Day one in Albufeira. From the scent of the ocean, thinking of the top of the mountains, the 2016 ISMF Plenary Assembly started its work to define some important topics for the next season.
This is one of the most important federal meeting of the year. Eventually there is time to sit down and talk, share ideas and discuss. Every nation comes with its hints and issues after the long winter. This year 20 nations are attending the “PA”, not only from Europe and the “core” of the Alps, but also with delegate coming from South Korea, Japan, Russia and Turkey. In the long work shop of Friday afternoon many new projects were presented: most of them are likely to find concrete application already from the next season.
Here you are some “pills” about the news:
“Size” data base for every race
Gil Orriols Jansana, technical director, focused on mathematics. But it is not a matter to go back to school, but to take good timing at every race. The idea is to create a data base about distances and vertical drops. Together with other changing parameters, such as the meteo and the snow conditions, every race, even if it is set on the same mountain or track, can end up with different result in matter of time. How much time does a senior man or a lady need to cover 1 km along 200 metres of vertical drop (100 up and 100 down)? The answer is not always the same, even on the same track. “We will start to collect data – says Orriols Jansana – in order to create a format. It is a request that we have collected also from coaches”. Such standard guide lines will be useful in very many ways. First of all, they can provide useful informations for coaches (and athletes, too) to set up the best training programme, but they are also essentials for perspective implementation in broadcasting and media coverage. “A range of five minutes is not much difference, but we have to shape every kind of race into a frame with a lenght and a time”, adds Orriolos Jansana.
New continental referee and referee chart
It is the hard life of referees. They must be strict and precise. Ski mountaineering has very many moments when a good glance can make the difference to highlight some irregular movements or intentions. A pair of ski “falling down” from the back pack, thus making it fast and easier to switch from hiking to skiing mode. And again: poles in the wrong position when skinning or “unskinning” your ski. How do we double check all this procedures? It is not a matter of having a “big brother” on site, but the mission is to omologate the referee system in every kind of race, not only during a World cup competition. On average, every race can count on four World cup referees plus the technical director supervision. But ISMF is determined to work on the standard quality of the referee. “We will set up the new and “intermediate” figure of a continental referee” explains Oriol Montero Garcia, ISMF referee manager. The project will involve countries were ski mountaineering is only being developed. Basic english, as long as basic skiing, is, obviously, needed and will set up the standard required in any level race, also lower than a World cup event. “It is a slow path: we will not jump to an highest level all of a sudden, also because we don’t want to leave anyone behind. We need every body’s help and we don’t want to loose the professional commitment of the people already working for us”, adds Montero Garcia.
Standard line tool
Just imagine what can happen on the very last seconds of a race when the final result is decided by the crossing of a tiny finish line. What, if the last actions scene gets particularly “crowded”? Fotofinish is the answer, but when the high temperature tend to melt the snow, the line can get a bit “winding” and less linear, indeed. That is why the ISMF and ski – mountaineering will take good examples from other “winter sports cousins”, such as biathlon or cross country and will adopt a similar tool to preserve the finish line in standard conditions. “We are assessing different kind of tools – explains Gil Orriols Jansana – and will be ready to set up the new device by next season”. No excuse! The winner will be undisputable.
