How the ski mountaineering rankings work

Checked 20 October 2026Valid for: the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) World Cup rankings and World Ranking (WRK) under ISMF Rules & Guidelines, version 2026-2027, sections 31 and 32.

Ski mountaineering (skimo) has two kinds of ranking:

World Cup rankings for the season. Each race gives place points: 100 to the winner, 90 to second, 81 to third, down to 1 point for 50th and below. The season's World Cup is the total.
The ISMF World Ranking (WRK), a rolling two-year list. The points depend on the race's level, from 1,300 for winning at the Olympic Winter Games down to 100 for winning a regional race.

Skimo joins the Olympic programme at Milano Cortina 2026, which is why the Olympics sits at the top of the WRK levels.

Place points (World Cup, Continental Cup, championships)

Place	Points	Place	Points	Place	Points	Place	Points	Place	Points
1	100	11	45	21	30	31	20	41	10
2	90	12	43	22	29	32	19	42	9
3	81	13	41	23	28	33	18	43	8
4	73	14	39	24	27	34	17	44	7
5	66	15	37	25	26	35	16	45	6
6	60	16	35	26	25	36	15	46	5
7	57	17	34	27	24	37	14	47	4
8	54	18	33	28	23	38	13	48	3
9	51	19	32	29	22	39	12	49	2
10	48	20	31	30	21	40	11	50	1

Everyone after 50th gets 1 point.

Time points are also worked out for each race: time points = winner's time ÷ athlete's time × 100, to two decimals. They are used to break ties.

World Cup rankings

Overall: place points from individual, vertical, team and sprint races over the season.
Specialty: one ranking for each race type (sprint, vertical, team and individual, plus mixed relay by nation), only if at least three races of that type are held.
U23: taken from the senior ranking.
Youth World Cup: U20 and U18 rankings.
Nations: the best man and best woman from each nation (senior and U23) for each race, or its best team.

Ties: the athlete with the better best placing (and more of them) goes higher; then the next-best placing, and so on; then total time points. If still level, the tie stands.

World Ranking (WRK)

Separate lists for men and women, open to all ages. Points last two years from the race date.

Level	Events	Winner	Places scored	Floor points below that
1	Olympic Winter Games	1300	36	400
2	World Championships, Long Distance World Championships	1200	100	100
3	World Cup	1000	100	50
4	Continental Championships, Youth World Championships, Winter Youth Olympic Games, Long Distance World Tour	800	100	25
5	Continental Cup, Youth World Cup, Masters World Championships, FISU, Asian Winter Games, Military World Games	600	100	10
6	ISMF Series, European Youth Olympic Festival	400	50	1
7	Continental Series, national championships	300	50	1
8	National cup	200	25	1
9	Regional and other approved national races	100	25	1

Every eligible finisher below the scoring depth gets the floor points.
At levels 7, 8 and 9, only the best five, five and seven results respectively count.
In team races (relay, team, mixed relay) each eligible member gets the team's points, in their own men's or women's list.
Only athletes with a valid ISMF licence and ISMF ID on race day get points. An unlicensed athlete's place is not handed down: if they finish second, third place still gets third-place points.
No points for did-not-start or disqualification; normally none for did-not-finish.
Ties: compare each athlete's single best WRK result, then the second best and so on.

A worked example

Made up to show the arithmetic. An Indian athlete in a two-year window wins a national championship (level 7: 300), places in a Continental Cup outside its 100 scored places (floor: 10) and finishes 40th at the Asian Winter Games (level 5; the points for 40th are in the official table, which is not saved). With only the published figures, their WRK score is at least 300 + 10 = 310 plus the Asian Winter Games points.

Where the document disagrees with itself

The time-points example (31.2) gives the second-placed athlete 95 place points and the 30th 51, but the place-points table gives 90 and 21.
32.2 sends the reader to "sections 34.1, 34.2 and 35.3" for World Cup rules; the World Cup rules are in 32.3.
32.5.5 says the WRK points table "forms part of these Rules, either within this section or as an appendix"; neither is in this edition.

Variations

Ranking	Covered here
World Cup overall and specialty, U23, youth, nations	Yes
World Ranking (WRK), men and women	Yes, except the points per place
Championship country ranking and medal table	No

Place	Points	Place	Points	Place	Points	Place	Points	Place	Points
1	100	11	45	21	30	31	20	41	10
2	90	12	43	22	29	32	19	42	9
3	81	13	41	23	28	33	18	43	8
4	73	14	39	24	27	34	17	44	7
5	66	15	37	25	26	35	16	45	6
6	60	16	35	26	25	36	15	46	5
7	57	17	34	27	24	37	14	47	4
8	54	18	33	28	23	38	13	48	3
9	51	19	32	29	22	39	12	49	2
10	48	20	31	30	21	40	11	50	1

Place	Points	Place	Points	Place	Points	Place	Points	Place	Points
1	100	11	45	21	30	31	20	41	10
2	90	12	43	22	29	32	19	42	9
3	81	13	41	23	28	33	18	43	8
4	73	14	39	24	27	34	17	44	7
5	66	15	37	25	26	35	16	45	6
6	60	16	35	26	25	36	15	46	5
7	57	17	34	27	24	37	14	47	4
8	54	18	33	28	23	38	13	48	3
9	51	19	32	29	22	39	12	49	2
10	48	20	31	30	21	40	11	50	1

Place	Points	Place	Points	Place	Points	Place	Points	Place	Points
1	100	11	45	21	30	31	20	41	10
2	90	12	43	22	29	32	19	42	9
3	81	13	41	23	28	33	18	43	8
4	73	14	39	24	27	34	17	44	7
5	66	15	37	25	26	35	16	45	6
6	60	16	35	26	25	36	15	46	5
7	57	17	34	27	24	37	14	47	4
8	54	18	33	28	23	38	13	48	3
9	51	19	32	29	22	39	12	49	2
10	48	20	31	30	21	40	11	50	1