FIS Points Explained: How the System Works (and Why It Matters)
Every alpine ski racer in the international system carries a number, and that number follows you everywhere: onto start lists, into seeding, and into every conversation about how you are progressing. If you have ever wanted FIS points explained without the jargon, this is the plain-English version we give athletes joining our FIS training programme. The one thing to hold onto throughout: in FIS racing, lower is better. The best skier in the world in a discipline sits at or near zero.
What FIS points actually are
FIS points are a world ranking expressed as a number. You have a separate score for each discipline (slalom, giant slalom, super-G, downhill and alpine combined), and each score is the average of your best two results in that discipline during the season. That last part surprises people, so it bears repeating: your points are built from your best two results only. A shocking race does not add to your score. It simply fails to improve it. In the FIS system you cannot ski your way to worse points; you can only run out of chances to earn better ones.
Each result you score is made up of two ingredients added together: your race points (how far behind the winner you were) and the penalty (how strong the field was). Understanding those two numbers is understanding the whole system.
Race points: the alpine formula
Race points measure your gap to the winner, scaled so that every discipline is comparable. The formula is:
Race points = (your time ÷ winner’s time − 1) × F
F is a fixed factor per discipline, set in the FIS points rules. For the current edition the values are: slalom 730, giant slalom 1010, super-G 1190, downhill 1250 and alpine combined 1360.
A worked example. You finish a giant slalom in 72.50 seconds and the winner clocks 70.00. Your race points are (72.50 ÷ 70.00 − 1) × 1010 = 36.07. A useful rule of thumb falls out of this: in a typical tech race, one second behind the winner per run costs you somewhere around 14 to 15 race points. That number is worth memorising, because it tells you exactly what a second of skiing is worth when you start trying to lower your FIS points.
The penalty: why the same skiing scores differently in different races
If race points were the whole story, you could win a weak race and claim world-class points. The penalty exists to stop that. It is a number added to everyone’s race points that reflects the strength of the field on the day, calculated from the FIS points of the best five finishers in the top ten and the best five ranked starters, minus their race points, divided by ten. You do not need to run that calculation yourself; the organisers do it. What you need to understand is what it means: a race full of well-ranked skiers produces a low penalty, and a thin field produces a high one.
Your result for the day is simply race points plus penalty. Beat a strong field closely and both numbers work in your favour. Win a weak race by a mile and the penalty quietly takes back what the clock appeared to give you. This is why experienced coaches talk about races that turn out generous and races that turn out mean, and why race selection is a genuine skill.
Every race category also carries a minimum penalty, published on the front page of each FIS points list. Entry League (ENL) races, the softest tier, carry a higher minimum penalty, which caps how good a result you can score there. They are a way in, not a way up.
Your first points: where new racers start
New racers have no points at all, and the system handles that with maximum values. Where a racer without points is needed in a penalty calculation, they are counted at the maximum for the event: 165 in slalom, 220 in giant slalom, 270 in super-G, 330 in downhill and 270 in alpine combined. In practice, those maximums describe the ceiling of the scale you are entering. From your first finish in a discipline you score a result, and once you have results you have FIS points. If you are heading into that stage, our guide to planning your first FIS season covers what those early races should look like.
The points list: when your number updates
FIS publishes your points on official lists that update through the winter. The cycle works like this. In June, FIS publishes the Base List (BL), built from the average of your best results in each discipline from the season just finished. On 1 July, the first Normal List (NL) of the new season appears, and further lists follow on a published schedule all winter. Your NL points improve as soon as your best-two average from the current season beats your Base List figure; until then, the Base List number stands.
The rules also contain some protective and punitive adjustments worth knowing about. Score only one result in a discipline all season and that result carries a 20 percent addition in the next Base List. Sit out a whole season without results and 50 percent is added to your old points. A properly registered injury (applied for through your national association with medical evidence, before 30 April) limits the damage to 10 percent and protects your points while you recover. FIS has also announced a change on the horizon: from the 2027 list cycle, slalom and giant slalom move from a best-two to a best-three average, so consistency in tech will matter even more.
Why your points matter so much
Points decide three things that shape your racing life. First, your start number: start order is seeded from FIS points, and starting further back means a rougher, more rutted course, which makes it harder to score, which keeps your bib high. Breaking that loop is the central project of a developing racer’s first seasons. Second, access: national quotas for races are calculated from points, and better-ranked athletes get into better races. Third, selection: teams, programmes and universities read your points as shorthand for your level. Fair or not, your number walks into the room before you do.
Common questions
What is a good FIS points score?
It depends entirely on discipline, age and ambition, and anyone quoting one magic number is guessing. The honest framing: the world’s best sit near zero, a new racer starts near the event maximums, and progress means moving steadily down the scale year on year. Judge your points against your own trajectory, not someone else’s.
Can a bad race make my points worse?
No. Your points are the average of your best two results in the discipline. A bad race is a missed opportunity, never a penalty on your score. The real cost of a string of bad races is time: the season only contains so many chances to post the two results you need.
How often do FIS points update?
The Base List appears in June, the first Normal List on 1 July, and updated lists are published on a rolling schedule through the season. Your best-two average takes effect on the next list after you score it.
Do FIS points expire?
They fade rather than expire. Miss a full season and 50 percent is added to your points; score just one result in a discipline and 20 percent is added to it in the next Base List. Registered injury status softens this to 10 percent. Stay away for two full seasons with points beyond 999.99 and you drop off the list entirely.
That is the machinery. What to do with it, which races to pick, and how to actually move your number is the subject of our companion guide on how to lower your FIS points. And if you want coaches who plan seasons around these rules for a living, that is exactly what our FIS race training programme is for.