Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski look ahead to fresh Olympic cycle at FIS Autumn Meetings

Representatives from across the Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski community gathered in Geneva this week for the 2026 FIS Autumn Meetings, with preparations for the upcoming World Cup season and the beginning of a new Olympic cycle at the centre of discussions.

Following a successful Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, attention is already turning towards the next major milestones, including the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in Montafon (AUT) in March 2027, the Olympic Winter Games French Alps 2030 and the longer-term development of the disciplines.

Across the different Sub-Committees, several common priorities emerged: building more stable multi-year World Cup calendars, strengthening development pathways, improving event delivery and safety, and ensuring that the disciplines continue to grow their visibility and commercial value.

The Committee also reviewed rule proposals for the coming seasons. A total of 27 proposals were considered through the Rules Advisory Group process, with 23 approved, three postponed and one rejected. The Committee subsequently approved the proposals presented to it, subject to final FIS Council approval.

Snowboard Alpine

Snowboard Alpine enters the new Olympic cycle with significant momentum following confirmation of an expanded programme for French Alps 2030.

Parallel Giant Slalom will remain on the Olympic programme, while the Snowboard Mixed Team Parallel has been added as a second medal event. Attention now turns towards demonstrating the discipline's continued development ahead of decisions concerning the 2034 Olympic programme.

The 2026/27 World Cup will feature 33 competitions across 12 locations in eight nations, while the discipline also reported strong television reach from the previous season.

Youth development remains another major priority. Snowboard Alpine counted 670 active athletes in 2026, while analysis presented in Geneva showed the importance of junior competition in creating a pathway towards the World Cup. Expanding the junior and youth competition offer and taking development camps to additional continents are therefore among the priorities for the new cycle.

The Sub-Committee also highlighted the importance of continuing to invest in athlete storytelling, digital content and visibility as part of the discipline's long-term development.

Snowboard Cross

For Snowboard Cross, the central topic in Geneva was the need to establish a stronger and more financially sustainable World Cup calendar.

The discipline retains its complete Olympic programme for French Alps 2030, with men's, women's and Mixed Team competitions confirmed. The 2025/26 World Cup also reached a cumulative television audience of 37 million viewers despite a reduced calendar.

However, financing competitions remains a significant challenge for organizers and National Ski Associations, particularly when hosting double events. A temporary adjustment to participation fees for double events was accepted and forwarded to the FIS Council for approval.

Several nations have expressed interest in hosting Snowboard Cross during the next Olympic cycle, with the focus now on converting that interest into long-term commitments and a more balanced calendar through 2030. Strengthening commercial opportunities and the discipline's value for organizers will form another part of that process.

Montafon 2027 will be the major championship highlight of the upcoming season, while Erzurum (TUR) has applied to stage the Junior World Championships, subject to FIS Council confirmation.

Ski Cross

Ski Cross preparations for 2026/27 are well advanced, with a World Cup calendar featuring 10 locations across eight nations. Seven venues have already undergone inspections, with final inspections scheduled for Montafon, Reiteralm and Craigleith. The European Cup has meanwhile developed into a stable calendar featuring nine competition blocks at eight venues in six nations.

Safety and event standards remain major areas of focus. New FIS-compliant Ski Cross gate panels and Level A cut-resistant underwear will become mandatory from the 2026/27 season, while fluor controls will continue across the World Cup and almost all European Cup events.

Course development was also discussed, with athletes requesting larger and more technically demanding courses. The objective is to create greater sporting separation without simply increasing speed or risk.

Another priority is the development of women's Ski Cross. The aim is to create a coordinated pathway connecting development camps, European Cup competition and consistent World Cup participation and performance.

Looking further ahead, FIS is working towards a more reliable multi-year calendar, including potential three-year agreements with key organizers for the 2027-2030 cycle. The developing Cross Vision 2030 framework will also look at common standards, organizer support, innovation and sustainable calendar planning.

Park & Pipe

Park & Pipe enters the new season following particularly strong exposure during Milano Cortina 2026 and with a full World Cup programme confirmed for 2026/27.

The calendar includes four Big Air competitions each for Snowboard and Freeski, six Snowboard and five Freeski Halfpipe competitions, and four Slopestyle competitions for each sport. Together with the Montafon 2027 World Championships, the programme allows all Crystal Globes to be awarded during the upcoming season.

One of the major strategic topics discussed in Geneva was Street Style. Work is underway to introduce Street Style at World Cup level from 2027/28, with two test events currently planned. The Sub-Committee also supports the longer-term ambition of including Street Style on the Olympic programme for 2034.

Halfpipe development remains another priority. A more flexible approach to infrastructure at Junior World Championships, Continental Cups and lower-level competitions could allow smaller Halfpipes to host events, creating more opportunities for athletes and helping additional nations establish development pathways.

Judges' education, continued support for on-site judging panels and potential sport-specific adaptations to commercial-marking regulations were also discussed.

Looking towards the major events, preparations continue for Montafon 2027 and French Alps 2030, while the 2027 Junior World Championships at Secret Garden (CHN) will include Snowboard and Freeski Halfpipe, Big Air, Slopestyle and Street Style competitions.

Freestyle: Moguls and Aerials

For Moguls and Aerials, discussions focused strongly on the World Cup calendar, education, innovation and the continued international development of the two disciplines.

Following several seasons with particularly strong calendars, the number of World Cup competitions has contracted. Finding a sustainable structure for future seasons, potentially moving beyond the traditional block-based approach, was highlighted as an area requiring further consideration.

At the same time, development continues across education and event delivery. Existing programmes for judges and Technical Delegates are being complemented by new initiatives including Moguls Course Building and Data Service education. A remote data-service operation was also successfully tested during an Aerials competition in Štíty (CZE), with the service operated remotely from Graz (AUT), highlighting opportunities to use technology to reduce resources and costs.

Further progress was also reported on the ongoing AI judging project. The programme is being developed as a tool to support, rather than replace, the judging process, with potential applications extending beyond competition judging itself. These include support for judges' education and training, as well as new possibilities for data and visualisation that could enhance digital content and television broadcasts.

Asia remains an important development region for Freestyle, with established nations continuing their programmes and potential opportunities emerging in additional markets. Development camps and smaller targeted projects in developing Freestyle nations were also identified as an important part of the longer-term strategy.

The 2026/27 season will culminate at the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in Montafon, with Moguls, Dual Moguls, Aerials and Aerials Mixed Team competitions on the programme. For the first time at a FIS World Championships, Dual Moguls Mixed Team will also be contested, adding another team event to the Freestyle programme.

Looking towards Montafon 2027 and beyond

With the 2026/27 World Cup season approaching, the Geneva meetings provided an important opportunity to move from the successful Milano Cortina 2026 cycle towards the next phase of development.

Across Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski, the immediate focus is on delivering strong World Cup seasons and the Montafon 2027 World Championships, while longer-term work is already underway around French Alps 2030, athlete pathways, calendar stability, event standards and the continued growth and visibility of the disciplines.