This race day schedule and accompanying race rules (supplementing the usual rules, as posted HERE) are designed to comply w/ MA state gov't regs for athletic competitions (specifically, "adult amateur sports activities" for "Lower Risk" sport "Competitions" under Phase III Step 2, effective Dec 13 '20) and for ski resorts, with additional consultations of the guidance from the New England Nordic Ski Association and U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
Failure to follow any of these rules -- whether before, during, or after the race -- may result in immediate disqualification, without any entry fee refund, potentially followed by indefinite suspension from the Series.
Always:
- Before, during, and after the race, you must always maintain a distance of AT LEAST FOURTEEN FEET (i.e., slightly under three ski-lengths) from all other racers, whether front-to-back or side-to-side.
- Your "mask" -- as referenced throughout this page -- must be a "respirator" grade (non-valved) designed to meet the N95, KN95, FFP2, or similar standard. For an apparently legitimate distributor of a model that performs well in tests and that costs only 99 cents in reasonable quantities, click HERE.
- In addition, you must have a readily deployable cloth facial covering around your neck, whether the previously referenced mask or just a "Buff" or other gaiter, which you can immediately pull up over both your mouth and nose.
- No spectators are allowed (beyond incidental viewing by the general skiing public).
Before:
- Before you depart for the race venue in the morning, complete this on-line symptom checker, be cleared by the checker, and then email the screen capture to the race director.
- An email the evening before the race will assign you to either the first wave or the second wave, each of which will be capped at 25 racers. The first wave will comprise all the anticipated top finishers plus all those racers who have been at least reasonably competitive with the race director at prior races. (If you are new yet believe you meet these criteria, then send an email to that effect upon race registration.) If the total field size is relatively small, then the second wave will be limited to only those participants in the shorter recreational course, and the first wave will comprise all the racers in the full course.
- Any updates to the final revision to the posted pre-race briefing from the prior evening will go out as a supplemental email during final course marking the morning of the race -- continue monitoring your email in the morning leading up to the start time!
- Whenever you are in the start area before the race, you must ALWAYS wear your respirator-grade mask, regardless of your distance from other racers, and regardless of whether any other racers are currently in the start area.
- At 9:25, all racers in the first wave must within earshot of the start, 100% ready to race, with your season-long race number (previously mailed to you upon USSMA membership registration) either pinned to your right thigh, or secured (whether with cable ties, lift ticket ties, bread bag twist ties, etc.) to the back of your pack. At exactly 9:30 we will most likely have an announcement of "Ten seconds, racers ready, five seconds, three, two, one, GO!"
- At 9:35, all second wave racers will start on their own, without any official countdown. The 10-minute lag will be subtracted from all racers in the second wave when compiling the results.
During:
- You must keep wearing your respirator-grade mask on the first skintrack ascent of your first lap of the circuit until you reach the PINK surveyor tape/flagging, whose approximate location will also be noted in the emailed pre-race briefing (but probably about halfway up the first ascent).
- When trailing other racers during the ascents (whether on skis during the skintrack, or on foot during the bootpack), you must stay at least 2.7 ski-lengths (i.e, the MA-mandated 14') behind the racer in front of you. For skinning behind another racer, you therefore need to maintain a gap of 1.7 ski-lengths between your tips and the other racer's tails.
- If passing, you must maintain a gap of at least 2.7 ski-lengths to the side of the racer being passed, and verbally convey your intentions to pass.
- If a racer is gaining on you, practice sportsmanship (not gamesmanship!) by communicating appropriately and/or pulling off to the side so as to facilitate an inevitable pass.
- If a transition zone is already occupied by another racer, find a location at least 2.7 ski-lengths away, using reasonable judgement as to what nearby location does not constitute an unfair advantage, while also keeping in mind safety issues with regard to the general skiing public.
- If for reasons beyond your control you are unable to maintain the required distance from others -- whether racers or members of the public -- that you must immediately deploy your facial covering up over both your mouth and nose.
After:
- Upon finishing the course, be prepared to record (and then eventually email) your own time if you finish ahead of the race director. (Only place finishes matter for USSMA points, so no need to obsess over precise seconds.)
- If you linger in the finish area beyond the second or so necessary to stop your watch before skiing away, then you must put your respirator-grade mask back on and keep it on whenever in the finish area, regardless of your distance from other racers, and regardless of whether any other racers are currently in the finish area.
- Once you leave the finish area, your mask or other cloth facial covering must be over both your mouth and nose.
- Unlike under normal conditions, nobody else touches the race director's backpack at the finish area.
- Prize distribution will occur in a very limited fashion at the finish and at the race director's car (masks required) after course teardown (assistance greatly appreciated as always!), with the remainder shipped out.
