Welcome to the Far West Masters! If you are a new visitor to our site, visit the Information pages to learn more About masters racing. The How To Join page has for membership information and applications. We are open to all and welcome new racers!

Masters ski racing is the premier adult ski racing series in the country. We are governed by United States Ski & Snowboard competition rules, the sanctioning body in the US for organized ski racing at all levels from juniors up through international and Olympic competition.

Far West Masters organizes US alpine masters competition in the Far West division. Our yearly schedule includes all disciplines (SL, GS, SG, and DH), with races held mainly at ski areas in the central Sierras. Racers from 21 to over 80 years old compete in ten-year age groups.

Top News Items

... Membership Reminders ... September Forerunner ... 2021 Membership and Schedule ... Preliminary 2021 Schedule and August Forerunner ... Season Awards and April Forerunner newsletter ...
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  • Membership Reminders

    The extended renewal deadline for US Ski & Snowboard membership is coming up this weekend, Nov. 1.  Please note that USS&S has a strict no-refund policy, so make your choices carefully.

    The Alpine Master membership is $135 for the 2020-2021 race season. Alternatively, a Short-Term Alpine Master membership can be purchased for $35/day, but only for one event of consecutive days. (A short-term purchase will be credited towards a full membership if you later upgrade.)

    Tips:

    • for most of us, do NOT select a club - choose "No Club Affiliation" in your member information. Only select a Club if you are actually a member of a USS&S club (typically the junior race team). For most masters in Far West , our masters training programs (Mammoth, Squaw, Mt Rose) are separate from the USS&S race team at our home area. Choosing a club may require you to join "with requirements", with extra costs and training required.
    • do NOT purchase the Alpine Master with Requirements membership unless you really need to!! e.g. you work directly with junior athletes as part of a USS&S club. Cost is $150 and requires background screening, online SafeSport training, and an online Avalanche course. Contact us at membership@farwestmasters.org if you need help deciding whether you need this.
    • if you have a Coach or Officials license, SafeSport and background screening is already included in those memberships so be sure to select Alpine Master membership - you do NOT need the more expensive Master with Requirements membership level.

    The "Getting Started" page from US Alpine Masters has a helpful overview of everything you need to know for your US Ski & Snowboard membership:

    For 2021, Far West Masters membership dues are waived for all new and renewing members!
    Just log in or create your account on SkiRaceReg.com/fw to activate your account for the 2021 season and sign the Far West Masters release form.

    [27-Oct-2020]

  • September Forerunner

    The September issue of the Forerunner newsletter is out! The President's Update message from Ray Tulloch describes the latest news we have on plans for the upcoming ski season. Still lots of questions but US Ski & Snowboard is publishing COVID guidelines for running ski race events and our Far West ski resorts are beginning to announce more detailed information about their operation plans for the coming winter.

    We are encouraged by the recent news that both Mt Rose and Squaw will continue to have their masters training programs this season. The Diamond Peak masters is also confirmed and indications are that we will have details on the Mammoth masters program soon.

    As announced in August, Far West Masters membership dues are waived for all new and renewing members in 2020-2021!!. Membership renewal will be available online on at SkiRaceReg.com/fw. When you activate your account for the 2021 season, you'll just need to e-sign the Far West Masters release form. US Ski & Snowboard has extended the renewal date for US masters memberships to Nov. 1, 2020, so you have additional time before making a decision on purchasing your masters license. USS&S will NOT provide refunds, so we recommend that you be patient and hold off on renewing your US masters license until we have more definite guidance on the coming race season.

    [26-Feb-2020]

  • 2021 Membership and Schedule

    As announced in the August Forerunner newsletter, Far West Masters membership dues are waived for all new and renewing members in 2020-2021!! Given the uncertainty about the coming season, the Far West Masters board unanimously voted to waive our usual membership dues to support everyone remaining engaged and participating at whatever level you find appropriate for your personal situation over the coming months. In addition, the renewal deadline for US Ski & Snowboard membership has been extended to Nov. 1 2020, so you have additional time before deciding whether to commit to purchasing your season membership. Please note that USS&S has a strict no-refund policy, so if you are uncertain about your plans it would be wise to wait until the deadline to renew your membership.

    As we approach the start of the 2020-2021 season, the outlook for ski area operations and race conditions is still very much an evolving situation. Most ski areas have published information in September about how they expect to operate this coming season for passes, tickets, access, etc; in some cases reservations will be required, lift tickets generally must be purchased in advance. US Ski & Snowboard has published detailed COVID guidelines for organizing alpine events and there is a significant amount of detail and complexity that race organizers must address. Far West Masters is working with USS&S, our Far West ski areas, and masters groups around the country as we all try to work out how we will be able to ski and race this season.

    So... we don't have all the answers yet but we are optimistic that we will be able to train and race this season, so stay tuned for updates and above all expect to be flexible to adjust to changing conditions throughout the season!

    [18-Sep-2020]

  • Preliminary 2021 Schedule and August Forerunner

    We have a preliminary 2020-21 race schedule put together under exceptionally challenging conditions this year by Scheduling Director Mike Braun. There are still many questions that we all have about the coming winter and racing, but we are planning and hoping that we will be able to hold competitions by following appropriate covid-19 guidelines.

    We've put out a special August issue of the Forerunner newsletter with the President's Update from Ray Tulloch and your Far West Masters board to share as much information as we have at this point to help everyone plan for the coming season. By unanimous decision of the board, the usual Far West Masters membership dues fee will be waived this season. With so much uncertainty, our priority is to keep everyone engaged and involved as much as possible through what will likely be a challenging and certainly different ski season.

    We encourage everyone to be patient about renewing your US Ski & Snowboard masters membership until more information is available in September, as USS&S has been very clear to remind everyone that they will NOT provide refunds. The deadline to renew before late fees are incurred is ordinarily mid-October, so there's plenty of time yet before any decisions need to be made. If you also hold a coach or official license or need a "Masters with Requirements" membership as a member of a USS&S club working with junior athletes, be aware that the bi-annual background screen checks may take longer this year, so plan ahead to allow time for completing SafeSport training and screening.

    [28-Aug-2020]

  • Season Awards and April Forerunner newsletter

    Well. It's a wrap of sorts for the 2020 race season, unexpectedly brought to an abrupt halt in mid-March by the covid-19 coronavirus shutdowns of racing and ski areas and much of our "normal" life. The masters National Championship races at Ski Cooper and Steamboat Spring in Colorado were cancelled, with many competitors already at Cooper for the speed races or about to leave for Steamboat, along with our Far West Masters season finals scheduled for Apr. 9-11.

    The Far West Masters board agreed that we would announce the 2020 season awards now and plan the hold a celebration part at the first races of the 2021 season. The Season Standings page has the final rankings for 2020 and the complete Season Awards report.

    Congratulations to all our season award winners and our special award recipients: best new racers Stan Vasily and Joan Blumenfeld, most-improved racers Shawn Mason and Nancy Gieske, and the Teddy Cantanho Spirit of Masters award to Linda Crowell for all she does to support our racing program and help us all get out on the hill to play together!

    The spring Forerunner newsletter is out with all the final season reports and the President's Update from FWM prez Ray Tulloch.

    [30-Apr-2020]

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