FIS Leaning Into AI Judging, Teases New Street Style Freeski Events

Following the 2026 FIS Autumn Meetings in Geneva, Switzerland, last week, FIS committees have agreed on and announced several key priorities ahead of the 2026/27 World Cup season.

Sub-Committees agreed on goals to build more stable, multi-year World Cup calendars, strengthen development pathways, improve event safety and delivery, and ensure growth in visibility and commercial value across ski and snowboard disciplines.

With the upcoming competition season marking the start of a new Olympic cycle, FIS has its attention on the Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in March 2027 and the Winter Games in the French Alps in 2030. According to a press release issued by FIS on October 3, 2026, the Rules Advisory Group considered 27 proposals, with 23 ultimately approved, 3 postponed, and 1 rejected.

Ski Cross, Park and Pipe, Freestyle, and new AI-assisted judging processes were amongst the topics considered and discussed at the meeting.

The press release from FIS noted that Park and Pipe had particularly strong exposure during the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games. The 2026/27 World Cup program hopes to build off this momentum with a full calendar scheduled for the season. Four Big Air, five Freeski Halfpipe, and four Slopestyle competitions will take place for skiers throughout the season, which, in combination with the 2027 Montafon World Championships, will allow all Crystal Globes to be awarded during the season.

Additionally, more flexible infrastructure around halfpipe size at Junior World Championships, Continental Cups, and other, lower-level competitions has also been prioritized, to create more opportunity for athletes and growth in the discipline.

The FIS is also working to introduce Street Style as a new freeski World Cup discipline by the 2027/28 season, as well as longer term plans to include it in the 2034 Olympic program. The 2027 Junior World Championships at Secret Garden will include Halfpipe, Big Air, Slopestyle, and Street Style competition.

The focus of the Moguls and Aerials leg of freestyle is on developing new disciplines. For the 2027 World Championships in Montafon, Moguls, Dual Moguls, Aerials, and Aerials Mixed Team will all compete. The Dual Moguls Mixed Team will also be contested, adding another team event to the freeski program.

In Ski Cross, the main focus areas were event standards, safety regulations, course development, and the overall development of women’s ski cross. New regulations that mandate FIS-compliant Ski Cross gate panels and Level A cut-resistant underwear for the 2026/27 season were passed. FIS is also working to make ski cross courses more difficult, at athletes’ request, without relying solely on increased speed or risk.

Lastly, FIS reported progress on the AI judging project, which is currently being developed as a tool to support judging, rather than replace it. Potential applications of the project beyond competitive judging, such as supporting judges’ education and training, and creating new possibilities in data and visualization that could enhance TV broadcasting of events, have also been identified.

AI judging has seen more use in snow sports, with the addition of it to X Games by CEO Jeremy Bloom.

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