SNW i The BUCS Snowsports Championships shall be conducted in accordance with the following BUCS sport specific regulations, the BUCS general regulations, and the FIS (International Ski Federation) International Competition Rules (ICR), or, where more appropriate, especially in Alpine Skiing, the GB Snowsport British Competition Rules (BCR) or British Artificial Competition Rules (BACR) will be applied. Further event specific requirements, rules, and regulations will be contained within the entry and pre-event information for each Championships.
SNW ii In the event that these regulations contradict the BUCS general regulations, these BUCS sport specific regulations will supersede, unless specifically stated otherwise.
SNW iii In the event that these regulations contradict the FIS (International Ski Federation) International Competition Rules (ICR), or, where more appropriate, especially in Alpine Skiing, the GB Snowsport British Competition Rules (BCR) or British Artificial Competition Rules (BACR), these BUCS sport specific regulations will supersede, unless specifically stated otherwise.
SNW iv The gender eligibility criteria for the BUCS Snowsports Championships will be determined as per REG 4.3.
SNW 1 Championships BUCS will host annually the following Championships:
SNW 1.1 Autumn Dryslope Championships The programme shall include the events listed in Appendix 1 (‘BUCS Competition Offer and Associated BUCS Points’), subject to entry numbers.
SNW 1.2 Indoor Championships The programme shall include the events listed in Appendix 1 (‘BUCS Competition Offer and Associated BUCS Points’), subject to entry numbers.
SNW 1.3 Spring Dryslope Championships The programme shall include the events listed in Appendix 1 (‘BUCS Competition Offer and Associated BUCS Points’), subject to entry numbers.
SNW 2 Captains' requirements At all BUCS Snowsports Championships, each institution/Playing Entity is required to have a captain or other nominated representative attend daily captains’ meetings. These meetings are used to communicate important competition information and timetable updates. Should an institution/Playing Entity not have a captain or other nominated representative attend a meeting, they will incur a £50 fine, and their entrants may be disqualified. It shall be the responsibility of the captain or other nominated representative to pass on all information communicated to them to their institution/Playing Entity's participants.
SNW 3 Event eligibility BUCS reserves the right to withdraw competitors who are deemed to be taking an unnecessary risk when entering any discipline. This decision will be discussed with the Jury for Race events, or the Judging Panel for Freestyle events, and their decision is final.
SNW 4 Unsporting behaviour Unsporting behaviour towards other competitors and officials will not be tolerated. The Jury or Judging Panel reserves the right to disqualify any individual or team they deem to have displayed unsporting behaviour and such a decision cannot be protested. For the avoidance of doubt, such behaviour may also result in a charge of misconduct being raised against the institution/Playing Entity of an individual or team under REG 5.
SNW 5 Seeding Information regarding seeding will be provided in the entry and/or pre-event information for each Championships.
SNW 6 Equipment
SNW 6.1 BUCS aims to be inclusive and will endeavour to ensure no competitor is excluded from the event due to equipment. BUCS does however urge competitors to familiarise themselves with the FIS equipment rules and therefore the requirements from the athletes.
SNW 6.2 In all disciplines competitors will not be permitted to race without a helmet.
SNW 6.2.1 Helmets with hard ears and no peaks are required for Giant Slalom.
SNW 6.2.2 Helmets for Giant Slalom must not have chin guards.
SNW 6.3 The use of back protectors is encouraged.
SNW 6.4 Hard boots are not permitted in snowboard racing events.
SNW 6.5 In alpine racing full face helmets are not allowed, except for Slalom.
SNW 7 Dual slalom events
SNW 7.1 Teams
SNW 7.1.1 Ski dual slalom teams must consist of five competitors, of which at least one must be an individual eligible for the men’s category and at least one must be an individual eligible for the women’s category.
SNW 7.1.2 Snowboard dual slalom teams must consist of four competitors. For the avoidance of doubt, they can consist of solely individuals eligible for the men's category, solely individuals eligible for the women's category, or any combination of both.
SNW 7.1.3 Individuals who wish to be eligible for selection for a team or as a reserve must apply for the respective event on BUCS Play by the deadline listed in the entry information for that Championships. Institution Administrators must then assign the required number of individuals to the correct team during the approval process, approving any remaining individuals they wish as reserves.
SNW 7.1.4 Substitutions will be permitted as per the Entry Information and Event Guide for each Championships, however, the following restrictions shall also apply:
- Individuals assigned to a team as part of the entry process shall not be shall not be permitted to compete for a lower ranked team under any circumstances.
- Individuals are not permitted to move down to a lower ranked team between the qualifying round and the finals.
- Individuals are not permitted to compete for more than one team in either stage (qualifying round/finals).
SNW 7.2 Start procedure Should there be no ‘traffic light system’ in place the following shall apply:
SNW 7.2.1 The first racer will be set off by the start official with subsequent racers starting on a flagged signal at the finish line.
SNW 7.2.2 The starter will ensure that both teams are present and ready, then commence with the starting procedure:
“Ready on the Red course, Ready on the Blue Course” (a command not a question)
“Racers Ready”
(Delay of between 0-3 seconds)
“Go”
SNW 7.2.3 If racers are seen to move/be off balance after “Racers Ready” then the starter will use the maximum start time delay.
SNW 7.3 False starts
SNW 7.3.1 It is a false start if the front of the binding crosses the start line before:
- The start official says go
- The finish flag has gone down
SNW 7.3.2 Each team is allowed one false start by their first racer, per race. If a team's first racer has a second false start in a race, the whole team shall be disqualified.
SNW 7.3.3 If subsequent team members (excluding the team's final racer) start before the flag, then the next racer will incur a five-second penalty, applied by the start referee for that team’s course. If this penalty is not observed, then the whole team shall be disqualified. Unintentional movements across the start line may not be penalised at the Jury’s discretion.
SNW 7.3.4 If a team member (excluding the team's first and final racers) is deemed to have intentionally false started, the whole team shall be disqualified.
SNW 7.3.5 If a team's final racer false starts the whole team shall be disqualified.
SNW 7.3.6 Rolling starts are not permitted – skiers and boarders need to be stationary before they start.
SNW 7.4 Finish
SNW 7.4.1 If the race position is close, the finish marshals or timing equipment (where possible) will determine the outcome.
SNW 7.4.2 If a racer crashes before the finish their momentum must carry them over the line.
SNW 7.4.3 Should the officials not be able to reach a decision; the race will be re-run.
SNW 7.5 During the race
SNW 7.5.1 If any member of the team abandons the course the team is disqualified.
SNW 7.5.2 Gates must be passed correctly or the team will be disqualified.
SNW 7.5.3 Should any racers straddle or miss a gate they are entitled to hike back up and ensure correct passage before crossing the finish line. This involves circumnavigating the gate – they must go up and around the top of the gate. A racer cannot hike back up after crossing the finish line. Note: This only applies to dual slalom events and not any other racing event.
SNW 7.5.4 If both teams do not pass correctly, the first team to commit the fault is disqualified and the second team is put through to the next round.
SNW 8 Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding
SNW 8.1 All freestyle competitions will run in line with FIS rules and regulations except where stated below.
SNW 8.2 All freestyle events will be run in line with the BUCS Judging system (with a qualification round, followed by a semi-final and then a final), unless otherwise stated.
SNW 8.3 The Head Judge can at any point reduce the number of runs that athletes are allowed in the final in the interest of time and condition constraints.
SNW 8.4 If the competition is cancelled and the whole field hasn’t completed their second run, then results will be taken from the first run. If the final has to be cancelled and the whole field has not completed their first run, then the final result will be seeded based on the scores from the qualification round.
SNW 8.5 Any protests regarding an athlete’s position ranking in a competition round must be made by the club captain and the athlete to the Head Judge before the next round of competition has started.
SNW 8.6 The Head Judge reserves the right to withdraw athletes from the competition if their ability isn’t suitable for the course and if they are at risk of injury or death.
SNW 8.7 The Head Judge’s decision is final.
SNW 9 Wherever possible, use of a slope misting system will be kept consistent throughout an entire race run, however this is not always possible due to the water capacity of the system in use. In this case, a misting system may be used 'intermittently' during a race.
SNW 10 Disputes at events In line with REG 7.7, should a dispute occur at an event, the event appeal panel for Snowsports shall comprise a BUCS staff member and the Head of the relevant discipline who may also co-opt any members of the Event Management Group as required.
