Zurich Technical Meetings highlight innovation, growth and Olympic focus across Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski disciplines

The annual autumn FIS Technical Meetings took place last week at the Hilton Zurich Airport Hotel, bringing together stakeholders from across the snow sports world for four intensive days of planning, presentations and strategic discussions. The week concluded with the Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski ‘Super Committee’ meeting, which wrapped up the work of the individual sub-committees and working groups. Reports were delivered by FIS staff, local organizers of future events, and specialists from partner organizations, providing a comprehensive update on the World Cup and Continental Cup tours as well as major events including the World Championships, Junior World Championships and the Olympic Winter Games.

Across all disciplines, the focus was clear: innovation, athlete safety, digital growth, and preparations for the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

Ski Cross: safety breakthroughs and Olympic readiness

The Ski Cross sub-committee underlined the positive momentum heading into the 2025/26 season, which will open in Val Thorens before building toward the Olympic competitions in Livigno. Organizers confirmed that the Junior World Championships will take place in St. Moritz in March 2026, while Serbia’s Kopaonik joins the World Cup circuit for the first time. The committee also highlighted progress in Arosa, where a newly optimized sprint course will be tested this December.

Preparations for the Olympic track in Livigno were also reported, with the final inspection already completed and test days scheduled for February 2–3, 2026. At present the venue remains a “white canvas,” but the expectation is clear that the final layout will deliver a world-class course for the Games.

One of the most exciting developments for Ski Cross came from the safety and technology side. A groundbreaking collaboration with Oslo Sports University has produced a 3D course design tool capable of simulating expected speeds and testing course elements virtually before construction. This innovation will dramatically improve safety while also cutting costs and building time, and the knowledge will be widely shared with coaches, Technical Delegates and stakeholders. Additional research on jump dynamics showed that athletes can influence their flight trajectory by up to 14 degrees depending on approach technique, knowledge that will now be integrated into coach and TD education. At the same time, a new gate panel certification process has been finalized with the University of Innsbruck, set for mandatory implementation at Continental Cup level from the 2026/27 season.

From a promotional perspective, Ski Cross also has positive news. Goggle cam technology, successfully tested at past events, will now be integrated at four World Cup venues including the Olympic Games. Meanwhile, the voice-over command system is set to expand after strong athlete feedback. Finally, Azerbaijan Tourism was confirmed as title sponsor for the next five years, ensuring long-term support for the discipline.

Snowboard Alpine: strong calendar and continued growth

Snowboard Alpine used the Zurich meetings to showcase its strong position heading into the Olympic cycle. Following a 2024/25 season that delivered excellent TV numbers across both the World Cup and the World Championships, the 2025/26 calendar is shaping up to be one of the strongest yet. It will feature 13 Parallel Giant Slaloms, five Parallel Slaloms and three team events, culminating in the Olympic PGS competitions in Livigno — one of the discipline’s most important markets and a showcase stage for the sport.

The European Cup tour was also confirmed, with 16 men’s and women’s races across eight venues. Importantly, young athletes will again have the chance to compete on several World Cup slopes, helping to bridge the pathway between levels. Building on the great success of last winter’s Junior Regional Cup, which proved to be a strong platform for young talents, the upcoming season will see eight races across the Alps. At the same time, the search continues for a host of the Junior World Championships in Snowboard Alpine.

On the marketing side, the discipline will once again benefit from its partnership with VISA as title sponsor, with activation both on-site and off-site. The communications team presented a detailed analysis of off-season activities and outlined a clear plan for the coming winter with a particular emphasis on digital development. A key priority will be to showcase athletes as ambassadors of both the discipline and the Olympic campaign.

Beier and the FIS staff also reported on last month’s inspection at the Livigno Snowpark Olympic Village, which will host Snowboard Alpine in 2026. The local organizing committee presented the latest venue setup for the Parallel Giant Slalom. On the rules side, no changes were proposed beyond minor clarifications, but Beier stressed that feedback from coaches and athletes has been carefully reviewed. Moving forward, more effective slope preparation remains a priority to further improve fairness and race quality.

Snowboard Cross: new venues and technological innovation

Snowboard Cross enters the season with a refreshed calendar and strengthened global reach. Out of the 11 confirmed World Cup races across seven resorts, two new venues will join the circuit: Dongbeiya in China and Isola 2000 in France, the latter of which hosted last year’s Junior World Championships. Both venues will stage back-to-back races, adding depth and energy to the calendar. Looking further ahead, the Junior World Championships in 2026 have been confirmed for St. Moritz, which is building a brand-new Snowboard Cross course to welcome the next generation of athletes.

The Olympic preparations for Livigno were also highlighted, with the local organizing committee presenting detailed plans for the course that will host the discipline in 2026. Innovation continues to play a central role, with goggle cam technology — first introduced at the World Championships — now set to feature at selected World Cup events. Another major step is the introduction of the VOGO Video System, a state-of-the-art video review tool that will enhance officiating by making key decisions more precise and consistent.

On the development side, the Snowboard Cross European Cup will stage nine races this season. The circuit is expected to welcome a new stop in Erzincan, Turkey (to be confirmed), alongside a return to St. Moritz, providing valuable competitive opportunities for rising stars.

From a commercial perspective, the discipline celebrates a major milestone as Azerbaijan Tourism steps in as title sponsor. This new partnership comes after several years without a global partner and will help strengthen the visibility and growth of Snowboard Cross worldwide.

Moguls and Aerials: growth, visibility and Olympic momentum

For Moguls and Aerials, the Zurich meetings reflected a discipline on the rise. The highlight came with the confirmation of Azerbaijan Tourism as the new title sponsor for the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup Moguls & Aerials, securing backing for the next five years. This marks an important achievement for the tour, providing stability and a strong platform for growth.

Preparations are in full swing for the Olympic debut of Dual Moguls at Milano Cortina 2026, with progress also reported from a successful Summer Aerials Grand Prix series. Events in Switzerland and China stood out, with the Chinese stop attracting millions of live-stream views, underlining the potential of the discipline in key growth markets.

Media performance continues to show an upward trend. Early data suggests a 10–15% increase in global visibility compared to the previous season. Moguls reached an estimated cumulative audience of over 25 million, while Aerials drew more than 18 million. Flagship events such as the Dual Moguls competition in Almaty peaked at over 1.2 million viewers, while the Aerials World Cup in Lake Placid recorded nearly 900,000 viewers during finals. These figures highlight not only the appeal of head-to-head formats such as Dual Moguls but also the broader growth of digital consumption, with streaming audiences rising faster than traditional TV.

Discussions also focused on judge education, new event formats and the role of technology. Concepts such as “Super Natural Moguls,” which would bring competitions back to natural terrain, were presented alongside innovations including helmet cams, drones and data-driven judging supported by AI research.

Park & Pipe: evolution and adaptability in a changing landscape

It was a big week for FIS Park & Pipe in Zurich last week, with productive meetings of the P&P Subcommittee and the P&P Project & Strategy groups leading into the Friday Super Committee meeting. 

Park & Pipe enters a pivotal 2025/26 season in strong shape, posting the highest 2024/25 TV numbers of any of the subdisciplines under the Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski umbrella, including exceptional ratings throughout the Engadin 2025 World Championships.

Aiming to build on these successes, significant time was spent during the Technical Committee Meetings in Zurich discussing ways in which to further refine and improve the World Cup and World Championships competition product. 

While linear TV remains the defining medium for competition presentation, the ever shifting digital landscape demands adaptability and forward thinking - especially for Park & Pipe with its huge potential to reach and engage with the emerging generation of new fans. 

However, with the launch last season of Snow League, and the announcement of a 2026/27 launch for X Games League, the competition for those fans’ attention is set to grow increasingly complicated in the coming seasons. While FIS remains the only slopestyle, halfpipe and big air competition series with an established and successful development pathway from grassroots to the elite level, the challenge to maintain the status and success that the FIS Park & Pipe World Cup has earned up to this point will be a significant one. All stakeholders on hand in Zurich remain committed to these efforts.

With these issues at the forefront, many possibilities for change and progression are on the table, and the Park & Pipe subcommittee and Project & Strategy group spent significant time in Zurich discussing and/or refining competition formats, quota allocations, field sizes, judging and technological developments. 

Already, a reduction in starting men’s slopestyle field sizes from 60 athletes to 50 athletes has been approved for 2026/27, with this move intended to ease the burden on organisers and strengthen the quality of entry lists at slopestyle events. Further, a proposal to allow drone video judging was approved, with the first implementation of this judging format set for the Flachau (AUT) slopestyle World Cup in March.

As far as more typical business goes, FIS Park & Pipe is looking forward to an exciting 2025/26 World Cup season featuring three BA, seven HP and four SS competitions for Snowboard, and four BA, five HP and five SS competitions for Freeski. With in the highly anticipated Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games coming up in February, 2025/26 is shaping up to be a special season. 

On the Continental Cup side of things the upcoming winter is also looking exciting, with FIS Street Style (formerly FIS Rails) taking an ever more important place in the competition stable. While efforts to establish a World Cup series for Street Style have likely been pushed back to the 2027/28 season, Street Style’s inclusion at the upcoming Calgary 2026 Junior World Championships will be a major milestone on the event’s development and establishment within FIS.

The Zurich FIS Technical Committee Meetings once again demonstrated the ambition and progress of the Snowboard, Freestyle, and Freeski community. With new venues, technological breakthroughs, strong media growth and firm preparations for Milano Cortina 2026, the outlook across all disciplines is highly positive.