RULES
1.1
The Wanaka Hike & Fly (“Event”) is an adventure competition for hike & fly enthusiasts, open to qualified paragliding pilots and members of NZHGPA. For visiting pilots info, click here.
The Event starts with the Latest Check-In Date and ends with the Race End. See Section 3: “DATES”.
The Event is run by by Southern Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club (“Event Organizer”), supported by the New Zealand Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association and advised by NZHGPA Paragliding Competition Committee.
The Event consists of mandatory briefings and “The Race”. The challenge of the race is to gather as many points as possible crossing chosen turnpoints from the official list travelling only by paraglider or by foot.
The “Race Committee” is represented by Race Director.
The “Race Organization” is the Event Organizer, Race Commitee, all the affiliates, agencies and service providers.
The location of the Race Office will be announced by the Race Committee.
The event is organized as a nonprofit event, the entry fees cover the costs of organization, starter packs, prizes etc. Any means left after the event will be allocated for the next edition.
All decisions regarding the organization and running of the Event are made by the Race Committee.
The Event, or parts of, can only be cancelled by the Race Committee.
The Race Committee has the right to change any rules and specifications at any time without notice
Any questions or queries for the Race Committee before the race start must be made to wanakahikefly(at)gmail.com and during the race to the Race Director at wanakahikefly(at)gmail.com.
All participating Athletes must accepted the Terms of Participation at their application.
In the event of any conflict between these Terms of Participation and the Rulebook, the Terms in the Rulebook shall prevail.
Every Athlete must have a Safety Assistant. The Safety Assistant is a person designated to support and maintain contact with the Athlete. The Safety Assistant doesn’t have to physically follow the Athlete during the race but has to follow the live tracking of the Athlete and be in contact with the Athlete and at any time must be able to forward all the necessary information about the Athlete to the Race Committee.
One Safety Assistant can support more than one Athlete.
The Safety Assistant cannot participate in the race as an athlete.
The Safety Assistant cannot be replaced during the race or quit unless due to exceptional circumstances. In this event, the Race Committee must be informed. The Race Committee must approve any change of Safety Assistants beforehand.
The number of participants for the Event is limited to a maximum of 45 Athletes (max 40 ‘first come 1st served’ and optionally 5 ‘wild cards’.
The equipment and piloting certification of Athletes will be checked by the Race Committee prior to the Race.
Athletes, who do not arrive and check in at the Race Office by the Last Check-in date will not be permitted to start the race. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, the Race Director must be informed immediately.
See Section 3: “DATES” for the last check-in date.
All race briefings are mandatory for Athletes. ‘Safety Assistants’ are strongly recommended to participate but if it is impossible, it is Athlete’s responsibility to brief the Safety Assistant on all the content of the briefing.
During the Race, the Athlete has to pass turnpoints (“Turnpoints” or “TP”) from the List of Turnpoints determined by the Race Committee. See section “Race Route”.
During the Race, the Athlete must fly their paraglider, hike, and carry the Mandatory Equipment (see section “Equipment”) without any form of physical assistance at any time. Any other transportation assistance, including any kind of motorized flying vehicles, from any third parties is strictly prohibited.
Besides avalanche danger, the danger of sliding, which can cause injury or death, is real. Therefore it is highly recommended to avoid any snow covered terrain. If an athlete is potentially in a dangerous high alpine situation, the Race Committee can communicate with the athlete´s Safety Assistant, who must know about the Athlete´s strategy, plan, equipment and current status. If the Athlete´s Safety Assistant can not assure the Race Committee of the safety of the Athlete, then the Race Organisation will initiate the rescue of the Athlete, which will immediately result in disqualification of the Athlete from the race.
The Safety Assistant has to be available during the whole Event to the Race Committee, Race Organization and for media requests.
Athletes and Safety Assistants are responsible for installing race-relevant apps (for navigation, track loging, communication etc.) onto their phones.
The Athlete is responsible that his Tracking Device and GPS Logger, as listed in the section “Equipment”, are always properly maintained, charged, and switched on during the mandatory time frames during the Race. See section “Documentation” and “Race”.
Each Athlete must be prepared for spot checks by the Race Committee or Race Organisation during the Event. These spot checks will inspect the Teams’ equipment and their method of transportation or movement.
The Athlete can at any time during the Event be obliged by the Race Committee to take a doping test. The Race Committee will refer to the newest prohibited list published by the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA), which is available to view on www.wada-ama.org. Tests will be carried out by the Race Organization.
Any Athlete or Supporter can quit the Event at any time, after informing the Race Committee.
The Race Committee have the authority to stop an Athlete in a medical situation and call a timeout from continuing further until the situation can be assessed and a final decision made in cooperation with the Race Committee.
In addition to the official rules of the Event, all Athletes and Safety Assistants are responsible for abiding by any local, regional, or national laws and regulations as defined by national parks, local authorities, or government organisations. Those who do not abide to the relevant regulations will be personally liable for any fines, punishments, or repercussions of any form which may result from their actions.
The provided official Wanaka Hike and Fly T-shirt must be worn at the start of the Race and at the finish of the Ra
December 1, 2023 18:00 NZT – Start of application phase
January 1, 2024 – Turnpoints announcement
January 1, 2024 – latest date for Athletes to send a full list of equipment as in 5.6 as well as certificates of the used paraglider and harness as in 5.3 (only if required by organizers) and the link to the online tracking of the used satellite tracker (meaning, you need to fill the Google Sheet!)
February 15 (16), 2024 17-19:00pm NZT: Check-In for teams at the race office (mandatory)
February 15 (16), 2024 19:00 NZT – Pilots Briefing (mandatory)
February 16 (17), 2024 08:30 NZT – Pilots Briefing (mandatory)
February 16 (17), 2024 9:00 NZT – Start of Wanaka Hike & Fly
February 18 (19), 2024 17:00 NZT – Finish of Wanaka Hike & Fly
February 18 (19), 2024 18:00 NZT – Prize giving and after party
The official race dates are: Feb 16-19 2024, according to the weather forecast, the Race Committee will choose three best days out of these four, meaning Feb 16-18 (mandatory briefing Feb 15, 19:00) or Feb 17-19 (mandatory briefing Feb 16, 19:00). The Race Committee will announce the decision no later than February 13, 2024.
The Athletes gather points by passing the delegated Turnpoints from the official turnpoints list. The Athletes can freely decide which turnpoints in which order they pass.
The Athletes have to take a rest stop from 9:30pm until 6:30am (“Rest Period”).
The Athletes (or the Safety Assistants representing Athletes) have to check in at the end of each racing day, no later than 10:00pm NZT on 1st and 2nd day, and 17:30pm NZT on 3rd day, either in person, via dedicated WhatsApp group, text message or via their personal Satellite Tracker (inReach). The message must contain Athlete’s full name and ‘safe’. It’s Athlete’s responsibility to receive the confirmation. Lack of the correct check in will start a search and rescue action and will result in immediate disqualification of the Athlete.
During Rest Periods the Athlete is permitted to move away from the position where the Rest Period began but in the morning the Athlete has to restart the race from the same position where the Rest period began (within 200m).
The Tracking Device and GPS Logger can be switched off during the Rest Period and should be charged sufficiently for the next day.
Switching off the Tracking Devices while racing will be penalised. See section “Tracking”.
An Athlete is seen as having completed the Race as soon as the race is finished and is then ranked according to the number of points they have at this moment. An Athlete with more points is ranked higher.
A final results table will be put together as soon as the Race is over. Athletes are judged according to the number of points they gathered by correctly passing turnpoints from the official Turnpoints List.
Each turnpoint is worth 1 point (yellow), 2 points (blue), 3 points (purple) or 4 points (red) depending on it’s difficulty. There is an extra 5 point bonus for spending a night at a designated NIGHT Turnpoint.
There is a 10 point penalty for not making it to FINISH cylinder before the official finish of the race.
Bivvy Bonus – an Athlete can get 1 bonus point for camping in the mountains, and another extra point for camping with another pilot participating in the race. So if an Athlete spends two nights in two different spots alone, they will get 2 extra points. If they spend two nights in two different spots with another athlete or athletes, they will get a 4 points bonus. Spending a night in a hut does not qualify for Bivvy Bonus.
All Athletes with the same amount of points are ranked according to their time at the finish cylinder (one who entered earlier is ranked higher).
All Athletes and Safety Assistants, including withdrawn Athletes, are invited and expected to attend the prize-giving ceremony and after party.
5.1
All flying equipment has to be certified and fulfill the latest edition of the following certification standards:
- Paraglider: EN 926-2 and 926-1 or LTF 91/09
- Paragliding harness with back protection
- Rescue system: EN 12491 or LTF 91/09
The use of paragliders with 16m² (laid out surface) or less, or of a wing loading exceeding 6kg/m², (so called speed gliders) are prohibited.
Athletes must provide confirmation that the equipment fulfills the requested standards at the equipment check. See section ‘Dates’.
A complete list of the equipment and the link to the online tracking of the satellite tracker that will be used in the Race have to be provided by each Athlete at latest by January 15, 2024.
Equipment to be supplied by the Athlete (“Personal Equipment”)
- paraglider
- harness including a back protector
- emergency parachute
- helmet
- Satellite tracker (i.g. Garmin inReach, Spot) with online tracking ability (“Satellite Tracking Device”) The link to the online tracking of the used satellite tracker has to be forwarded to the Race Committee at latest by January 15, 2024 .
- radio UHF (recommended at least 5W)
- mobile smartphone with New Zealand SIM card (“Mobile Phones”)
- battery pack or solar panel sufficient to keep all the electronics working during the race.
The mandatory equipment to be carried by the Athlete during the Race at all time (“Mandatory Equipment”):
- paraglider
- harness including a back protector
- emergency parachute
- helmet
- mobile phone with NZ SIM card
- Satelite Tracking Device (inReach, Spot etc.)
No item listed as Mandatory Equipment can be exchanged during the race. The only exception is if the equipment gets damaged, stolen or lost, in which case the Race Committee must be informed immediately.
All Athletes must have the Mandatory Equipment checked and approved by the Race Director before the start of the Race.
It is highly recommended that Athletes take the following equipment on all trails or flights that lead into high alpine areas and away from official roads: Wind- and waterproof jacket and pants, hat, gloves, sufficient warm layers (top and bottom), emergency food & water, headlamp, spare batteries and/or battery pack, whistle, silver blanket, first aid kit, tarp, trekking poles.
Every Athlete has to make sure that they are wearing appropriate lighting or reflectors to be easily visible from the front as well as from the back when walking on public roads. This applies to poor visibility conditions of any type (at night, in rain, in fog) in order to be visible to other road users.
Athletes are not allowed to fly between 08:30pm and 07:30am NZT.
The route flown has to be tracked by the Primary Tracking Device, the Secondary Tracking Device, and the GPS Logger. See section “Tracking”.
Athletes are obliged to respect VFR (Visual Flight Rules) regulations. Any Athlete violating VFR rules takes full responsibility for the legal consequences.
Athletes are obliged to respect forbidden zones defined by the Race Committee.
The exact notification of the forbidden zones will take place at the Race briefings.
Planned and organized team flying by pilots not participating in the event, including Safety Assistants, is forbidden. Athletes violating this rule will be reported to the Race Committee. The violation of this rule may lead to disqualification. Flights are allowed as long as they don’t give flying advantage to the athlete.
Launching is to be done without any assistance. Holding the paraglider or the Athlete is allowed only for safety reasons on structural parts belonging to the normal flight equipment and must only be held by hand.
Takeoff weight has to be within the certified maximum loading of the used paragliders and rescue system.
Each Athlete must provide a link to their satellite tracking device. These will be grouped together on one website, which will show all athletes’ current positions.
This Live Track Log serves as a route confirmation for the Athletes and the Race Committee.
The GPS Track Logger (pg instrument, phone with suitable application on etc.) records the Athletes’ movement (“Backup Track Log”).
The Backup Track Log must show a sample interval of 1 second recording all movements on ground and in the air.
The Backup Track Log must be running on MAP DATUM: WGS 84.
The Backup Track Log must be stored in IGC file format with a G-record.
Athletes should take into account that the recording must also be done during the ground phase, not only during flight.
An Athlete’s altitude is verified by the GPS height recorded in the Live Track Log according to NZHGPA rules.
The Backup Track Log will be used to verify a violation and then this GPS height will be used as evidence
To be ranked in the race each Athlete has to document their route by presenting a complete and clean IGC Track Log which they have to upload to the scoring system before the planned prize giving (Sunday 19:00). The Race Committee understands “a complete and clean IGC Track Log” as follows:
- Each time the track log is started anew, the Athlete must be within 200m of his last recorded position.
- The track log must not have missing track points for more than 5 minutes.
- On the ground, a speed of more than 5 m/s must not appear for more than 10 minutes.
- In flight, a speed of more than 20 m/s must not appear for more than 20 minutes.
- The IGC Track Log has to show that no airspace violations were made.
- If log points close to forbidden zones are missing and airspace violation is suspected, the Backup Track Log must clearly show that airspace was not violated
- To count a turnpoint as valid, the tracklog has to clearly show within the turnpoint’s cylinder: at least one point (‘fly or hike’ waypoints) or at least 120 seconds period of staying in one place (10m radius) on the ground (‘feet on the ground’ waypoints).
The Race Committee reserves the right to inspect any Athlete’s IGC Track Log at any time.
The Race Committee might analyze each athlete’s route every day, based on the Live Tracking
7.7.
Final scoring and ranking is made based on IGC tracklogs uploaded by athletes into the race scoring system. The instruction is sent to all the athletes via email.
Detection of airspace violations:
If a tracking point of the Backup Track Log is within a forbidden airspace, this is considered a violation of airspace.
If the observed line of two consecutive GPS tracking points intersects a no-fly zone, this is considered a violation of airspace.
Every Athlete is strongly advised to practice using their devices under race conditions before the Race commences in order to avoid any technical issues or difficulties during the event itself.
Athletes who fail to comply with any of these rules will be subject to a penalty, as assessed by and at the discretion of the Race Committee.
Penalties shall range from a minimum deduction of 1 point to a maximum deduction of all points for the event, with disqualification also being an option.
Penalties are subject to a final decision by the Race Committee.
The Race Committee reserves the right to give penalties and disqualify an Athlete who acts irresponsibly towards their own safety, towards others, particularly local land owners or towards the sport, the Event Organization or related sponsors.