The upcoming ski season is rife with the following FIS Masters races that may interest you to participate in:
- 2024 World Winter Masters Games (WWMG) being held from 11-21 January 2024, in the Lombardy region of Italy, with alpine racing at Aprica and Ponte di Legno, from 16-19 January 2024.
- 2024 FIS Masters Cup (FMC) being held from 23-25 February 2024, in Beaver Creek CO.
- 2024 FIS World Criterium Masters Alpine Skiing (WCM) being held from 1-7 March 2024, in Kimberley BC; first time the Criterium ever held in Canada!
- 2024 FIS Masters Race (MAS) & Canadian Masters Alpine Championships (CMAC) being held from 9-11 March 2024, in Nakiska AB.
Licence Requirements:
Now is the time to think about getting your FIS Master’s licence for 30+ racers, as at 31 December; how you obtain this varies from province to province, so if you need help, contact your local club or coach or your Masters’ Provincial Representative.
A FIS Master’s licence is needed for at least three of the four events listed above, except for CMAC but more on that below.
For those competing at WWMG*, I strongly recommend you obtain/renew your 2024 FIS Master’s licence asap so that your name is on the last published FIS points list prior to your first FMC race. If your FIS Master’s licence is not active before the first FIS race you intend entering, you will not be permitted to race. If your licence is active ahead of that race, but not in time to be on the last published FIS points list, your start will be with other 999 point holders, even if you have lower points.
* You may have read something in the WWMG Alpine Guide about racers without a FIS licence starting in the respective age group after the FIS Masters racers. Rich Deacon, Canadian Master & organizer of “Canada House”, reached out to the WWMG Alpine Competition Manager, to find out this is incorrect, and the guide is being updated!
* For anyone having trouble registering for WWMG on the ENDU site, feel free to reach out to Lewis Heilig, the past QC rep, as he has taken the time to document the myriad of steps to do so on that platform, however, we recommend you verify your registration beforehand.
In any case, if you intend on racing at either the FIS Masters Cup (FMC), in Beaver Creek CO, or the FIS World Criterium Masters (WCM), in Kimberley BC, you will need your FIS Master’s licence, so don’t delay!
For more information on the ins and outs of FIS Masters, ranking, and much more, see the article prepared by Mike Robbins.
If you’ve ever held a FIS Master’s licence then lookup your biography, plus make sure your year of birth is correct! There is also a FIS mobile app, which does not behave quite the same way, but contains most of the same information.
Of the four events listed above, the only race that you do not need a FIS Master’s licence is for CMAC. At minimum, you will need either an Alpine Canada Master’s competitor card or a weekend card; the latter can be purchased when registering. Please note that the CMAC races are also FIS “MAS” category races (MAS being similar to FMC races except that any points awarded do not count towards a crystal globe so if you read Mike Robbin’s article above, you will know what this means!).
If you are still confused, reach out to your Provincial Masters Representative or Contact Us.
WCM, FMC & MAS Pre-Race Entry Forms:
Well ahead of each WCM or FMC or MAS race, you must advise your Coach or the Race Administrator of your home club which FIS races you will be entering, asking that they prepare the required FIS Entry Form on your behalf and submit it to your Provincial Sports Organization (PSO). Your PSO will consolidate all forms received from other clubs/racers, attending the same event, and forward on to Alpine Canada (ACA) who then consolidates all provinces before forwarding to FIS. This is how your name ends up on the race start list for any given event; a cumbersome procedure at best, but it is what it is, so get this done well ahead of each event!
Note to Ontario Masters: Alpine Ontario (AOA) advised there is no need for your home club to send in the FIS Entry Form on your behalf and that you are to send an email directly to Suki Chapman on memberservices@alpineontario.ca with the following information, for each FIS event you are attending:
- Competition Name & Place e.g. WWMG, Italy
- Date of race e.g. 16-19 January 2024
- FIS Code e.g. 5nnnnnn
- Last Name, First Name
- Year of Birth (YYYY)
- Race Entries e.g. DH, SG, GS, SL, AC
- Arrival Date (DD.MM.YY) & Departure Date (DD.MM.YY)
Lloyd Sevack | Past-President & FIS Masters Rep
Alpine Canada Masters
