How To Start Freeriding

Start your freeride journey

Freeride is off-piste mountain skiing and snowboarding. You pick your own line down the mountain and get scored by judges in five categories. Learn more below.

Ski & snowboard · All ages welcome · Juniors (U12–U19) & adults · North & South America

Who are you?

The right info depends on your age. Select the one that fits.

Under 19 years old. U12, U15, and U19 divisions.

18 and older. Qualifier and Collegiate series.

Supporting a young athlete or starting a team.

Junior path

How to get started as a junior

Athletes under 19 compete in the Junior Series across three age divisions.

Check your age division

Your division is based on your age as of December 31st of the competition year. You cannot move up a division mid-season.

U12

11 and younger

U15

Ages 12–14

U19

Ages 15–18

At 18, you can compete in Adult Qualifier events OR stay in the Junior Series — but once you compete as an adult or turn 19, you can’t return to the Junior Series.

Join a team if you can

A registered IFSA team teaches you mountain safety, line choice, and judging — and puts you in a community of riders at your level. Find a team near you →

No team near you? You can still register as an IFSA Independent athlete if a parent or guardian becomes a certified IFSA coach. Learn about coach certification →

Get your IFSA membership

Juniors need both an IFSA membership and a regional membership. Your region is based on where you compete most. Membership unlocks event registration and rankings.

Browse the event calendar

The North American schedule drops in October; South American events are announced in June. View upcoming events →

Register for events on LiveHeats

All IFSA events are registered through LiveHeats. Event registration windows open 4–8 weeks before competition day. Sign up early — popular events fill fast.

Compete and earn points

Your ranking is the sum of your top 3 finishes from your first 4 regular season competitions. Top-ranked juniors earn invitations to the Junior Freeride Championships each spring.

Ready to join?

Read more in the registration and membership guides.

Read guidelines →

Adult path

How to get started as an adult

Athletes 18 and older compete in the Adult Qualifier Series.

Get your IFSA membership

Choose the Adult Qualifier or Collegiate membership. This is your entry point to all sanctioned events.

Browse the event calendar

The North American schedule drops in October; South American events are announced in June. View upcoming events →

Register on LiveHeats

All registrations go through LiveHeats using the username and password from your IFSA membership. Higher-ranked events (4★) earn more points than 2★ or 3★ events.

Compete, earn points, climb the rankings

Points are earned based on your finish and the event’s tier. Your ranking builds across the season and determines access to more competitive events.

Ready to compete?

Get your Adult Qualifier membership and start registering.

Get membership →

Coach path

Supporting a young athlete

Coaches are the backbone of the IFSA community. Here’s where to start.

Get your coach membership

Coaches need their own annual IFSA membership to participate in sanctioned events alongside athletes.

Find or form a registered team

Joining a team gives athletes access to a community, coaching structure, and shared knowledge about line choice and safety. See registered teams →

No team nearby? Go independent

Athletes can register as “IFSA Independent.” We encourage independent families to proactively learn about safety protocols and judging criteria before the first competition.

Learn the rules

The IFSA Athlete Handbook covers judging, safety, and competition formats in detail. Read the handbook →

Get certified

IFSA offers official coach certifications to deepen your impact.

Coach certification →

How judging works

What judges are looking for

Judges score each run on five criteria.

Line

The route you choose down the mountain. Steeper, more exposed lines with bigger features score higher.

Control

Staying in control throughout the run. Any loss of control results in a deduction.

Technique

The quality of your turns and display of big-mountain skills across varying terrain.

Fluidity

Continuity and pace from top to bottom. Hesitating or stopping hurts this score.

Style

Creativity, freestyle maneuvers, and expression in the air and on technical terrain.

Athletes competing in the Junior Series will compete in the age category that relates to their age as of December 31st leading up to that competition season. Athletes cannot advance a division, even if their birthday is mid-season.

Athletes who are 18 years of age can compete in Adult Qualifier/Collegiate Series events OR continue to compete in the Junior Series. However, once an athlete competes in an Adult Qualifier event or turns 19 years of age, they can no longer compete on the Junior Series.

Junior Series Athletes need both an IFSA membership and their home regional membership. Take a look at our IFSA Junior Regional map below. Your geographic region is determined by the location of the states where you will be competing most often. This designation dictates how the points for your Regional Series finishes are calculated.

East: Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and New York
Rocky Mountain: Colorado and New Mexico
Intermountain: Idaho, Utah
Northern: Montana, Wyoming (NOTE: Teams and athletes out of Targhee have been assigned to the Northern Region)
Far West: California, Nevada
Pacific Northwest: Oregon, Washington, Alaska (NOTE: Teams and athletes out of Sandpoint, ID and Schweitzer Mountain Resort have been assigned to the Pacific Northwest geographic region rather than the Intermountain geographic region)
Western Canada: Alberta and British Columbia
Eastern Canada: Ontario, Quebec
Chile
Argentina

Ready to get started?

Ready to compete? Here’s where to go next.

Get your membership → View the event calendar → Read the rulebook →

How To Start Freeriding

Start your freeride journey

Who are you?