Para Snow Sports classification: Part 4 – An athlete’s perspective on the pursuit of fairness and equity

For many involved in Para snow sports, their journey begins long before they reach the starting line.  

In the first three instalments of this Para classification series, FIS has delved into the fundamentals of the process across the disciplines. From sport classes to equipment and eligible impairment types – it covers all key information.  

At the heart of it all, though, are the athletes.  

They collaborate with coaches and medical professionals across detailed assessments tailored to their respective sport and impairment. Vision, strength, mobility, and medical history all factor into how classifiers assign each participant’s sport class. 

These hopefuls endure this extensive pathway with one thing in mind: competing on the snow on some of the biggest stages in the world.  

To further understand what this procedure entails, it is only fitting that readers hear directly from those whom classification is designed to serve.  

Para Classification: The journey before the start line  

Classification can look different for every athlete, namely because of the vast number of impairments that vary in their own unique ways. As a result, their assessments may differ, tailored to each individual’s physical profile and sporting discipline.  

Kate Delson – an LL2 snowboarder who competes in the Para World Cup – is among the participants who is subject to evaluation on a more regular basis in order to monitor the development, if any, of her impairment.  

“Since I’m not an amputee, I have a little bit more of an intricate disability,” the U.S. international explained. “I was born missing many muscles in my right leg including my calf, a lot of my glute, my hamstring; there’s a lot of overall weakness which is unique and affects me in everyday life.  

“The weakness in my leg makes it hard for me to do certain things but growing up I’ve learned to adapt. You just have to think about how I can do this, despite whatever my disability is.”  

While her classification journey may vary in detail, the preparation process is familiar to many athletes, often involving collaboration with medical professionals.  

For Kate, it came in the form of finding old doctor’s notes and x-rays, notably to provide insight into her past surgeries. It was a similar journey for Menna Fitzpatrick, whose own assessment was preceded by a series of specialist tests for a vision impaired competitor.  

“Before I came here today [to Para classification], I had to have an appointment with my local ophthalmologist and they did a visual acuity test as well as a visual field test,” the GBR Alpine Skier told FIS.  

“We have to do some scans of our eyes as well, just so they can have the paperwork to bring here for the classifiers to then double-check those results against the different sport classes.”  

Para snowboarder Colby Fields, who competes in the upper limb category, underwent strength and jump tests as part of his own pre-classification preparations. The American, whose eligible impairment met both the UL and LL criteria, was afforded the chance to choose which qualifying sport class to compete in.  

“The classifiers told me I can choose to be in lower limb or upper limb, and I chose upper because I don’t think it would be fair for me to pull with people that can pull full strength,” he said, giving insight to his decision.  

It is clear that, while this is a process that varies from athlete to athlete, there is one thing that binds them together: the pursuit of fairness and equality.  

Why is Para classification so important?  

At its core, Para classification exists to level the playing field, ensuring participants compete alongside those with comparable impairments.  

Delson describes it simply yet effectively, saying: “If you think about it, they have classification in regular sports with a male and female category."

She goes on to recognise the complexities of the Para version, adding: “In Para sport, it gets complicated because disability is fully a spectrum and this is a small sport, so you’re going to find a wide range of athletes in the LL2 category and LL1 category.  

“It’s not going to be 100 per cent fair, but it is definitely more so than if [classification] was not there.”  

Fellow competitor Fields echoes this sentiment, underscoring the importance of grouping athletes by their functional ability. 

“It would be very unfair for a person with no lower limb to compete with somebody with a full leg, you know?” he said.  

“I don’t think that is fair at all; by splitting it into categories and having all of this testing really puts athletes that are the most compatible [together]. It’s about the fairness of the competition.”  

Still, for all the good it brings to Para sports, it is a system that remains a work in progress. Classification is ever evolving with participants in mind and remains at the forefront of FIS’ commitment to growing these disciplines over the years.  

Until 2028, the organisation is investing in long-term research to help improve accuracy and fairness, which you can read about in part one of this series.  

For several of the athletes interviewed, among the biggest challenges is accessibility. Many of the opportunities to be classified are held in Europe, making it quite the journey for those based Stateside, for example, to make. 

“Getting here was a challenge, the travel I mean,” explained vision impaired Cross Country skier Brian Armbruster. “This is my first time coming out of the United States.” 

Fitzpatrick highlighted a slightly different obstacle, pushing for the system to be as equal as it can be at this stage of its evolution.  

“For me, [among the challenges] is ensuring the whole system is trying to get it equal for everyone to have a fair chance going into the start line,” the Alpine specialist explained. 

“There’s quite a broad range of conditions and eye sights in each category, so it’s about trying to get the balance between the very best in that category and the very worst.” 

For any hurdles or complexities that come with Para classification, though, there is an unshakable commitment from all involved to provide the utmost equity in the run up to competitors reaching the start line. The perspective of these athletes allows a nuanced insight into what this process takes, not only in the initial stages, for the rest of their athletic careers too.  

With the growth and development of Para snow sports comes a similar experience for the classification system, driven by those at the very heart of it. For every assessment and race completed, it moves one step closer to a future where equality and fairness is not just an aspiration for these sports, but rather it becomes the standard.  

Interested in learning more about Para classification? Here’s where you can find the first three instalments of this series…  

• Part 1: Research and collaboration to ensure fair competition 

• Part 2: The process of classification 

• Part 3: Impairment types, Minimum Impairment Criteria & the Sport Classes 

Part five will provide an in-depth look at how assessments are undertaken in different disciplines, while looking at the role of classifiers within the process and how they support athletes throughout in things such as protesting decision if applicable.