FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are many common questions asked of Midwest Masters. If your question is not answered here, please send us an email via the Contact Us page. 

Q: Who can participate with Midwest Masters?

A: We are open to all ages! However, anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a racing adult (parent or legal guardian) when participating. Those under the age of 18 are not eligible for Midwest Masters awards. Only adult results are submitted to US Ski & Snowboard.

Q: Do I need a US Ski & Snowboard license to race with Midwest Masters?

A: For most all Race events that Midwest Masters hosts, a current US Ski & Snowboard license valid for Masters racing is required. However, if you don't hold a license, Midwest Masters will take care of the license on your behalf. A portion of our Race Fees helps to cover this cost. If you purchased a license on your own, we will discount your Race Fees. See the Race Fee discounts below for more details on this.

We do host events that do not require a license as well. Camp and Training events do not require a license of any kind.

Q: Are there ski length and radius limitations when racing with Masters?

A: No. This is a common misconception about Masters. Although there are strict requirements for radius and length in the Junior ranks of US Ski & Snowboard and FIS, all ski length and radius regulations are only "recommended" at the Masters level. Every season, FIS and US Ski & Snowboard note the requirements on their website. Please note, however, that the Race Jury may disallow a racer to start if their equipment is deemed unsafe. For example, the Jury would not allow someone to leave the start of a DH with SL skis or twin tips for obvious reasons. 

Q: Are there helmet requirements to race with Masters? Do I need a FIS approved helmet?

A: Yes. A FIS-approved helmet is required for all Masters racing except Slalom. Note that soft-eared helmets are only allowed for Slalom. Also note that the Race Officials have the authority to disallow a racer from starting if their equipment is not deemed safe.


FIS sticker

Q: What are your Age Classes?

Age Classes are defined by the following groups based on the racer's age on December 31 of that race season:

"Youngster" Class Ages 1-17 Class 7 Ages 55-59
Class 1 Ages 18-29 Class 8 Ages 60-64
Class 2 Ages 30-34 Class 9 Ages 65-69
Class 3 Ages 35-39 Class 10 Ages 70-74
Class 4 Ages 40-44 Class 11 Ages 75-79
Class 5 Ages 45-49 Class 12 Ages 80-84
Class 6 Ages 50-54 Class 13 Ages 85-89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q: What does it cost to race with Midwest Masters?

A: Midwest Masters charges a Race Fee per Race. For most of our Races, competitors must have a valid US Ski & Snowboard license, but if the racer does not have one at the time of Registration, Midwest Masters will take care of their license on the racer's behalf. These license costs are included in our Race Fees. Therefore, if you hold a valid license, we will discount your Race Fees. 

Race Fees - Standard Pricing

We charge Race Fees for each race you compete in. The standard Race Fee is $36. Discounts are applied to this fee as follows: 

  1. $12 off per Race if you hold a current US Ski & Snowboard license valid for Masters racing:
    • Alpine Masters License (AM)
    • Short Term Alpine Masters License valid for the days you are racing
    • Alpine Coaches license (but you must add the AM certification by calling Membership Services - there is no cost to do this)
    • Alpine Competitors License
    • Alpine Student License
    • Not Valid:
      • Alpine Officials license
      • Alpine General license
      • Alpine Volunteer license
  2. $12 off per Race if you have never raced with us or haven’t raced in 2 years or more (see the Returning Racer List to see if you are a returning racer - if you are NOT on this list, you qualify for this discount).
  3. $12 off per Race if you are age 34 or younger as of Dec 31 of this racing season.

All Discounts are additive meaning your racing would be FREE if all Discounts applied!

What about kids?

Kids may race with Midwest Masters! Our requirement, however, is that a parent/guardian must also be racing in each race for which they are registered. We allow children to race for $10 per Race. 

Q: What are the steps to completely register myself for races, and how are the charges applied?

A: Follow this tutorial to learn how to create and Account and a Profile on masters.adminskiracing.com, and Register for an event. Note that you may un-register at any time before the posted deadline for the race without incurring a late cancellation charge. Race Fees are charged against the credit card you have on file after the Races complete.

Q: How are Race Fees assessed?

A: All Race fees will be paid from your credit card on file (the same one you registered with) after the Race completes. You can change this card in your Account Profile if you wish. Any additional charges related to the race may also be processed at this time such as a t-shirt purchase, a late fee, raffle purchase, etc.

Q: Do I have to register before each individual Race?

A: Yes. All racers must preregister for any race in which they wish to compete. Simply log in to masters.adminskiracing.com, then go to Event Signup, filter for Midwest Masters and hit apply, and click on "Register" next to the Race you intend to participate. Remember that there are often multiple races per day, so be sure to register for all races! Online registration closes 24-48 hours before the event. 

Q: Can I register at the hill on Race Day?

A: No. We no longer have on-hill registration and require that registration for Races be completed online beforehand. Typically, we have a cutoff 24 to 48 hours before the first race of the event. At our larger events, however, we will host in-person Registration at a Registration Desk at the event headquarters (the hotel noted on the Event on our Registration site) each night before race days. You will be charged an additional registration fee to register in-person. The Registration Desk is open for a very limited time in the evenings, so please be on time and consider the time it may take you to complete registration. Again, see the Event details on our Registration site for more details in in-person registration at our events. 

Q: What if I registered for a race and forgot to un-register?

A: You will be charged a DNS fee for each race you miss for which you were registered. You MUST un-register yourself on our registration site before the race deadline. Deadlines are posted for each Race on the Events page. If not listed, the Deadline is the date/time of the start of the Race. 

Q: Can I try a race to see if I like Midwest Masters Racing?

A: There is nothing stopping you from coming out and trying just one race! The most you would pay is $24 for a single race if you have never raced with Midwest Masters. If you try it and for some reason don't like it, and are willing to share your opinions with us as to why you didn't enjoy your racing, we won't charge you!

Q: How do I know if a race is cancelled?

A: Do not count on the "grapevine" to determine if a race is cancelled. Whether or not a race is cancelled is determined by the TD and Event Organizer (the Midwest Masters Board Member assigned to the Event). The following Cancellation Guidelines developed by the Midwest Masters Board of Directors are used to help determine a Cancellation:

  • -25 Wind Chill Factor
  • The host ski area closes, or the lift servicing our run is closed or the run is not accessible
  • Travel conditions are severely dangerous; we will NOT be cancelling simply because people may be late due to the road conditions

PLAN YOUR SCHEDULE ACCORDINGLY. Please note that THE FINAL DECISION TO CANCEL IS UP TO MIDWEST MASTERS, and IT IS THE MEMBER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO FIND OUT IF A RACE IS CANCELLED as it is not always possible to get the website updated or get a mass e-mail out in a timely fashion. If you are unsure, contact Midwest Masters via the Contact page of our website. Midwest Masters will respond promptly in the event of a cancellation or threat of cancellation. We will make every effort to get an e-mail out and/or update the web site and Facebook site, but there is no guarantee that this will happen in a timely fashion. These Guidelines are listed in our Race Series Rules. See the About Us page for more details. All cancelled Races will be rescheduled if possible. If a Race is cancelled, there will be no charges incurred. 

Q: What is the definition of a "Race"?

A: For Slalom and Giant Slalom, a race is defined as the combined time of two runs. You must finish two runs to be considered in the result and to attain result points. Super-G and Downhill are usually single-run events. Quite often, Midwest Masters runs a Super-G as a two-run combined time event. 

Q: With my Full Season US Alpine Masters license can I do other Masters races around the country?

A: Yes! One of the greatest advantages of Masters racing is the ability to race all over the country. Many Midwest Masters racers compete all over the nation as well as internationally. Our registration website can be used for Registration within other US Alpine Masters series as well as Midwest Masters. Further, partner Divisions typically waive all registration fees and only charge race fees to partner Division members. To see Race Events hosted by other Divisions of US Alpine Masters, simply change the filter on the All Events page. 

Q: How are run orders generated? When will I run in the start order?

A: Midwest Masters employs several different types of Start Orders. The most common method is called an Age Class Start Order. This run order runs the youngest children first youngest to oldest, then all adult racers in 5 year increments, oldest to youngest, with women first in each Age Class. Midwest Masters also employs Ability-based run orders using our Ability Class scoring system. These orders group racers of similar ability together. The order in which the Ability Classes run is determined randomly. However, all very young racers and all racers above Age 60 will always run first.

For 2nd runs, we also employ various methods. One of our most popular methods is to run the entire field (outside of young children and those age 60+) in a complete flip based upon first run time, just like the World Cup! This makes it fun for all to watch as the fastest racers from the first run come down last where everyone can watch!

Details about these Start Orders can be found in our Race Series Rules which can be found on the About Us page.

Q: How does Midwest Masters score its racers? What are Ability Classes?

A: Answers to this question can be found in our Race Series Rules.