Tactics for Big Mountain Freeride

The line score is essentially the degree of difficulty of the run and is judged on a scale of 3-7. The “execution” categories of Control, Technique, Fluidity, and Style and Energy scores are judged on a scale of 0-10 and may only exceed the line score by a maximum of 3 points. For example, if an athlete earns a line score of 5, the scores of the remaining categories may not exceed 5 + 3 = 8. Jumping off features or cliff drops can add to the line score as well as the other categories, though falling and unsuccessfully landing jumps or cliff drops will have a significant negative impact on the judging of all categories. Each athlete determines their own line down the competition venue during the inspection process as described below. More advanced and skilled athletes will choose the most difficult lines, and less advanced athletes will choose more user-friendly lines. Athletes should do their best to execute the line that they decided on during venue inspection, since decisions that are made during calm and careful consideration of the details are usually better than decisions made on the fly and under stress. Athletes should resist the urge to change their plan while standing in the start gate, unless new information is available regarding conditions or safety. During their competition run, the athlete may make an error or miss a landmark, or realize that conditions have changed since inspection, causing them to take an alternate line. For this reason, it is important during inspection to evaluate alternate lines adjacent to the planned line.

Athletes should maintain control at all times during their run, but not at the expense of fluidity, style, and energy. The level of control should be tailored to the exposure and consequence of a loss of control. Athletes should avoid skiing at 100% of their ability and should always have some capability in reserve so that they can recover from momentary loss of control or departure from their desired line. Falls result in significant deductions from the control score, and all control issues also impact the technique, fluidity, and style and energy categories.

Athletes should strive to demonstrate good balance, energy-efficient skiing, and the ability to direct the skis down the mountain on a controlled path, and can expect to receive additional points for performing a variety of techniques and turn styles to demonstrate their versatility. Poor technique can affect the ability to maintain control and may also impact the fluidity and style and energy categories.

Athletes should ski with speed and fluidity down the mountain. Speed control should be done smoothly over several turns rather than making abrupt and urgent braking maneuvers. Breaks in flow such as traversing or pausing prior to dropping a feature should be avoided and will result in deductions from the fluidity score, and may also impact the control, technique, and style and energy categories.

Athletes should present their own style and energy. If they are feeling positive and enjoying their run the judges will feel it and award better style points than if the athlete appears to be struggling or mechanically skiing their line. This is the primary category for judging tricks and aerial maneuvers, though control, technique, and fluidity scores are also impacted.