Park & Pipe judges clinics announced for autumn 2025

Sep 18, 2025·Freeski Park & Pipe

Photos: FIS Park & pipe

With a huge 2025/26 season coming up, preparations on the FIS Park & Pipe side of things are in full swing, with the annual autumn FIS Technical Committee meetings taking place next week in Zurich, and the first World Cup competitions of the winter following less than two months after that - in Stubai (AUT) for freeski slopestyle, and then in Secret Garden (CHN) for snowboard and freeski big air.

Before we get the ball rolling on 2025/26 World Cup competition, however, we’ve got a big slate of Park & Pipe judges clinics scheduled for Europe and North America.

FIS is hosting four international freeski judges clinics this autumn, along with four international snowboard judges clinics. These clinics are designed for experienced judges seeking certification for the highest-level Park & Pipe competitions and looking to refine their judging skills before the season starts.

Along with aiding judges in furthering their qualifications, these clinics also serve to facilitate dialog within the Park & Pipe community, helping judges remain up-to-date with the conversations within the competition landscape and to develop discussions around key elements of freeski and snowboard judging.

With the growing prominence of the FIS Rail Events discipline, rail jams and rail judging will form a core component of the clinics, discussing formats and the evaluation of different rail tricks. The clinics will also feature education and discussion of Big Air, Slopestyle and Halfpipe judging, including discussion of Section-By-Section Judging Format for Slopestyle.

Led by judges from the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games judging panel, the clinics are a great opportunity for like-minded freeskiers, snowboarders, and judges alike to come together, learn, and discuss the intricate world of Park & Pipe judging.

While these clinics are primarily intended for experienced judges, they are also open to anyone with a background in freeskiing and snowboarding who desires more in-depth knowledge of how these events are judged—from criteria to rankings.