SkillsQuest is a cornerstone program of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Training Systems and designed to motivate and reward athletes in working toward and improving abilities in the key areas of emphasis. As its name implies, it represents a quest, or journey, toward success in competitive skiing and snowboarding, by focusing on skills, the critical components that make up a high-performing athlete.
The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Training Systems have been designed to ensure that all athletes, coaches, and parent members of U.S. Ski & Snowboard have the best possible opportunity to fulfill their athletic dreams and talent. They are based on a long-term athlete development model (LTAD) for skiers and riders that emphasize age-appropriate training and competition.
The annual FIS World Junior Ski Championships provide a unique opportunity for the best 16-20 year-olds of the skiing world to compete.
The Europa Cup is one of five FIS continental cups series along with NorAm, Far East, South America and Australia / New Zealand. This integral series is the second tier of international ski racing and is a proving ground for future World Cup ski racers.
The FIS Ski World Cup is the pinnacle of international competition with events across Europe and North America. The series culminates in World Cup Finals in March for the top athletes on the tour.
For Alpine and Ski Cross World Cup Criteria, please refer to the Resources section.
The top alpine and ski cross ski athletes in the United States are named to the Stifel U.S. Ski Team. The U.S. Ski Team will select the most qualified athletes with the greatest possibilities for winning medals in future World Championship and Olympic Winter Games competitions. Nominations to the team come from objective selection criteria based on international rankings and head-to-head competition.
For Stifel U.S. Alpine and Ski Cross Team Criteria, please refer to the Resources section.
The World Ski Championships are held every other year.
The 2025 Alpine World Championships will be held in Saalbach, AUT, February 4-16, 2025. For Alpine World Championships Criteria, please refer to the Resources section.
The ultimate in sport is representing Team USA at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy. Athletes are primarily named to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Olympic Team based on objective criteria such as FIS World Rank and World Cup competition results.
The 2026 Olympic Winter Games Preliminary Notification of Athlete Selection Procedure is found in the Resources section on this page. 2026 Olympic Winter Games criteria will be published in the resource section of this page when approved.