NEW RULES FOR 2012:
No Kayaks
No Canoes
No Inflatable Kayaks
No Multi-chambered inflatable boards
No multi-hull Stand up Paddle boards
No Double blade paddles
All Boards must be 12'6 or under
Helmet and PFD must be worn
HOW TO ENTER:
The First Ascents S.U.P. Surf Cross is a race for experienced Class
III whitewater Stand Up Paddlers. The race takes place on
Gore Creek located in the heart of Vail Village.
All interested athletes can pre-register on the event website @
www.tevamountaingames.com. Athletes may
also register on-site at the registration area. Organizers
will not be responsible for incomplete, lost, or misdirected
registrations or for registrations not received for any reason,
including, without limitation, failure or malfunction of any
communications network or equipment or computer software or
hardware.
RACE CATEGORIES:
Men, Women
RACE RULES
EQUIPMENT:
1) Athletes must be equipped with the appropriate board, gear
and safety equipment sufficient to sustain whitewater race
conditions.
2) Required Equipment: Life Jacket, helmet, protective
footwear and a full legged wetsuit (full wetsuit or farmer
john).
3) Board Lengths: 12' 6" or smaller.
4) No Leashes.
5) All athletes must have a D-ring, leash plug or way to
install a safety loop on their board. This will be used to help
facilitate the retrieval of any unmanned board headed down river.
Safety loop materials will be provided on site.
6) Athletes must wear competitor bibs outside their PFDs at
all times. For athletes that place on the podium, we ask that you
wear your competitor bib.
RACE:
Athletes start within each division will be chosen at random.
Special requests for start times will NOT be accepted.
Athletes must adhere to the start position he/she is
given.
Athletes will be placed in "race pods" of 2 to 4 Paddlers.
Final number of pods will be determined the day of the race in
accordance with total number of athletes registered for the
race.
The start is located on the bike path behind the Vail Athletic
Club and the finish is located at the eddy next to the Promenade or
Sapphire Restaurant. The race begins with competitors starting in a
"floating start" format at the start. When all of the competitors
are as close as possible, the horn will blow and they will sprint
to the finish. An athlete is officially finished the race when
their paddle touches the buoy.
The Men's Finals finish line is subject to be moved further down
river depending on water conditions.
Paddlers may be required to navigate around no less then two (2)
slalom gates. There is no penalty for touching the gate.
Paddlers missing gates will be dis-qualified.
It is a clean Boarder Cross style race where board contact is
ok. Hitting and tripping with paddles is not allowed. Competitors
may not take more than 5 strokes on their knees or stomach per
attempt. Each paddler must start and end the race while touching
their own board or they will be disqualified. A competitor's time
will be official when their entire body crosses the finish
line.
Both hands must remain on the athletes paddle at all times. No
intentional grabbing, shoving, hitting or horseplay. Any of which
may result in disqualification.
Top finishers will advance to the next round. Amount of
racers advancing in each round will be determined day of. Rounds
will continue until a winner is determined.
Additional Rules and Information
ATHLETE ELIGIBILITY:
The competition is open to all interested athletes regardless of
state and/or country of residency. Competitors who are under
the age of 18 must register with a parent or legal guardian.
Competitors must be able to attend all scheduled events.
Athletes will be required to provide all their own equipment.
Further, athletes must abide by all applicable federal, state and
local laws and regulations during their participation in the Teva
Mountain Games®.
PARTICIPATION:
Athletes agree to be bound by these Official Rules and all
decisions of Organizers. Organizers reserve the right to disqualify
any persons found tampering with, or otherwise abusing, any aspect
of the competition as solely determined by Organizers.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION:
Organizers will appoint judges and the decision of those judges
will be final. There will be no review of scoring / timing
even with the presence of TV cameras. Disputes with
Organizers and/or appointed judges will result in disqualification
of that athlete.
RESERVATION OF RIGHTS:
Organizers reserve the right to disqualify any athlete for any
reason, including, without limitation, acting in an unsafe,
unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner and/or with intent to
intimidate, threaten or harass, or harm another person. All
decisions with respect to the disqualification of an athlete shall
be made by Organizers and/or appointed judges. Failure to
comply with any term or condition of these Official Rules may
result in an athlete's disqualification and the forfeiture of
his/her interest in any prize. Organizers reserve the right to
amend these Official Rules at any time in its sole discretion, and
athletes shall have no recourse for any such changes or for any
failure (whether inadvertent or otherwise) by Organizers to follow
the stated rules. In the event that the competition is
canceled prior to the completion of the final event, no prizes will
be awarded. If the Tournament is cancelled prior to June 1st,
for any reason, athletes will be reimbursed only for his/her entry
fee. Athletes will not be otherwise compensated for any costs
or expenses associated with their participation in the
competition.
ORGANIZERS:
The Teva Mountain Games® will be organized and produced by staff
and contractors hired from and by the Vail Valley Foundation.
The decisions of Organizers regarding the selection and elimination
of athletes, the selection of finalists and winners, and the
production and administration of Teva Mountain Games® related
events, and all other aspects of the event, shall be final and
binding in all respects. Organizers will not be responsible for
typographical, printing or other inadvertent errors in these
Official Rules or in other materials relating to the
event.