Cut-Resistant Pants Are Now Mandatory at Every FIS Alpine Race

Team VIX Protection team, Ryan Combes, Victor Wiacek, Lucas Wiacek

Partner content with VIX Protection

Editor’s note: VIX supplied the internal testing figures and incident-report totals cited in this partner article.

Beginning with the 2026-27 season, racers must wear cut-resistant pants at all FIS Alpine Skiing events.

FIS published the final requirement in its July 2026 equipment specifications. The cut-resistance provisions appear on pages 11 and 31–33. However, many racers, parents and coaches may not yet understand exactly what the rule requires.

I want to explain what has changed, who it affects and what families should look for before the first race. First, however, I want to explain why this matters so much to me.

Why did I dedicate my life to cut protection?

In 2019, I suffered a ski laceration that nearly killed me. It was already the third laceration of my racing career.

The injury came from a relatively small crash during a giant slalom race. My ski cut through my leg to the femur, and I lost nearly half the blood in my body. Before I reached the hospital, I promised myself that if I survived, I would do everything I could to keep the same thing from happening to another racer.

I began by building what I believe was the first ski-specific cut-resistance test in my parents’ garage. Then I built 28 more versions. I later sent one of those designs to FIS while it was developing the sport’s cut-resistance standard.

Click the image to watch the video and see an early version of Victor Wiacek’s cut-resistance testing machine.

Using my tests, I discovered that even the jeans I was wearing offered 2.5 times more cut resistance than some of the protective clothing then available to skiers. That finding led me to test more than 300 fabrics.

Eventually, I developed my own protective materials and made pants so I could return to skiing. Then I made them for friends and family.

As I spoke more openly about my injury, racers began telling me about their own lacerations. Parents told me how close they had come to losing a child. When they asked what I wore, I showed them.

That project became VIX Protection.

What does the new FIS rule require?

The new rule applies to cut-resistant pants worn underneath the race suit. To comply, the pants must meet three requirements:

1. At least three-star protection under the FIS-DITF 2021 standard. Three stars represent the minimum requirement. The official scale runs from one to five stars, with each level corresponding to another 100 newtons of cutting force.
2. Protection from the iliac crest to the ski boot. In simpler terms, the certified material must cover the racer from the top of the hip area to the beginning of the boot. Partial or zone coverage does not meet the requirement.
3. A permanent FIS conformity label. The 30-by-50-millimeter label must appear on the back of the lower left leg, above the boot cuff. It must state “Conforms to FIS Specifications CRG 2021” and show the garment’s star level.

FIS describes this equipment as supplementary protection, not complete protection. Nothing is cutproof. The objective is to provide as much protection as possible without limiting a racer’s comfort or performance.

Only pants are mandatory. FIS strongly recommends cut-resistant shirts or full-body protection, but it does not currently require them. VIX has spent four years developing a cut-resistant shirt, which we plan to release this season.

Does the requirement apply to your racer?

If your athlete competes in an event on the FIS Alpine calendar, the rule applies.

That includes FIS races, NorAm and Europa Cup races, FIS university races and FIS Masters competitions.

The FIS rule does not automatically cover club races or U14 and U16 competitions held outside the FIS system. However, national federations, clubs, academies and race organizers may establish stricter requirements. Italy, for example, requires cut protection across all levels of competition.

Regardless of the mandate, a ski edge does not know what kind of race it is in. My view is simple: Anyone skiing on sharpened race edges should consider protecting themselves from them. If an edge can cut into ice, it can cut human flesh.

Click the image to watch Victor test his cut-resistant pants with a machete.

What should families look for?

Start with the conformity label and star rating. Those are the clearest ways to confirm that the pants meet the FIS requirement.

Three stars satisfy the rule. Five stars represent the highest level on the official FIS scale.

Fit matters just as much. The certified material must remain in the correct position and provide the intended coverage. Racers should follow the manufacturer’s sizing and care instructions and should never alter the garment.

Finally, athletes need protection that is comfortable enough to wear every day. A garment left in a race bag provides no protection during training.

We have spent years making VIX leggings feel and perform like a regular base layer. Sasha Rearick, The Borgen Family Alpine Director for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, explained why that matters.

“Athletes only stay safe if they wear it every time, and with VIX, once the fit is right, they never take it off,” Rearick said.

Olympic and World Championship gold medalist Breezy Johnson described what happened when another skier ran over her calf during training.

“The ski cut through my pants, cut through my suit and tried to cut through my VIX,” Johnson said. “But it didn’t. I wasn’t cut.”

No single experience can guarantee the outcome of another incident. However, accounts like these continue to guide our work and remind us why high-standard protection matters.

How has VIX continued to develop its protection?

Since those first experiments in my parents’ garage, VIX has produced more than 45 prototypes and released six generations of products.

We also shared our test design and data with FIS during the development of the FIS-DITF 2021 standard. That standard now gives racers and families a consistent way to compare certified protection.

Our Comfort Pro pants carry a five-star FIS rating. We also plan to reintroduce VIX Cut Pro this fall.

In addition to earning the maximum five-star FIS rating, Cut Pro’s fabric consistently resisted 700 newtons in VIX’s internal testing—40% above the official FIS testing ceiling of 500 newtons. The 700-newton result does not represent an additional official FIS rating.

According to VIX records, the company has received at least 52 reports in which athletes said the garment prevented or reduced a ski-edge laceration. We continue to learn from every report and from the feedback we receive from athletes, coaches and parents.

What should you do before the first race?

We created the VIX Cut Protection Guide to help families make an informed decision, whether they choose VIX or another certified product.

The guide explains the rating system, fit considerations and preseason checks every racer should complete. We have also answered common questions on our Frequently Asked Questions page.

For racers choosing VIX, we recommend Comfort Pro as the starting point for most athletes. It carries a five-star FIS rating, feels like a traditional base layer and comes in adult and youth sizes.

Teams can also create a group order. The discount increases as more team members join, and the completed order ships to one address.

Ski shops interested in carrying certified VIX cut protection can contact us at info@vixprotection.com.

Why is athlete feedback so important?

I did not build VIX alone.

Every VIX product reflects input from racers, coaches and parents. Ski racers have an enormous range of body types, and our clothing must move with them in every condition the sport presents. That requires constant testing, listening and improvement.

No protective garment can eliminate every risk. Still, we can keep improving the protection available to athletes and work toward making serious ski lacerations increasingly rare.

If you have a question, an experience to share or an idea that could help us improve, please contact me directly at vic@vixprotection.com.

I have lived and breathed this subject for seven years, and I am always happy to talk about it.

Victor Wiacek
Founder, VIX Protection