Para Snowboarding

General Rules

 

Disability Classes

Athletes are classified according to their disability types in one of the three main categories of which two are for leg impairments and one is for arm impairments.

 

SB-LL1

Impairment in one leg such as above knee amputation or muscle weakness in both legs. This affects their balance and ability to control the board. Amputees use prosthesis in the races.

 

SB-LL2

Impairment affecting one or both legs with less activity limitation such as below knee amputation or mild spasticity.

 

SB-UL

Impairments affecting the upper limbs which affect the ability to balance at the time of racing down the slopes.

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Officials

 

The Chief Of Course

Responsible for making the course ready for the competition.

 

The Start Referee

Responsible for the smooth operation of the beginning of the event and determines the late or false start of the snowboarders. He/she must remain at the start until the end of the event.

 

The Finish Referee

Responsible for controlling the finish-line operations and checks whether a snowboarder has finished the race or not.

 

Chief Of Finish (For Snowboard Cross Event)

Responsible for the supervision of the finish area and handle protests in the finish area.

 

The Chief Of Timing And Calculations

Responsible for coordinating with the start and finish officials about timing and calculations regarding the competitions.

 

Gate Judges

Responsible for supervising one or more gates on the course and observe whether the snowboarder has followed the correct passage on the course or not.  

 

The Chief Steward

Responsible for keeping the spectators out of the course.

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Events

 

Snowboard-Cross

This event consists of two types of races: head to head and time-trial. It consists of three runs through the course in which the best run of the athlete determines the winner. One rider runs on the course at a time in time-trial event.

 

Banked Slalom

This event consists of three runs through the course in which the best run of the athlete determines the winner. One rider runs on the course at a time.

 

Giant Slalom

This event consists of two runs down the course and the time of the two races are combined to determine the winner. One rider runs on the course at a time.

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Participants

 

Men and women compete as individuals or in teams in various disciplines of para-snowboarding.

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Playing Area

 

The racing course of Para-snowboarding covers a distance of around 400-900 meters and has vertical drops of 100-240 meters for both men’s and women’s races. The course consists of alternating gates. The course of the banked slalom is a medium pitched slope and consists of plenty of dips and bumps and usually a U-shape/natural valley. The snowboard-cross event takes place on man-made courses made from a variety of terrain attributes like bank turns. The course for giant slalom consists of a medium pitched slope with various grades.