How to Join

• About Masters Racing
• Race Rules
• How to Join

For adult, NASTAR, club racers, and good skiers in general, Masters ski racing is a new challenge. It’s USSA sanctioned racing – more competitive and more fun. We welcome racers of all levels – from beginners who enjoy exciting race courses, to former Olympians, U.S. Team Members and everyone in between. The competition is exhilarating! Click here to learn more...

Briefly, competitors MUST have a USSA license in order to compete, either a masters license or a weekend license - this is essential for insurance purposes. Competitors also MUST provide proof of primary medical insurance coverage on either USSA license application. Competitors are encouraged (but not required) to join Far West Masters as well, which provides benefits such as a permanently assigned stretch bib and a subscription to our regularly-published newsletter, along with access to special member offers and members-only features on this web site.

• Eligibility
• USSA License
• Far West Membership
• De-Confusing Licenses and Membership

Eligibility

Men and women aged 21 and over may compete in the Granite Chief Far West Masters Ski Racing Series. A USSA masters competition or weekend license is required; membership in the Far West Masters is optional (but encouraged!). Details are provided in the following sections.

USSA Masters License

A USSA Alpine Masters competition license should be obtained by all competitors participating on a regular basis in Far West Masters division races. A full masters license is required in order to compete in Regional or National championship events as well as for international masters competitions.

For racers who wish to compete only in a specific competition, a temporary weekend license may be obtained at registration on the morning of the event for races held within the division. A temporary license is $25 and is limited to two weekends per year, so it's a good way to "get your toes wet" before deciding to commit to a full license for season-long participation.

For more information about USSA membership and competition licenses, visit the Alpine Masters section of the USSA web site. If you need any clarification of which license and dues options to select on the USSA application form, please see the explanation of different licenses and dues information below.

• USSA Alpine Masters Membership form
• USSA Alpine Masters Temporary Registration form

Note: The USSA forms are PDF documents. If you have problems accessing or printing these forms, please refer to the information on the Help page on how to obtain the free download of Adobe's Acrobate Reader for viewing PDF documents.

NOTE: You will need to provide proof of medical insurance coverage for a USSA license, so have your insurance card with carrier and policy number available when you fill out a USSA license application. If you are signing up for a weekend license at race day registration, please arrive a bit early to fill out the application and please have your insurance card - we have to be strict about ensuring that this information is properly filled in on the application or we risk losing the option of having weekend licenses.

Far West Membership

Membership in the Far West Masters is optional (but encouraged!!). Your Far West Masters membership includes a permanently assigned stretch racing bib, detailed race schedule, entry cards, and our regularly published newsletter. along with access to members-only features on this web site.

To view the complete program information package, click here. Links to the membership application form are provided below.

Please send a check for your membership dues payable to Masters Series Ski Racing along with a completed membership application to the address on the form. Renewing members: please return your forms by October 31, 2007 - thanks!!

• Far West Masters application form (PDF format - best for printing)
• Far West Masters application form (html format - use if you have difficulties printing the PDF version)

Note: The Far West membership application is provided as a PDF document so that it prints nicely. If you have problems accessing or printing this form, please refer to the information on the Help page on how to obtain the free download of Adobe's Acrobate Reader for viewing PDF documents. Alternatively, use the link to the alternate HTML format that we have provided for your convenience.

De-Confusing Licenses and Membership

The different licenses and separate membership records of the Far West Masters and USSA is a perennial point of confusion for both our FWM competitors and the USSA membership staff in Park City. Many's the time that a competitor has arrived on race morning and forlornly declared "But I sent in my membership months ago, why don't you have me on the membership list?!". Here's why that can happen and what YOU can do to prevent this tragedy!!

Far West Masters - we're the ones that organize masters races in the Far West, assign your permanent stretch bib, and produce the regular newsletter The Forerunner and this web site. Send your FWM membership to Marietta Frinell, our membership chairperson, in Mammoth Lakes, CA. (See the Contacts page for her contact info)

USSA - USSA is the sanctioning body for organized ski competition in the US. By operating as part of USSA, we hold our races to the rules and standards consistent with regional, national, and internation ski competition. USSA also provides the liability and secondary accident insurance which is absolutely critical to being able to organize our events. You MUST have a USSA masters competition license (or a temporary weekend license) to compete in any Far West Masters event. Send your USSA license application to USSA headquarters in Park City, UT.

What you need to sign up for on your USSA application: You want a Masters license. You do NOT need a Competitor license or to pay Far West division dues UNLESS you intend to compete in non-masters races in the Far West. Some of our racers do compete with the juniors in their events, but those people know who they - most of us masters don't want or need the general USSA competition license.

Notes for Officials: if you are a licensed official, you DO need to pay Far West division dues if you will be officiating for any division (juniors) races or participating in the Far West officials clinic or related activities. If you definitely will be officiating only at masters competitions and are receiving your officials training solely through clinics organized by the masters, you can choose to request a waiver of the Far West division dues requirement for officials by contacting the Far West administrator to request that a waiver be submitted on your behalf to the USSA membership staff. But please, do not request this unless you are absolutely 100% sure you will not be available to officiate any division events this season - it's extra overhead on scarce staff time to handle such exceptions.