski & Snowboard competitor membership and participate in scored events. These typically include races for athletes age 13 (U14) and older. FIS competitors must hold a valid FIS membership (often referred to as an international competitor license) and are scored in races for athletes age 16 (U18) and up. Entry into FIS races is by invitation, with selection usually based on an athlete’s U.S. Ski & Snowboard points.


U.S. Ski & Snowboard points are calculated on a seasonal basis. Each season begins with an athlete’s initial points from the first list of the year, commonly called the Fall Points. Throughout that season, an athlete’s points cannot increase beyond their Fall Points. Points will only decrease if the athlete achieves results better than their starting value. At the end of the season, points are frozen and carried forward to form the basis of the following year’s list, with a small adjustment applied to align them with the FIS scale at the start of the new season.


FIS points operate differently. They are calculated on a rolling system, using an athlete’s two best results from the previous 18 months. Because of this, FIS points can rise or fall during the season depending on how current performances compare to results earned within the prior 12 months for each discipline.

Neither U.S. Ski & Snowboard nor FIS points are updated continuously. Instead, they are recalculated each time a new points list is published. Numerous exceptions and special rules apply to points calculations, and this section provides only a general explanation. For full details, refer to Chapter 3 of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Alpine Competition Guide.

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