# B1 (classification)
**B1** is a sport class in para alpine skiing for athletes with the most severe eligible vision impairment: skiers who are blind or have very low visual acuity, defined functionally as being unable to recognize a letter "E" measuring 15 by 15 cm from a distance of 25 cm.[1](https://www.paralympic.org/feature/how-fast-do-visually-impaired-skiers-go) It was one of three vision-impaired classes (B1, B2, B3) used in the sport until the vision-impaired classes were restructured as AS1 through AS4 for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.[2](https://wmr-static-assets.scd.dgplatform.net/wmr/static/_PDF/PWG2026/ALP/2026-03-04/ALP-------------------------------__N02A_1.0.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Population | Skiers who are blind or have very low visual acuity; cannot recognize a 15 x 15 cm letter "E" from 25 cm[1](https://www.paralympic.org/feature/how-fast-do-visually-impaired-skiers-go) |
| Equipment rule | B1 competitors must wear blacked-out goggles (eyeshades) during competition[3](https://oldwebsite.paralympic.org/sites/default/files/document/190718125648926_2019_07_18%2BWorld%2BPara%2BAlpine%2BSkiing%2BRules%2Band%2BRegulations%2B-%2BDraft.pdf) • [1](https://www.paralympic.org/feature/how-fast-do-visually-impaired-skiers-go) |
| Guide | Use of a sighted guide is obligatory for all B classes; the guide skis ahead giving verbal directions[3](https://oldwebsite.paralympic.org/sites/default/files/document/190718125648926_2019_07_18%2BWorld%2BPara%2BAlpine%2BSkiing%2BRules%2Band%2BRegulations%2B-%2BDraft.pdf) |
| Competition format | All vision-impaired classes race together; results use factored timing, with less vision corresponding to a slower clock running speed[1](https://www.paralympic.org/feature/how-fast-do-visually-impaired-skiers-go) |
| Sibling classes | B2 (higher acuity than B1, cannot recognize the "E" at 4 m, or visual field under 10 degrees diameter) and B3 (least severe eligible impairment, visual field under 40 degrees or low acuity)[1](https://www.paralympic.org/feature/how-fast-do-visually-impaired-skiers-go) |
| Successor classes | From Milano Cortina 2026 the vision-impaired classes are AS1 to AS4; AS1 covers near-total or total visual impairment with blacked-out goggles[2](https://wmr-static-assets.scd.dgplatform.net/wmr/static/_PDF/PWG2026/ALP/2026-03-04/ALP-------------------------------__N02A_1.0.pdf) • [4](https://www.fis-ski.com/inside-fis/news/2025-26/everything-you-need-to-know-about-classification-ahead-of-the-paralympic-winter-games-milano-cortina-2026) |
## Definition and eligibility
The B1 profile describes the top of the impairment scale among the three vision-impaired sport classes in para alpine skiing. A skier qualifies as B1 either by being blind or by having visual acuity so low that the athlete cannot recognize a letter "E" 15 cm by 15 cm in size from a distance of 25 cm.[1](https://www.paralympic.org/feature/how-fast-do-visually-impaired-skiers-go) A Sochi 2014 media guide summarized the class as athletes who have no sight in both eyes.[5](https://www.paralympic.org/sites/default/files/document/140226163335336_APC_Media%2BGuide_Sochi%2B2014%2BWinter%2BParalympic%2BGames_WEB.pdf)
Eligibility for the B1 to B3 classes required the athlete to meet both criteria set out in the classification rules: an eligible impairment type and the minimum impairment criteria for the sport.[6](https://assets.fis-ski.com/f/252177/eae5fcbd8c/2023_11_01-fis-para-alpine-classification-rules-and-regulations.pdf) Assessment of athletes with vision impairment was performed with best correction, consistent with medical diagnostic practice for visual acuity.[6](https://assets.fis-ski.com/f/252177/eae5fcbd8c/2023_11_01-fis-para-alpine-classification-rules-and-regulations.pdf)
## How B1 athletes compete
**Guiding.** For all B classes the use of a guide is obligatory.[3](https://oldwebsite.paralympic.org/sites/default/files/document/190718125648926_2019_07_18%2BWorld%2BPara%2BAlpine%2BSkiing%2BRules%2Band%2BRegulations%2B-%2BDraft.pdf) The guide skis in front of the competitor, typically 15 to 20 meters ahead, and shouts directional commands through a microphone headset and speaker system.[5](https://www.paralympic.org/sites/default/files/document/140226163335336_APC_Media%2BGuide_Sochi%2B2014%2BWinter%2BParalympic%2BGames_WEB.pdf) Guides must themselves have suitable vision, defined as a visual field within normal limits and visual acuity of at least 0.5 in one eye and at least 0.2 in the other, with best correction.[3](https://oldwebsite.paralympic.org/sites/default/files/document/190718125648926_2019_07_18%2BWorld%2BPara%2BAlpine%2BSkiing%2BRules%2Band%2BRegulations%2B-%2BDraft.pdf) Physical contact between guide and competitor during a race leads to disqualification.[3](https://oldwebsite.paralympic.org/sites/default/files/document/190718125648926_2019_07_18%2BWorld%2BPara%2BAlpine%2BSkiing%2BRules%2Band%2BRegulations%2B-%2BDraft.pdf)
**Blacked-out goggles.** B1 competitors must wear blacked-out goggles during competition.[3](https://oldwebsite.paralympic.org/sites/default/files/document/190718125648926_2019_07_18%2BWorld%2BPara%2BAlpine%2BSkiing%2BRules%2Band%2BRegulations%2B-%2BDraft.pdf)
**Factored timing.** Athletes in B1, B2, and B3 compete in a single competition rather than in separate races. Each class carries a race factor, and the athlete's actual time is multiplied by it; less vision means a slower clock running speed, so the factored times are intended to make the race fair across the three classes.[1](https://www.paralympic.org/feature/how-fast-do-visually-impaired-skiers-go) The percentages assigned for B1, B2, and B3 are calculated separately for each alpine discipline.[7](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2023.1046318/pdf)
## The B1 to B3 scale
B1 sits at the severe end of a three-class scale based on visual acuity and visual field:[1](https://www.paralympic.org/feature/how-fast-do-visually-impaired-skiers-go)
- **B1**: blind or very low visual acuity; cannot recognize the 15 x 15 cm "E" at 25 cm.
- **B2**: higher visual acuity than B1, but unable to recognize the "E" from 4 m; athletes with a visual field of less than 10 degrees diameter are also eligible.
- **B3**: the least severe visual impairment eligible for alpine skiing; a restricted visual field of less than 40 degrees diameter or low visual acuity.
## History and replacement by AS classes
Since its origins, para alpine skiing has featured a visually impaired category: competitions dating back to the 1970s admitted skiers with sight loss, and athletes in this group have taken part in each Paralympics and World Championships ever since.[1](https://www.paralympic.org/feature/how-fast-do-visually-impaired-skiers-go)
The B1, B2, B3 structure was replaced ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, where the vision-impaired sport classes changed from B1, B2, B3 to AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4.[2](https://wmr-static-assets.scd.dgplatform.net/wmr/static/_PDF/PWG2026/ALP/2026-03-04/ALP-------------------------------__N02A_1.0.pdf) Under the new system, athletes' vision must be constricted to a diameter of less than 70 degrees and/or their static visual acuity must be LogMAR 0.6 or worse, and the four classes are graded by acuity: AS1 covers near-total or total visual impairment with blacked-out goggles, AS2 static acuity from LogMAR 1.8 to 3.5, AS3 from LogMAR 1.0 to 1.7, and AS4 from LogMAR 0.6 to 0.9.[4](https://www.fis-ski.com/inside-fis/news/2025-26/everything-you-need-to-know-about-classification-ahead-of-the-paralympic-winter-games-milano-cortina-2026) The change followed a research program, run with the [University of Waterloo](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-waterloo), examining how different levels of vision impairment affect skiing performance so that athletes with similar functional vision are grouped together.[8](https://www.fis-ski.com/inside-fis/news/2024-25/classification-calendars-and-rule-changes-take-center-stage-at-para-snow-sports-committee-meeting-in-vilamoura)
## Other uses of the term
This system is unrelated to the para alpine skiing sport classes.
## References
1. [How fast do visually impaired skiers go? International Paralympic Committee](https://www.paralympic.org/feature/how-fast-do-visually-impaired-skiers-go)
2. [Para Alpine Skiing, Competition Format and Rules, Milano Cortina 2026](https://wmr-static-assets.scd.dgplatform.net/wmr/static/_PDF/PWG2026/ALP/2026-03-04/ALP-------------------------------__N02A_1.0.pdf)
3. [World Para Alpine Skiing Rules and Regulations (draft, 2019)](https://oldwebsite.paralympic.org/sites/default/files/document/190718125648926_2019_07_18%2BWorld%2BPara%2BAlpine%2BSkiing%2BRules%2Band%2BRegulations%2B-%2BDraft.pdf)
4. [Everything you need to know about Paralympic classification ahead of Milano Cortina 2026, FIS](https://www.fis-ski.com/inside-fis/news/2025-26/everything-you-need-to-know-about-classification-ahead-of-the-paralympic-winter-games-milano-cortina-2026)
5. [APC Media Guide, Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympic Games](https://www.paralympic.org/sites/default/files/document/140226163335336_APC_Media%2BGuide_Sochi%2B2014%2BWinter%2BParalympic%2BGames_WEB.pdf)
6. [FIS Para Alpine Skiing Classification Rules and Regulations, October 2023](https://assets.fis-ski.com/f/252177/eae5fcbd8c/2023_11_01-fis-para-alpine-classification-rules-and-regulations.pdf)
7. [Classification in Para skiing: do better performing skiers have better visual functions? Frontiers in Sports and Active Living](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2023.1046318/pdf)
8. [Classification, calendars and rule changes take center stage at Para Snow Sports Committee meeting in Vilamoura, FIS](https://www.fis-ski.com/inside-fis/news/2024-25/classification-calendars-and-rule-changes-take-center-stage-at-para-snow-sports-committee-meeting-in-vilamoura)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Olympics and multisport subjects › General sport and multisport institutions › Paralympic movement › Paralympic classification and sport categories › Classification by Paralympic sport › Winter sport classification (alpine, Nordic, and biathlon)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license