Overview & Background

The World Snowboard Federation (WSF) and Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS) have collaborated to establish a unified judge education pathway to streamline and elevate the quality of judging across all competition levels. This initiative addresses the need for consistent judge training, from local events to international competitions, ensuring fairness and expertise at every stage.

As part of this education process the FIS does manage the A & B levels covering Continental Cups, World Cups and Olympics.

The WSF is offering the Nations a program to support their C-Level education.

The WSF Education also allows other interested parties such as parents, coaches or media to learn about freestyle and judging.

For Judges

The pathway for becoming a certified WSF C Level Judge consist of the following three steps.

1. Online Training: Available through the WSF Education Platform. Topics include theoretical knowledge, trick analysis (for ex-riders), and practical judging guidelines.
2. In-Person or Remote Clinic: Candidates must attend a clinic hosted by a certified WSF instructor. This clinic will provide hands-on training and evaluation of judging skills.
3. Online Test: A comprehensive online test covering theoretical and practical aspects of judging.

After passing the clinic and test, judges will receive their certification and be added to a centralized judge database.

 

Cost

• Online Training: The online training can be done free of charge by Judges and anybody that is interested in learning about trick identification and judging.
• In-Person or Remote Clinic:
  1. The WSF Online Clinics are free of charge and will happen twice for the 24/25 season
  2. National clinics can come with a fee set by the nations.
• Online Test: To complete the certification an Online Test (theoretical and practical) needs to be passed. There is a cost to for accessing the test.
  1. Individuals can pay 50 Euro directly in the course online.
  2. Female Judges can receive free vouchers by sending an email to judging@worldsnowboardfederation.org.
  3. Payment can be made through a voucher obtained from your National Snowboard or Ski Federation.

Access the WSF Academy

 

Dates of the WSF Online Judge Clinic

• 18th December 2024

• 9th January 2025

If you are interested in attending write to judging@worldsnowboardfederation.org.

 

For Nations

Overview

The WSF Judge Education thrives to help the Nations doing better Judge Education with less effort and resources.

• The Material, including Material provided for the National or Regional Judge Clinics is produced according to the riding level that will be judges at those levels. Material will be constantly updated.
• The Online training make sure that Judges know the basics before to go to a clinic and use the time together more efficiently. Specifically, this should be used for Judging, Interactive Exercise and Q&A and not to go through slides
• The system is built in a way to allow the Regions / Nations still doing their own Clinics and refinance them, when having a Judges Instructor with proper Judging Experience.
• All money collected from the certification goes towards judge education, specifically. Material updates and Software licenses.

 

Certified Instructors

Certified instructor needs to provide a judge resume and attend a briefing session at least every second year.

The dates for the 24/25 secessions are:

• 23rd October

• 21st November

Please contact judging@worldsnowboardfederation.org if you want to become an instructor and / or attend the session.

 

Certification Fee

Nations can by vouchers for the certification with a discount an give them out at the clinics.

• 50 Vouchers: €1,400 for WSF members, €2,000 for non-members.
• 25 Vouchers: €750 for WSF members, €1,000 for non-members.
• 10 Vouchers: €300 for WSF members, €500 for non-members.

Vouchers can be purchased at any time and remain valid for two seasons.

To obtain vouchers please contact judging@worldsnowboardfederation.org.

 

For Parents, Coaches and Media

The goal of the Judge training is not only to educate the Judges but also spread the Knowledge about Judging for everybody who has an interest in this and even teach how to identify tricks.

The Education is free and can be accessed by anybody who is interested.,

Access the WSF Academy

 

Frequently asked questions

How do I become a certified instructor?
Send your application to judging@worldsnowboardfederation.org, including your judging experience. Complete online training and attend a briefing session.

How does certification work for judges?
Complete the online training and test. Attend a real-life clinic hosted by your nation or online. After approval from the instructor, you will receive your license.

Can we buy more vouchers later?
Yes, additional vouchers can be bought at any time.

Will vouchers from this year work for next year or recertification?
Yes, vouchers are valid for at least two seasons.

Is there any cost for certified instructors?
No, certified instructors do not incur any fees, but they are required to go through the course at least every two years to stay updated.

Do A and B-level judges need to recertify for WSF as well?
No, A and B-level judges typically do not need to recertify under the WSF C-Level program, though there may be exceptions for certain events.

How often will training materials be updated?
Training materials are updated annually, depending on the available budget. More licenses sold means more resources for educational updates.

When will the new certification system be enforced?
The rollout will occur over two seasons. By the 2024/2025 season, the event Head Judges must be certified under the new system to go onto the World Rookie Rank.

Acccess the WSF Academy: