Course Inspection Updates for the 2025–2026 Season

If you've been racing Masters for a while, you're probably used to a pretty relaxed approach to course inspection—head up the lift, drop in when you're ready, maybe take a second look if time allows. This season, that may look a little different at some of our race venues.

What's Changing: One-Look Inspections with Timed Entry Windows

Some ski areas hosting FWM races this season may use a one-look inspection format. Here's how it works:

• There will be a short entry window at the top of the course. Once the jury opens the course for inspection, you'll have a limited time to enter.
• After the entry window closes, no additional racers will be allowed onto the course for inspection—even if inspection is still in progress.
• The total inspection period is typically 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the discipline.
• You get one look. Once you side-slip through, that's it—though if time remains in the inspection period, a second look may be possible.

This is new territory for many Masters racers, so plan accordingly. If you miss the entry window, you will not get to inspect the course.

Inspection windows and processes for each race will be announced in advance, so keep an eye on race announcements, emails, and the FWM website for specifics before each event. It's on you to know when inspection opens and to be ready.

Course Inspection Basics: A Refresher

Whether or not your race uses a one-look format, the same inspection rules and best practices apply. Here's a quick review.

Your Rights and Responsibilities

It is a racer's right and responsibility to inspect the course according to the rules and the instructions of the jury (ACR 614.3). Inspection is held after course setting and jury inspection are completed, once the jury has officially opened the course. Competitors are not permitted to enter a closed competition course.

The Rules During Inspection

• Side-slip outside the racing line during inspection. Do not ski through the gates or ski the race line.
• No high-speed skiing in the race area.
• No shadowing the course—that means no skiing parallel to the gates mimicking race turns. This applies outside the race venue as well as inside it.
• Carry your bib. You must have your official start number with you during inspection (ACR 606.1, 614.3.2). Per a recent clarification, "carry" means you need to have your bib with you, though you don't necessarily need to be wearing it during inspection.

Violating inspection rules can result in sanctions from the jury, up to and including withdrawal of accreditation for the event (ACR 628, 223).

What to Look For

Use your inspection time wisely. Pay attention to:

• Fall-aways and rollovers where the terrain drops away and you may lose sight of the next gate
• Gate combinations: hairpins, flushes, and rhythm changes
• Where the course stacks up—sections that get tighter or steeper
• Sections where you can let your skis run and carry speed
• Snow conditions: Is it hard, soft, icy, or breaking away? How does it compare to what you skied in warm-up?

Bottom Line

The biggest takeaway this season: be ready for inspection when it opens, and don't assume you can take your time getting to the start. At venues using one-look inspections, if you miss the entry window, you miss your chance to see the course before you race it.

Watch for race-specific announcements about inspection formats and timing. If you have questions about how inspection will work at a particular event, don't hesitate to ask at the team captains' meeting.

Rule references: Masters Competition Guide p. 35; ACR 614.3; ACR 628, 223; ACR 606.1, 614.3.2; M1285.4