Course Setting Principles for Alpine Racing

1. Introduction to Course Setting

2. What makes a good course?

3. Key Setting Principles • Focus on safety • Set within the rules! • Set with rhythm and flow • Set to athlete’s abilities

4. Key Setting Principles • Finish gates should lead to middle of finish • Start and finish with even rhythm • Look up and down hill when setting • Set what you know, not what you think

5. Key Setting Principles Set With A PLAN! • Goal: Bring newly learned technical skill into gates • Goal: Prepare for a race on a hill with multiple fall-lines, your training hill is moderate with a single fall-line

6. What are some more course setting goals?

7. Setting By Discipline –USSA Alpine Officials Manual Ch 7, p. 7-8 Race courses should be set appropriate to the level of competition and are required to be set within USSA and FIS specifications regarding the # of gates, width between poles, distance between successive gates, and restrictions applied to vertical combinations.

8. Race courses should have some rhythm and the preferred line should be obvious. The challenge should not be in memorizing the race course but in selecting the best line in the set.

9. Course setters should not rely merely on complex combinations of poles, as a selection of a general line that will test a variety of normal racing skills is the first objective. Race courses should be technically challenging and the gates should require competitors to make complete turns.

10. A race course should have a variety of turns, with varying radii in and out of the fall line and skillful use of the terrain, especially for GS.

11. The final gates of a race course should lead the competitor through the center of the finish gate, and course setters should anticipate setting into the finish several gates before the end of the race course. The course setter should check to see that poles are set in firmly to the proper height.

12. Children’s Course Setting Rules

13. Slalom USSA ACR 802.1.2-802.1.3 “The ideal SL course must include a series of turns designed to allow the competitors to combine speed with neat execution and precision of turns. The SL should permit the rapid completion of all turns. The course should not require acrobatics incompatible with normal ski technique…”

14. Slalom USSA ACR 802.1.2-802.1.3 “It should be a technically clever composition of figures suited to the terrain, linked by single and multiple gates, allowing a fluent run, but testing the widest variety of ski technique, including changes of direction with very different radii. Gates should never be set only down the fall line, but so that some full turns are required, interspersed with traverses.”

15. START Single Pole Slalom First gate has outside pole Single pole Single pole

16. FINISH Single pole Single Pole Slalom Single pole Last gate has outside pole

17. Single pole Delay Delay has an outside pole Single pole

18. Single pole Hairpin Hairpin has two poles Single pole

19. Single pole Flush Single pole

20. Slalom Single Pole

21. Slalom Distances • Vertical combinations • 4-6 meters • U10 4-5m • 0.75m-1m between gates • Delays • 6 meters to delay gate • U10 4m • 12-18 meters from turning pole to turning pole • U14/U12/U10 max 15m

22. Slalom Distances • Open gates • 13m max for FIS and U18 & older USSA • Gate count (turns) 30-35% of vertical drop • Normal distances 9-11m • Children’s rules – open gates • U10: 5-9m • U12/U14: 6-10m • U16: 6-12m

23. Additional Requirements • Children’s rules • U10: Up to 3 hairpins, up to 1 flush, up to 1 delay • U12: 2-3 hairpins, 1 flush, up to 1 delay • U14/U16: 3-5 hairpins, 1-2 flushes, at least 1 delay • USSA scored/FIS • At least 3 hairpins, 1-3 flushes, 1-3 delays

24. Slalom gates • Brushes • Stubbies • Youth gates • 25mm or 27mm diameter • 54” or 60” shaft length • Full-size gates • USSA 27mm diameter, 69” shaft length • FIS 30 or 31mm diameter, 69” shaft length

25. Giant Slalom USSA ACR 902-903 “The terrain should preferably be undulating and hilly. The skillful use of the ground when setting GS is more important than for a SL, since combinations play a less important role owing to the prescribed width of the gates and the greater distances between them. It is therefore better to set mainly single gates, while exploiting the ground to the utmost.”

26. Giant Slalom USSA ACR 902-903 “A GS consists of a variety of long, medium and small turns. The competitor should be free to choose his own line between the gates. The full width of a hill should be used wherever possible.”

27. GS Single Pole

28. Slalom • Single pole SL • Delays • Flushes • Trends • World Cup • J3/J4 suggestions • Distance, rhythm, length • Stubbies, brushes, J4/J5 gates

29. Delay

30. Giant Slalom Distances • USSA scored/FIS • Minimum 10 meters, no max • Total number of gates (turns) 11-15% of vertical drop • Children’s rules • U10/U12: 15-22m (open) • U14: 15-25m (open) • U16: 15-27m (open) • U10/U12: Delay max of 30m • U14/U16: Delay max of 35m • Minimum of one delay

31. Kombi USSA ACR U1259 “The children’s Kombi consists of a mixture of standard turns and gates. The event meets developmental needs for children, creating a tactical awareness by blending sections of different gates in a flowing, rhythmical, constantly changing pattern…The course should test the skier’s ability to react and adapt to an ever changing rhythm and radius, but allow the competitors smooth transition between the various sections of gates.”

32. Kombi Rules • Include a minimum of one jump • Use the entire slope and natural terrain, skiing across the fall line as often as possible • Gates may consist of one or two poles • Recommended to have 3-5 different sections • One section should consist of stubby gates

33. Kombi Distances • SL/GS Kombi • U10-U16 • SL 6-10m • GS 12-20m • SL skis should be used • GS/SG Kombi • U12-U16 • GS 12-20m • SG 18-28m • GS skis should be used

34. Super G USSA ACR 1003 “It is recommended to set the gates to make the best use of the terrain. A SG should contain a variety of long and medium turns. The competitor should be absolutely free to choose his own line between the gates. It is not permitted to set only down the fall-line of the slope. Where the terrain allows it jumps may be set.”

35. Super G • Seek more learning, opportunities • Start gradual – progression • Familiarity of hill • Importance of flow • Set to security installations in place • Factor the physical and psychological characteristics of the athletes

36. Corridor

37. Super G Rules • USSA scored/FIS • Minimum 25m between turning poles (no max) • Minimum 15m between gates in corridor • Minimum number of direction changes: 7% of vertical drop • USSA Children’s rules • U12: 22-35m between turns, min 12% of VD • U14: 25-40m between turns, 8-12% of VD* • U16: 25-45m between turns, 8-12% of VD • U14/U16: Should have a jump

38. Downhill USSA ACR 702-703 “A DH is characterized by the five components of technique, courage, speed, risk, and conditioning…Before difficult jumps and difficult passages the speed should be controlled by appropriate course setting where possible.”

39. Mix it up! • Adjustment tools for the course setter: • Vary offset • Vary vertical distance • Set a delay • Set a combination • Possible challenges: • Thin snow/rock in line • Rotten snow • Accidentally set 2 gates in a row of the same color

40. Environmental factors • Terrain • Use it, if you don’t have it, simulate it • For less experienced skiers, terrain should be in transition between turns • Control speed before a breakover rather than after • Caution – turns in compression

41. Environmental factors • Course length • Gate count issues flat venue vs. steep venue • Alpine Training System – factors by age • Long hill vs short hill • Snow conditions • Soft snow • Ice • Cross ruts • Accumulating snow in the venue

42. Environmental factors • Weather/visibility • Foggy, heavy precipitation • Sun to shade considerations • Safety & obstacles • Safety available dictates your set – your set plan doesn’t trump safety and time factors • End courses high enough for plenty of finish room • Setting around lift towers, tree islands, etc.

43. Safety systems • Where are the fall zones? • Purpose for fencing • Setting B-net in a system • Space • Maintenance

44. Additional considerations • Different gate options • Setting outside of range for a training purpose • Duals/Parallel • Course setting and the race jury • In order to set at a USSA race, you must be a current USSA coach member and a current certified referee

45. Competition Setting Plan • Junior Championship qualifier • Open council race • First race of the year • Championship race

46. Review • How many gates are in a flush? • What is the maximum distance between open SL gates? • How far apart are gates in a hairpin? • What is the minimum distance between a delay gate and the turning pole above it in SL? In GS? In SG? • What is the maximum distance between gates in GS? • How is a Kombi set?

47. Review • How might you adjust your course set for very soft snow? • What is your most important consideration when setting a course? • What are the different gates you can use? • What member of the race jury can change the course set?

48. Level 200

49. Questions?