cyphersit’s literally built into the judging. scores for the 4 other categories (including style/energy) can only exceed the line score by a set amount. the exposure of the line you ski determines how many points you can get for the tricks you throw. guys still (and often) win with freestyle skills but that’s in spite of the judging structure
Frick im still here wasting time.
It is a big mountain freeride competition. You cant just reward riders for a pussy line with lots of freestyle. You are supposed to amplify a baddass line with freestyle.
That being said, I wasnt talking about the rulebook. Im talking about actual events i've watched...
for example (sorry I dont have actual names/event without rewatching the last 5 years). One dude skis what I think is a dope line... fast and fluid the whole way, one big steezy 3 in a spot on the face that makes the 3 even cooler. The next dude comes in and skis the same basic line choice on the face, he skis it slower and less smooth, but throws in like four or more 360's (some of which are small, and dont look stylish). He loses a few points on speed/fluidity but the judges max out the freestyle points because he did a high number of tricks, and he outscores the other dude. IMO the one big, fast, steezy 3 should score better freestyle than four mediocre threes.
I do feel like this problem is getting better as the novelty of doing tricks on a face wears off. I think some of the judges who never did much freestyle used to reward any type of shitty looking trick on the face, because riders just didnt used to do it much, and it was like holy shit he did a three up there. Then new age athletes who can three and backflip with their eyes closed came and did multiple ( maybe mediocre) tricks in a run, and the judges went nuts...But now it is seeming like the judges are understanding the new level of freestyle skill these riders have, and they are critiquing size of air and style more, not just rewarding any type of rotation as an amazing freestyle element.
Also If anybody actually cares to read for themselves...
https://www.freerideworldtour.com/about-judging
JUDGING
Five criteria and “the overall impression” are taken into account to determine the riders’ final score:
Difficulty of the Line
But let’s look at each category a little closer. Difficulty of line is pretty straightforward: it’s all about the path a competitor chooses to take down the mountain. What’s the danger factor like on his line? How does the rider link up the tricky passages along the way? How unique, imaginative, is her route compared to other riders? Is it a cool line? Does it tickle people’s imagination? That’s what the judges have to determine here.
Control
Control is key in big-mountain riding. Possess it and your golden. Lose it and you can die. That’s why the judges can be ruthless with those who don’t show enough of it during their competition run. Did the athlete fall? Did he run the ragged edge of recovery all the way down? Or did he ride like he knew exactly what he was doing from start to finish? Often times, this is the category where neophytes struggle.
Fluidity
Nobody likes watching stop-and-go action. And the Fluidity mark is all about rewarding those athletes who can ride from start to finish with no hesitation, no stoppage and no confusion. Did the rider have to embark on a long traverse to hit his landmark cliff? Did he get lost on the way down and have to climb to regain his line? Did she hesitate before dropping the big cliff? This is what the judges are looking for in this sector. Again – flow is what it’s all about.
Jumps
For many in the sport, the next category, Jumps, is what makes freeride competitions so exciting. Why? Because nothing is man-made – what you see is what you get. But like any other aerial sport, style and aggression play huge. How big was the jump? How did the rider enter the jump? What happened in the air? How well did he stick his landing? Was it like a cat thrown out of a speeding car? Or did they know exactly where they were at all times? This is what the judges need to assess before assigning their overall mark.
Technique
Technique is a criteria which will be looked at closely in the Junior or amateur competitions. For Pros, judges will ask themselves if a control issue occured because of a lack of technique but otherwise, if a rider is in control, he can have his own technique and won’t be penalized. One can lose points however when side slipping down a section where other fellow competitiors were carving turns. This would fall under the Technique criteria.
==> To evaluate the run,
judges use a point system of a hundred increments from 0 to 100. The goal of this rider-approved system is to have a unified judging system for all FWT, Qualifiers and Juniors competitions that allows every style of riding the possibility to win. If a competitor is riding in a part of the face that cannot be seen by judges, what he does (good or bad) will not be scored unless judges have live video feed showing the action.
==> Judges are fully certified and supervised by a head judge. They are using an evolving method and there will always be a human factor left which could lead to different interpretations of the run. This is part of freeriding as a sport and has to be accepted by riders as well as judges.
https://www.freerideworldtour.com/sites/default/files/2022_judging_handbook.pdf
2. JUDGING SYSTEM
2.1.Overall Impression
In the past, we tried to have scores for each criteria (Line, Fluidity, Control, Air&Style and Technique).
Points were added together to make a final score.
A problem occurred: one criteria would take too much value because it is easier to use the full scale on
jumps than it is for control, fluidity or line. It made it difficult for someone riding steep and fast but with
hardly any jumps to score well.
Criteria are linked together. Splitting these elements is more confusing than convenient. To make up his
mind, a judge has to ask himself at all times how fast, how big and how in control a rider is compared to
how steep, how exposed and in what snow conditions the action is. A split criteria structured mind is
key to good overall impression judging.
