CLASSIFICATION

Athletes who compete in FIS Para races have to undergo a classification process by the International Paralympic Committee/FIS. In Alpine and Nordic there are three types of skiers; visually impaired; standing and sitting. In Snowboard there are only standing riders that have classes for lower and upper limb impairments. 

Visually Impaired Alpine Skiers must ski with a Guide who skis ahead of the athlete . The guide may speak through a Bluetooth device or speaker and verbally guides the athlete down the racecourse.

Standing athletes have a physical impairment, such as a missing limb or weakness on one side of their body. Standing athletes can use outriggers - tiny skis on the ends of their poles - for balance if they wish (but don’t have to). They may also use other aids such as prosthetics.

Sitting athletes have limited use of their lower body and use a sit ski (otherwise known as a ‘rig’).

Within these categories, there are numerous subcategories, which indicate how disabled a person is. The greater the disability, the more time is taken off your overall race time in order for fairness amongst competitors. This can make a big difference!

Not all disabilities are classifiable for FIS Para Snow sports. For example, deaf individuals and intellectually disabled individuals are currently not eligible for classification. If individuals have more than one classifiable disability, they are classified according to their most severe disability.

Racers’ disability category correlates to the Factor they get. The Factor is a number between 0 and 1, by which your overall time is multiplied. For example, if your run took 34 seconds, and your factor was 0.86, your overall time would be 29.24 seconds. The more severe your disability, the lower the Factor. This is done to try and even out the differing levels of disability between competitors and to ensure a fair race.

Paralympic Classification - a visual guide 

 

Expressions of interest for classification 

National Classification for athletes with physical impairment, Snow Australia EOI Classification

National Classification for athletes with visual impairments, www.paralympic.org.au/vi-request-for-classification/  

International classification is govened by FIS for both physical and visual impairments.   If you are seeking international classification, please contact Snow Australia at para@snow.org.au 

 

Classification Masterlist

See below for the National Para Alpine Skiing, Para Snowboarding and Para Nordic Classification Masterlist. This list includes athletes who have been nationally or internationally classified as per FIS Para Classification Rules / Australian National Classification Rules. 

Classification Masterlist 

 

Classification Rules, Forms, Policies and Procedures

Snow Australia Classification Policy

Snow Australia Classification Rules - files download below

Snow Australia National Classification Protest Form 

Snow Australia National Classification Preparation Information - Physical Impairments

Classification Information

National Classification Information - Para Nordic

National Classification Information - Para Alpine Skiing

National Classification Information - Para Snowboard

FIS Para Information

FIS Para Alpine Skiing Information

FIS Para Snowboard Information

FIS Para Nordic Information 

Files available for download