Industry News
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) voted to increase prize money across all FIS World Cup disciplines for the 2025-26 season. During the 56th FIS Council Meeting held in Geneva on June 12–13, council members approved a boost of up to 20% in athlete prize money—10% guaranteed by FIS, with an additional 10% to be voluntarily contributed by each Local Organizing Committee (LOC).
Currently, FIS mandates that the LOC of each FIS World Cup Alpine race makes available at least CHF 144,000 (USD 177,716) for prize money, divided among the Top 30 finishers. Up until the 2023-24 season, first place at most FIS Alpine races was decorated with CHF 50,000. However, that figure was reduced to CHF 47,000, with the redistributed funds benefitting lower-ranking athletes. A 20% increase for the 2025-26 season would translate to a total of CHF 172,800 (USD 213,260). Notably, FIS rules stipulate equal minimum prize money for men and women across all World Cup events, underscoring a commitment to gender equality in the sport.
“It is clear that we still have a lot to do when it comes to rewarding our athletes as they deserve. This is an important step, but only another one in a long way ahead.”
– Johan Eliasch, FIS President
Prize money varies significantly between FIS disciplines. Alpine skiing remains the most lucrative, with the CHF 144,000 baseline (soon CHF 172,800) and CHF 47,000 awarded to the winner. In contrast, cross-country skiing events have a CHF 55,000 purse per race, with CHF 15,000 going to the winner and prizes extended to the top 20. Snowboarding and freestyle skiing see even less, with CHF 30,000 per event and CHF 13,500 to the winner, split among just the top 10 athletes.
Exactly how the prize increase will be implemented across individual venues remains uncertain. While FIS sets the minimum, the actual prize money often depends on the financial capacity of host venues—tied to sponsorship deals, broadcasting rights, and public funding. The Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbühel, Austria, currently offer the highest first-place prize of CHF 100,000, well above the FIS minimum. Whether the Kitzbühel Ski Club (K.S.C.) will match the proposed 20% increase remains to be seen; they typically announce their prize structure in October.
Prize money records could soon be broken. Mikaela Shiffrin set the women’s record in the 2022–23 season with CHF 964,200 in World Cup earnings and an additional CHF 114,000 from the World Championships—surpassing CHF 1 million in total. Marco Odermatt set the men’s record that same year, earning CHF 941,200. With the upcoming increase, both athletes—and others in the field—could surpass those milestones in 2025–26.
FIS’s move to raise prize money signals a broader commitment to athlete recognition and financial fairness across winter sports. While implementation will depend on the capacity of individual venues, the initiative marks a significant step toward better compensating elite skiers and snowboarders. As the 2025–26 season approaches, all eyes will be on whether the sport’s biggest names—and its most iconic venues—rise to meet the moment.
