FIS point calculator: race points and penalties explained

An FIS point calculator answers two different questions:

1. How far was an athlete behind the winner? That becomes the athlete's race points.
2. How strong was the field? That becomes the race penalty.

Add those two numbers to get the athlete's result points for the race. Keeping the two steps separate makes most apparent calculation errors much easier to find.

Step 1: calculate race points

The race-points formula is:

((athlete time ÷ winner time) − 1) × F

The F value depends on the discipline. FIS publishes the current values on the first page of each valid Alpine FIS Points List, so an old list can produce a different result even when every time is entered correctly.

For a simple example, suppose the winner's time is 60.00 seconds, another athlete's time is 61.20 seconds, and the applicable F value is 1,000:

((61.20 ÷ 60.00) − 1) × 1,000 = 20.00 race points

Race points measure the time difference only. They do not yet include the quality of the field.

Step 2: calculate the race penalty

The penalty calculation uses three totals:

• A: the sum of the five best FIS points among the first ten classified competitors
• B: the sum of the five best FIS points among all competitors who started
• C: the sum of the race points earned by the five competitors counted in A

The base penalty is:

(A + B − C) ÷ 10

The applicable category adder and minimum penalty are then taken from the current FIS Points List. This is why the same set of times can produce a different penalty when the event category or valid points list changes.

The complete selection rules also cover ties and competitors without valid points. For an official calculation, use the current FIS Points Rules 2026/27 together with the current Alpine FIS Points List.

Step 3: add race points and penalty

If an athlete has 20.00 race points and the official race penalty is 23.50, the result is:

20.00 + 23.50 = 43.50 FIS result points

The winner has zero race points, but still receives the race penalty as their result points.

Why your calculation may not match the official result

Check these inputs before assuming the formula is wrong:

• Points-list date: each competitor must be matched to the correct valid FIS Points List.
• Discipline and F value: SL, GS, SG, DH and AC do not share one value.
• Starter list: the B selection is based on competitors who started, not only those who finished.
• Top-ten ties: a tie at the selection boundary changes who must be considered.
• Event category: minimum penalties and adders vary by category.
• Missing or invalid points: the rules specify maximum values for penalty calculations.
• Rounding: keep full precision during the calculation and apply the official rounding rule at the stated step.
• Name or FIS-code matching: a similar name can silently attach the wrong points to a competitor.

The latest rules and values are available from the official FIS Alpine documents page.

A faster way to check a race

Simple Stuff's calculator can import race data, match competitors against a points list, calculate race points and show the penalty worksheet. Review every automatic name match before relying on the result.

It is a free calculation aid, not an official timing document. Published FIS results and the responsible race officials remain authoritative.