Parents/Athletes

What age category is my athlete?  The age category names start with “U” and can be read as “under”. For the 2025 season, a U12 athlete must be under 12 years old until January 1, 2025. Stated another way, a U12 athlete must be 10 or 11 years old on December 31. 

Which U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership does an athlete need?  You can learn more about all the membership categories here; however, since you are reading this, you likely need an Alpine Competitor membership. The three Alpine Competitor membership options differ based on the athlete's age: 

  • Alpine Competitor U12 & under
  • Alpine Competitor U14
  • Alpine Competitor U16 & over

An “Alpine Competitor” membership is required to participate in U.S. Ski & Snowboard-sanctioned races. 

Do U8 athlete need an Alpine Competitor U12 & under membership?  NHARA clubs do not host sanctioned races for U8 athletes, so they do not need an Alpine Competitor membership. Some clubs require a U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership for insurance purposes. If this is the case for your club, then the Alpine General Non-Competitor membership fulfills this requirement. Contact your club with questions about membership requirements.

How can I check the division and club affiliation of a membership?  Log in to your U.S. Ski & Snowboard Account, select the linked account you want to check, then select “Membership Card”. This will download a PDF of the membership card that shows the member’s division and club affiliation.

How do I make a change to my U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership?  Contact U.S. Ski & Snowboard Membership Services (contact information at the bottom of the page) if you need to change your state or club affiliation.

I’m not affiliated with a club, do I still pay the NHARA membership fee?  It is unusual for an athlete to have no club affiliation. The NHARA membership fee is included when NH is selected as the “State”, regardless of the club affiliation. 

Why does the U.S. Ski & Snowboard website indicate that my division is "Eastern"?   The web site is using the "division" label for what is really the "Region". 

In this image, "State" is actually the membership "Division".  This member is affiliated with NHARA  (based on the State being New Hampshire) and NHARA is in the U.S. Ski & Snowboard's Eastern region.

If you are affiliated with a club that is located in a state different from where you live, you will notice the "State" matches the location of the club. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is aware of the label issue and may change this in the future. You can learn more about regions and divisions here.