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Where do I start?

Starting ski racing couldn't be easier than 1, 2, 3.

  1. Join our club and learn about the skills of racing.
  2. Register as a ski racer with your Home Nation (Snowsport England, Snowsport Wales, Snowsport Scotland).
  3. Enter a Race. (Race Entry System)

Age Groups for Ski Racing

Within ski racing that are a number of age groups for the competitors. The age groups for the 2014 Artificial Slope (Indoor Snow and outdoor) summer race season and the seeding systems are as follows.

  • 2008 and later - No national calendar races;
  • 2007, 2006 - U10 Races not seeded;
  • 2005, 2004 - U12 Races not seeded;
  • 2003, 2002 - U14 BARTS;
  • 2001, 2000 - U16 BARTS;
  • 1999, 1998 - U18 BARTS;
  • 1997, 1996, 1995 - U21 BARTS;
  • 1994 to 1986 - SEN BARTS;
  • 1985 and earlier - MAS BARTS;

Types of Race

There are three main types of races:

Fun Race – suitable for all racers where the focus is on having fun and learning how to race against other competitors. They normally consist of individual timed runs and a head to head where you race alongside another competitor. Skiers do not have to be registered to take part.

Club National - Suitable for most racers. Open to everyone, but priority is given to registered racers with high or no seed points. For an Indoor race, the skiers have two runs, each run seeded separately but both runs to count for overall on the day. For an Outdoor race, the skier has three runs with the best of the first two runs plus the third run counting for your race results.

GBR (Great British Racing) – These are typically much harder courses than the other races. The series is run on Indoor and Outdoor slopes. The Indoor Series consists of six races- Snowsport England organising three, Wales two and Scotland one. The Outdoor Series consists of six races- Snowsport England and Wales organising three each. They are Open to registered racers only, and there no seed point cutoff this year in 2014. Entry is determined by selecting the racers with the lowest seed points first. There are two runs on two different courses and racers must finish both to count. These are not open to racers in the Under 10 category (YOB 2004 or later).

In addition to these races there are inter-regional events where teams of skiers from regions around the country complete in head to head races. Teams are made up from a mix of male and female racers from a mix of age groups. Typically this race only takes place one a year and is an outdoor event.

UNDER 12s/UNDER10s RACES

These will be held alongside each of the Club National Races and GBR races. The aim is to provide an introduction to racing within the formal setting. The course will be set using stubbies. Racers born in 2003 to 2006 are eligible for U12/U10s races. Racers born in 2007 or later are not eligible to compete in any races on this calendar.

What is Seeding?

Snowsport England currently explain the Seeding system as follows.

Seeding is a scheme developed at international level which is intended to provide a consistent measure of performance within and between races. It uses a formula which relates each racer's time to the winner's time, and also factors in the 'level' (difficulty) of the race by taking account of the capabilities (seed points) of the best racers amongst those taking part. The formula is defined by the International Ski Federation (FIS) and is the same one that is used at all **levels of racing.

Results from all 'approved' calendar races are collated and processed at intervals during the season to produce the 'Seed Lists' (e.g. lists of Seed Points for all registered racers), which are then published in various formats for racers and race organisers to use. Although often used to measure individual performance, Seed Lists are officially used to check eligibility against race entry criteria and to determine race start order.

Seeding Schemes

Two seeding schemes are run, each covering different skiing 'surfaces'. The British Alpine Seeding System (BASS) covers recognised British races that take place on snow during the winter. The British Artificial Seeding System (BARTS) covers artificial slope (indoor snow and outdoor) races that take place here in the UK throughout the year.

Useful Links

Here are a number is useful links to help you find out about more about ski racing, the racing community and equipment.

Chill Factore

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Manchester Ski Racing on Facebook