What is U.S. Ski & Snowboard? The national governing body, explained

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding in the United States. Based in Park City, Utah, it names the U.S. Snowboard Team and the U.S. Olympic snowboard and freeski teams, runs the Revolution Tour and the U.S. Grand Prix World Cup events, and sells the memberships and FIS licenses a rider needs to compete above the grassroots level.

For a family, it is the organization your daughter grows into, not the one she starts in. Almost every young snowboarder begins with local contests run by USASA. U.S. Ski & Snowboard comes into the picture around age 13, when a rider moves up to the Futures Tour or the Rev Tour.

Membership types for a young snowboarder

• The way up. The Competitor membership and FIS license are the only route into the Rev Tour, and from there to World Cup starts and the national team.
• Points and rankings. Competitor members get a rankings and points profile, which is what the selection criteria read from.
• Excess accident insurance. It applies at sanctioned events and while training with a club in U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s insurance program. You have to show proof of your own primary health insurance.
• Athlete safety rules. Adults who coach, officiate or volunteer around athletes must complete SafeSport training and pass background screening before their membership is active.
• A club network. The club directory lists member clubs, and the strongest earn Bronze, Silver or Gold certification.

1. ★

   The top

   The goal

   The Olympics and World Championships

   U.S. Ski & Snowboard selects the U.S. Olympic snowboard and freeski teams. For the 2026 Games, riders were named mainly on objective results such as world ranking and World Cup finishes.

   U.S. team picked by

   U.S. Ski & Snowboard

2. 5

   Pro

   FIS World Cup and the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix

   The World Cup is the top international circuit, and its U.S. stops are called the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix. FIS gives each country a limited number of start spots. U.S. Ski & Snowboard decides which riders fill them.

   2026–27 U.S. stops

   Breckenridge (December 12–13), Copper Mountain (December 19–20), Aspen Snowmass (February 27–28)

3. 4

   National team

   The U.S. Snowboard Team

   Named once a year, in Pro and Rookie tiers for halfpipe and for slopestyle and big air, plus snowboard cross. Freeskiers have their own U.S. Freeski Team.

   Ages

   Rookie Team 13 to 20, Pro Team 15 and up

4. 3

   National development

   The Revolution Tour (Rev Tour)

   Halfpipe, slopestyle and big air for riders moving from grassroots contests toward the elite level, aimed at ages 13 to 19. Its stops are the U.S. half of the NorAm Cup, the FIS tour for North America.

   She needs

   Competitor membership and a FIS license

   2026–27 stops

   Copper Mountain, January 25–29, 2027, then three more in February and March. Last season’s were Copper, Mammoth and Aspen

5. 2

   The bridge

   The Futures Tour

   Halfpipe and slopestyle contests run by USASA under FIS rules, on bigger courses than a regional series. A rider’s two best results are averaged into a national ranking, and the top-ranked riders are invited to every Rev Tour stop the next season.

   She needs

   USASA membership, U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership and a FIS license

6. 1

   Grassroots

   Start here

   USASA regional series and USASA Nationals

   Where nearly everyone starts: 32 regional series and more than 500 events a season, open to anyone. A rider’s three best regional results build her national ranking, and regional winners are invited to USASA Nationals. See our USASA explainer.

   She needs

   A USASA membership only, until she is 18

Snowboard cross and racing have their own middle rungs: the Holeshot Cross Tour and Race to the Cup, both for FIS-licensed riders 15 and older. Our guide, So you want to compete in snowboarding, covers the grassroots rungs and what a first contest day looks like.

Getting into the Rev Tour

U.S. riders have to pre-qualify, and for 2027 that applies to every halfpipe, slopestyle and big air field. The 2027 criteria were not posted when we checked in October 2026. For the 2025–26 tour, a U.S. woman earned a snowboard spot through any one of these:

• Last season’s Rev Tour standings: top 15 U.S. women in slopestyle or halfpipe, or top 5 in big air.
• The Futures Tour overall standings: top 10 U.S. women for slopestyle and big air, top 12 for halfpipe.
• USASA Nationals, Open division: top 5 U.S. women for slopestyle and big air, top 10 for halfpipe.
• The World Snowboard Points List: top 15 U.S. women for slopestyle and big air, top 20 for halfpipe.
• A place on the U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team.

A rider who is not pre-qualified can sign up for the alternate list. Leftover spots are handed out by points ranking about two weeks before each stop.

Project Gold

Project Gold is an invitation-only talent camp. Invitations go to top development riders from the Futures Tour, the Rev Tour and USASA Nationals. The 2026 camp ran June 21–27 at Mt. Hood, Oregon, led by national team coaches. They look at more than results: range of tricks, technical riding, how she takes coaching, attitude and fitness.

Getting named to the U.S. Snowboard Team

Riders are nominated in May and confirmed in the fall. One line in the criteria is worth knowing early: a place on the team does not guarantee funding for competing or training.

1. 1.Ask her coach which membership she needs. Clubs and USASA series directors deal with this every fall.
2. 2.Register online through the membership page. Registration for 2026–27 is open.
3. 3.Choose Snowboard or Freeski, then the membership type. Add the FIS license if she is heading to the Futures Tour or the Rev Tour.
4. 4.Renew by October 15. Returning members who renew later can be charged late fees.

What SafeSport means for you

The U.S. Center for SafeSport is the organization Congress created to protect athletes from abuse. U.S. Ski & Snowboard requires its training every year, and background screening every two seasons, for members who are 18 or turning 18 and for adults who work with athletes. A rider who turns 18 mid-season has 45 days after her birthday to clear the screening. Anyone can report a concern to the Center, anonymously and at no cost.

To the World Cup first. FIS sets how many riders each country can enter, and U.S. Ski & Snowboard fills those spots mostly from the FIS points list and the World Snowboard Points List. The host country gets extra spots at its own World Cups, so more U.S. riders get a start at the Grand Prix stops. The overall winner of the NorAm events, meaning the Rev Tour plus the Canadian NorAms, earns her own World Cup start for the next season.

Then to the Olympics. U.S. Ski & Snowboard selects the Olympic snowboard and freeski teams and answers to two bodies above it: the USOPC, which enters and funds U.S. teams at the Games, and FIS, which governs the sport worldwide.

The grassroots rungs are not a detour. All five women nominated to the 2026–27 pro halfpipe team are listed with the USASA series they came up through. Four of them, Chloe Kim, Maddie Mastro, Bea Kim and Sonora Alba, list Mammoth’s Unbound Series.

The organization dates itself to 1905. It began as the National Ski Association, formed in Ishpeming, Michigan, to oversee ski jumping tournaments. It became the U.S. Ski Association in 1962 and moved its offices to Park City in 1988.

It became the governing body for snowboarding in 1997, a year before the sport’s Olympic debut, and changed its name to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. In 2017 it rebranded as U.S. Ski & Snowboard. In 2019 it agreed that USASA would be the single entry point for snowboard and freeski contests, and the Futures Tour was created to link the two.

Yes. The Toyota U.S. Grand Prix brings the World Cup to U.S. snow. In 2026–27 it stops at Breckenridge on December 12–13 (slopestyle), Copper Mountain on December 19–20 (halfpipe) and Aspen Snowmass on February 27–28 (both). The events are held at ski resorts, so check the resort’s event page for where spectators stand. Finals are also broadcast or streamed, with the schedule on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard site.

Rev Tour stops are at resorts too, and they show a young rider what the next level looks like. Upcoming snow events are on our events page.