HOW TO ENTER:
The Raft Cross is a raft race for experienced Class II / III
whitewater 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.mountaingames.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:
Open-Team
RACE RULES
EQUIPMENT:
1) Required Gear: Life Jacket (Coast Guard approved Type III),
helmet, protective footwear and raft paddle. Dry-top or
paddling jacket or wetsuit are not mandatory but recommended for
less experienced paddlers.
2) Boats: Boats will be provided for the teams
RACE:
1) Start order: Athletes start will be chosen at random.
Special requests for start times will NOT be accepted. Teams
must adhere to the start position he/she is given.
2) Teams will be placed in "race pods" of no more then three
boats. Final number of pods will be determined the day of the
race in accordance with total number of athletes registered for the
race.
3) Start positions within each pod will be determined at
random.
4) The race begins with competitors starting in a "land start"
format at the Covered Bridge. The horn will blow and they will
sprint 200 meters to the finish line at the International
Bridge.
5) Along the way, rafters will have to navigate no less then two
(2) upstream gates. Both team members must be in the
boat and around the gate. There is no penalty for touching
the gate. Teams missing gates will be dis-qualified.
6) Both hands must remain on the athletes paddle at all
times.
7) No grabbing or horseplay. Ramming another team's
boat is allowed.
8) Both team members feet must remain in the raft at all
times.
9) Top finishers will advance to the next round. Amount of
racers advancing in each round will be determined by amount of
athletes in each pod. 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
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 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 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.