How to Judge a Freeride Competition? (Part 1)
Head FWT judge, Laurent “Lolo” Besse working at the scoring table. pc freerideworldtour
Freeride is fun. There’s no way around it. But when it comes to competition things start to get serious. Riders up their game and rise to the occasion. Under the pressure of competition, they push themselves to the limit (sometimes beyond) in search of a truly bomb run that shreds the line like it was officially invited. It’s a never-ending chase where most of the athletes pull tricks and drop cliffs the average person wouldn’t even consider. Understanding the differences between these elite riders takes a true expert’s perspective.
And that’s what Freeride competition judges are trained and certified to do. Identify these small differences between riders and judge them accordingly.
Extreme Origins
In the early days of extreme skiing, the competitions were very much still coming into their own. The 1991 World Extreme Ski Championships (WESC) in Valdez, Alaska opened up a new kind of competition.
It was a place where elite mountain athletes could rip without gates or mandatory course lines. Where they could create their individual expressions on a snowy canvas face. This freedom of expression in such an extreme and rowdy environment inevitably led to a go big or go home approach. Each skier tried to out huck the other and under continual pressure, it led to questionable decision-making. (There were reports of competitors throwing upwards of 80-ft. cliffs in firm conditions.)
Finally in 2000, Jeff Holden the former IFSA World Champion, himself known for hucking a world record 150-ft. cliff, helped shift the judging away from these dangerous stunts and towards maintaining control. The culture changed dramatically under his leadership. Safety and control were the new mantra on the Freeride Tour and continue to this day.
FWT 2021 event at Ordino Arcalis. pc mountainwatch
Accommodation, Not Restriction
Recognizing the scoring system needed to accommodate athletes not restrict them, the Freeride World Tour (FWT) with the help of the Pro Founders Board (PFB) came up with an ingenious solution. (PFB is an international panel of 8 competitors and FWT athletes who advise on regulations and formats for the sport.) Judges would scores across five categories and then formulate an overall impression and final score.
“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 on that day, the rider simply showed the most impressive run utilizing his own strengths…. Riders shouldn’t have to adapt their riding to the system; the system should be adapted to freeriding.” - Per the FWT 2023 judge’s handbook
Freeride World Tour Hakuba Japan. pc newschoolers
Judging System
According to the IFSA. each competitor is evaluated on these five categories:
Line Choice: Each competitor chooses his/her line or route down the course. High scores are given for choosing difficult routes. The difficulty is determined by steepness, exposure, air, snow, and course conditions.
Control: Competitors must remain in control at all times. Any loss of control will result in a lower score. Skillful recoveries will reduce penalties.
Fluidity: Constant direction towards a goal. This includes continuity, pace, and smooth transitions between sections of the course. Falling or stopping can have a negative impact on this category
Technique: Competitors are judged on style and turn quality relating to big mountain freeriding.
Air & Style: This encompasses the pace, energy, and creativity with which a competitor attacks or descends his/her chosen line or route. The style focuses on the freestyle execution of maneuvers.
An important question remains. How do you come up with a final score that’s fair to all? What happens when the first rider does really well? Should they be given an appropriately earned score of 100? Or should the judges submit a more conservative score knowing there are others riders to come? The answer lies in how you calculate an overall impression. (More on this tomorrow.)
FWT qualifier judges at moonlight basin. pc moonlightbasin
This type of scoring would also have an impact on Tavo’s career. To highlight this type of system, and also show you some of the differences between the U.S. and European systems, let's review Tavo Sadeg’s run at La Clusaz in 2022 French Freeride Series.
Sitting among a group of riders, many of which locals coming from nearby Chamonix Valley. Tavo definitely had his work cut out for him. He had his eyes set on one particular line. One that he thought could put him on the podium. It started out across a steeper upper section requiring mandatory air over an upper cliff band then down to the rider’s left hitting a ‘sweet double drop onto a mellow runout.’
The course for the 2022 La Clusaz Freeride event. pc freerideworldtour
So with the courage of a lion and the skills to match, Tavo stepped up to the challenge at La Clusaz. And when his name was called he launched out the starting gate carving what he thought could be one of his best lines. ‘This could be it’, Tavo thought to himself.
Tavo Sadeg lining up a huge cliff drop on his run at La Clusaz, French Freeride Series 2022. pc screenshot @tavo.sadeg
Want to be Freeride Judge?
The FWT makes it straightforward with this:
First, read the Judges' Handbook (see above). Click the links in the blue bubbles to watch short videos all throughout the document.
Then watch the video following this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j6DJ3gwJbs
Finally, try and judge the few runs at the end of the video. Use the judging sheet above to do so (print and take notes)
Scan or take a good-quality picture of your filled-in judging sheet. Return it to cyril@freerideworldtour.com. Cyril will correct and comment and come back to you with the next steps.
Thanks again for following along! We’ll be back tomorrow to see how the European scoring system may have saved Tavo’s podium chances as well as take a detailed look at how judges formulate their overall impression.
A special thanks to Tavo’s sponsors for their amazing support on this journey!