How alpine skiing rankings work (FIS points and the World Cup)
Alpine skiing has two rankings, and they work in opposite directions.
- FIS points (all levels, from national races to the Olympics). Every skier has FIS points in each event (downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, alpine combined). Lower is better: 0 would be a perfect skier. Your points come from how far behind the winner you finished, adjusted for how strong the field was. FIS points decide start numbers and who can enter which races.
- World Cup points (the top circuit only). The top 30 in each race score 100 for a win, 80 for second, 60 for third, down to 1 for 30th. Add them up over the season for the overall World Cup and the World Cup in each event. Higher is better.
An Indian skier starting out will mostly deal with FIS points, which apply at every FIS race, including Asian ones.
Race points: the alpine formula
P = (Tx ÷ To − 1) × F
where To is the winner's time and Tx the skier's time (both in seconds); F is a factor for each event:
| Event | F |
|---|---|
| Downhill | 1250 |
| Super-G | 1190 |
| Giant slalom | 1010 |
| Slalom | 730 |
| Alpine combined | 1360 |
The winner always gets 0 race points.
The penalty: how strong was the field?
Each race also has a penalty, added to everyone's race points. A strong field gives a small penalty; a weak field a big one.
- Sum A: the five best (lowest) FIS points among the top 10 finishers.
- Sum B: the five best FIS points among everyone who started.
- Sum C: the race points of the five skiers counted in A.
- Penalty = (A + B − C) ÷ 10, rounded to two decimals.
If fewer than five skiers in the top 10 (or among the starters) have FIS points, the missing ones count at the maximum value: downhill 330, super-G 270, giant slalom 220, slalom 165, alpine combined 270. If fewer than three of the five have FIS points, the penalty is at least double the maximum value.
A category adder and minimum values, which depend on the race level, are printed on each FIS points list. A skier's result for the race is race points plus penalty (plus any adder).
Turning results into a points list
- Base list (BL), June: the average of the best results last season: best three in slalom and giant slalom, best two in downhill, super-G and alpine combined.
- Fewer results are penalised: two slalom results are averaged and 20% added; one result gets 20% added twice (48.00 becomes 57.60, then 69.12); one speed result gets 20% added.
- No results at all in a season: 50% is added to the previous base points; an injury status, if approved, adds 10% instead.
- Normal lists (NL), from 1 July: during the season, a skier's new average replaces the base points only if it is better.
The FIS marks these "best three" and "20% twice" rules as valid for the 2027 base list and the 2027 season.
World Cup points
| Place | Points | Place | Points | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | 11 | 24 | 21 | 10 |
| 2 | 80 | 12 | 22 | 22 | 9 |
| 3 | 60 | 13 | 20 | 23 | 8 |
| 4 | 50 | 14 | 18 | 24 | 7 |
| 5 | 45 | 15 | 16 | 25 | 6 |
| 6 | 40 | 16 | 15 | 26 | 5 |
| 7 | 36 | 17 | 14 | 27 | 4 |
| 8 | 32 | 18 | 13 | 28 | 3 |
| 9 | 29 | 19 | 12 | 29 | 2 |
| 10 | 26 | 20 | 11 | 30 | 1 |
- A skier more than 8% slower than the winner gets no points, whatever their place.
- Tied skiers each get the points for that place.
- Overall World Cup: all World Cup points across the six events. Event World Cups: all points in one event; awarded only if at least two races in that event were held.
- Nations Cup: men's and women's points added up for each country.
A worked example
Made up to show the arithmetic. A slalom is won in 100.00 seconds. An Indian skier finishes in 108.00 seconds:
P = (108.00 ÷ 100.00 − 1) × 730 = 0.08 × 730 = 58.40 race points.
The five best FIS points in the top 10 add to 60 (A); the five best among all starters add to 50 (B); those top-10 skiers' race points add to 30 (C). Penalty = (60 + 50 − 30) ÷ 10 = 8.00. The skier's result: 58.40 + 8.00 = 66.40 (before any category adder).
Variations
| Ranking | Covered here |
|---|---|
| Alpine FIS points | Yes |
| Alpine World Cup (overall, events, Nations Cup) | Yes |
| Cross-country FIS points and World Cup | No (rules not saved) |
| Para alpine | Separate explainer |