2022 Rules
Airtour 2022 Rules (Release V21.1 -1/12/21)
Principle
A 7 days hike and fly adventure in the Alps
The dates
7 jours de course, du 11 juin au 18 juin 2022
On course 7 days from the 11th to the 18 th of June 2022
The obligatory day of June 11 will be devoted to the briefing of the race.
The playground
Start St Hilaire du Touvet, Prevol parapente
Goal : St Hilaire, Tourism office landing zone
The turn points extend to the extremes, at Aspres sur Buech (Haute-Alpes) and at Pierra Menta (Savoie).
The game's rules
Starting from St Hilaire, the pilots must complete a course of turn points. The Dent de Crolles will be the final turn point of the course.
Depending on the weather forecast, some turnpoints may be removed from the task.
The start is the North take-off from St Hilaire du Touvet.
The goal will be the landing of Saint Hilaire du Touvet (trainning slope next to the Tourist Office).
How ?
Only 2 means of transport are authorized: your paragliding and / or your shoes.
The race is stopped at night in between 8:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Each pilot must be followed by an assistant.
Why ?
Bring together pilots with different motivations and backgrounds for an unprecedented event. This race is inspired by the famous X-Alps but the rules make it much more accessible. The pilots who dreamed of living this type of race will finally be able to make their dream come true. Even for the pilots who do not necessarily have a “competition” spirit, setting up such an event will finally give them the boost to embark on this type of adventure.
Organization
1.1) Organizer & race director
The organizer is the AirTour paragliding club.
The Race Director is chosen by the organizer.
1.2) Jury / Race committee
Trained in the event of a dispute during the competition, it is made up of 3 representatives of the organization.
The role of the Jury is to rule in the event of a dispute between competitors, to sanction with a penalty and to validate the distance calculations allowing the establishment of the classification.
The race committee reserves the right to adapt the rules of the race, or to modify the course if it seems necessary.
1.3) Flight conditions and hike
The pilots are the only ones to take the decisions about the choice of pedestrian routes and about the choice of flight; analysis and anticipation of changing terrain and weather conditions must be a concern at all times.
1.4) Postponement or cancellation conditions
If the weather forecast turns out to be unfavorable, the AIRTOUR race committee reserves the right to postpone the start of the race. Likewise, it can stop the race on one or more days.
1.5) Team committee
Elected by the other teams, or appointed at random or by the organization, the team committee will be consulted by the jury when making important decisions (eg: postponement of the start, downgrading of pilots, stop the race due to meteorological risks, etc …)
It will give his opinion to the race committee to decide the optionnal turnpoins or to modify the tak if necessary.
1.6) Race: 3 loops of increasing difficulty
– yellow loop: a short tour in the Chartreuse, with the Charmant Som as an optional turnpoint
– blue loop: a tour in the south, Trièves Dévoluy le Buëch, with Aspres as an optional turnpoint
– red loop: the most difficult will take you through the heart of the Alps to Pierra Menta as an optional turnpoint, and the Col du Galibier
PILOTS & RACING RULES
2.1) General conditions to race
Each pilot must:
– Be over 18 years old
– Hold a paragliding pilot’s license insurance (F.F.V.L or others for foreign pilots).
– Be able to justify an aerial civil liability
– Hold a “Confirmed” pilot’s license or for foreign pilots ippi level 5. The selection of pilots is made by the organization.
– Tandem pilot: Hold a tandem qualification and the aerial civil liability
adapted for tandemr pilots and passengers
2.2) Racing rules
– The pilot must have his flight equipment with him at all times (see article 5.1).
– The pilot chooses a unique and complete material for the 7 days of the race. In the event of damage and after request to the jury, the pilot can change it (see article 5.1.2)
– The pilot must fly in aerological conditions adapted to his level of piloting and his fatigue. He is responsible for his choices, and pledges not to expose himself physically.
2.3) Travel rules
– The pilot is only allowed to walk and fly, any other form of movement is strictly prohibited (swimming, climbing, etc.)
– Road: only authorized road for pedestrians can be taken. Roads closed by law are prohibited.
2.4) Flight rules
– Controlled airspace
– Violation of controlled airspace will result in immediate disqualification from the competition.The following controlled areas fall into this category, but not exclusively: ZIT Grenoble, Vercors Nature Reserve, Versoud Aerodrome, Trélod Hunting Reserve, Vanoise and Ecrins National Park.
– The pilot must provide a GPS track of all his flights so that it can be checked by the organization. Failure to produce a track or part of a track may result in penalties ranging from penalty to disqualification.
– The pilot agrees to respect the visual flight rules that apply to paragliding in accordance with French laws such as flight prohibited in clouds, etc.
Failure to comply with these rules is a very serious fault which will result in penalties ranging from penalty to disqualification.
2.5) Application of penalties
The race committee reserves the right to award penalties depending on the seriousness of the facts and the underlying intentions.
Any pilot who has been caught or suspected of having cheated may be subject to penalties or, more seriously, disqualification.
A penalty may be decided in the event that the jury judges the behavior of a pilot to be dangerous for his physical integrity, whether in flight or on the ground.
Example :
-in his choice to fly in conditions not suitable for flying (strong wind> 40km / h, storm nearby),
– dangerous ground movement (off trails.)
This penalty can be applied during the race or afterwards after checking the tracks.
In the event of a penalty, pilots must extend their next rest period by the duration of their penalty. If the pilot reaches the goal before his rest period, the penalty will be added to his total time.
The minimum penalty awarded will be 3 hours without a maximum limit.
Warning: in the event of suspicion of dangerous or illegal behavior, a warning may be given by the race director (s). This warning will correspond to a suspended penalty, applicable in the event of other warnings or penalties.
Penalties:
The duration of the penalties will be attributed according to the seriousness of the behavior, and in proportion to the gain brought to the competitor.
During races, pilots, assistants, and members of the AIRTOUR organization (DE, volunteers, …) can be used as witnesses to help the jury.
Assistants
3.1) How ?
Each pilot must have an assistant otherwise he cannot participate in the race.
A pilot cannot change assistant during the race, except after request to the race committee.
One assistant can manage up to two pilots.
3.2) Rôle and missions
The assistant provides logistical support and guides the racing strategy of his or her pilot (s). He is not there to carry the mandatory flight equipment specified below. If this were the case, penalties up to and including disqualification could be imposed on the pilot.
He also serves as a link between the race HQ and the competitor, he regularly informs the organizer about the condition of his pilot (s) in order to update the news on the site. He must go to the meeting points with the organization and play a relay role for security information.
He triggers help if necessary in the event of a pilot’s difficulty.
If the pilots need treatment or if certain injuries may be a contraindication to continuing the event, it is up to the assistant to contact the safety headquarters.
3.3) Availability of the assistant
The assistant must be reachable 24 hours a day by mobile phone.
To communicate with the pilots, the organization first contacts the assistant.
3.4) News
Every day, the assistant or the pilot must send information about his pilot (a few lines of information on the pilot (physical form, desires, thoughts, strategic choices …) and 1 or 2 photos and share them with the ‘AIRTOUR.
Modalités
4.1) Registration procedures
Registration will be done online by following the link available on the AIRTOUR website from December 15, 2021 to January 31, 2022.
In order to validate the pre-registration, each pilot must send a check for the amount of the registration, either
Competition pilot: 180 €
Tandem 250 €
The registration confirmation will be validated by email with the pilots.
The list of the sellected pilots will be posted on the AIRTOUR website and updated regularly. There are 60 places available. The first 60 registered will have priority. Beyond that, pilots will be placed on the waiting list in order of registration.
The organization reserves the right to refuse a pilot if he does not have the qualities required to participate safely in this event.
4.2) Registration fees
The registration fees include:
– Live tracker for safety and race tracking,
– Souvenir gift for all participants.
Non-refund clause: in the event of withdrawal from March 1, 2022, the organization will not refund the registration amount.
4.3) List of pilots
The organization considers that all pilots registered for AIRTOUR participate in the entire event.
4.4) Disclaimer and image rights
Each pilot must sign the disclaimer form provided by the organization.
Pilots authorize AIRTOUR to use their image for photos, films, reports, articles, etc.
4.5) Safety check
Every day, all registered pilots must imperatively check in, or be checked in by their assistant, by SMS (or other process defined at the briefing) no later than 30 minutes after stopping the race. The security checkpoint allows the organization not to trigger unnecessarily search and rescue.
Following the check-in, the race direction will send a confirmation of receipt, in the event of non-confirmation of receipt within 30 minutes the runner or his assistant must ensure that his score has been received correctly or perform a new check-in.
The lack of a safety score is a very serious fault which will result in penalties ranging from a penalty to the disqualification of the pilot.
Withdrawal or withdrawal procedure: if a pilot wishes to leave AIRTOUR, he must immediately inform the organization, which will remove him from the list of registered pilots or stop his race at his stopping point.
4.6) Time limit / Race time / Night rest time / Neutralized time
Pilots can fly or walk only during Race time between 7:00 am and 8:30 pm, and they must imperatively stop the race between 8:30 pm and 7:00 am.
During the race, three distinct periods are identified:
– Race time: from 7.00 am to 8.30 pm maximum procedure: Switch on the Live Tracker and the GPS at the time of departure.
– Neutralized time: from 7.00 am to 8.30 pm 7:00 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., once gone, the pilot chooses to neutralize his race for a time of his choice (from 30 min to a day).
Procedure: Live Tracker off + SMS to the security mobile number with pilot number with the word “neutralize” giving an idea of the neutralization time. When leaving, the pilot only has to restart his live tracker and his GPS.
– Night rest time: between 8:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. minimum, the pilots must imperatively stop the race during the night rest.
Procedure: At the end of the day, within 30 minutes of his decision to stop the race for the day or before 9:00 p.m., the pilot switches off the Live Tracker + sends an SMS to the safety check-in mobile number with his pilot number + his contact details GPS.
NOTE during the night rest time, the pilot no longer depends on the race. When restarting the race (after Night Rest or Neutralized Time), the pilot must reactivate his Live Tracker and his GPS within 200 m of the last stopping point.
4.7) Emergency / emergency procedure
Upon landing on the ground, the pilot must IMMEDIATELY retract his paraglider. A paraglider on the ground not assembled or folded up means: “I NEED HELP“.
The pilot who flies near a pilot in difficulty must assist him or warn the DE by all means. The Jury will assess the mode of compensation for the score of the pilot who has rescued.
In case of accident :
Step 1: emergency triggering will take place directly with the emergency services (same procedure as an out-of-race rescue). See Road Book.
Step 2: The pilot or assistant will notify the organization as soon as possible in order to take appropriate action.
The event doctor can make the decision to stop a pilot if the pilot no longer has the capacity (physical and mental) to continue.
4.8) Ranking
– The track of each pilot must include at least one point in each turnpoint cylinder.
– In the event of non-validation of a course turnpoint, the pilot is returned to the previous turnpoint to which is added the distance from the GPS point closest to the non-validated turnpoint.
– Ranking is done in the order of arrival of the pilots. The winning team is the one that completes the course the fastest.
– The time is taken when the pilot go through the last turnpoint of Dent de Crolles. The route is fully validated upon landing at Saint Hilaire.
– In the event that no pilot completes the entire course, the classification will be based on the distance remaining to reach the goal. The distance will be taken whether the pilot is on the ground or in the air at the time limit.
– The provisional ranking will be established taking into account the elements of “Live Tracking”. However, the risk of loss of system data obliges all competitors to provide a track of their GPS for checking the passage of turnpoints. It is therefore important either to store the tracks in the GPS or to download them to a computer in order to provide all the tracks at the end of the test. The pilot chooses the track options according to the GPS memory capacity and his assessment.
– A provisional ranking will be established on the last day of the race, pending the control of all the tracks of the pilots.
4.9) Doping
Doping is strictly prohibited.
4.10) Respect the environment
All pilots and assistants undertake not to leave any trace of their passage and to respect the environment in which they operate, fauna, flora and soil.
FLIGHT EQUIPMENT
5.1) Compulsory equiment during the AIRTOUR
Competitors have the choice of the equipment used, this choice is placed under their own responsibility, exclusive of that of the organizer of the competition.
– Flight equipment must be approved.
– A Solo or Two-seater paragliding
– A carry bag (unique)
– Harness
– Rescue parachute
– Helmet
– Cell phone charged and switched on!
– GPS
– Live Tracker (loaned by the organization)
– Survival kit (blanket, whistle, string, lamp)
– Card (s)
– AIRTOUR stickers must be stuck on the helmets.
All of this equipment must be in the pilot’s possession during race times. It cannot be worn by a person other than the pilot himself during the race. The race committee can inspect the pilot’s equipment at any time.
It is not possible to change the flight equipment, except in the event of declared deterioration of the equipment and with the authorization of the race committee.
5.2) Equipment strongly recommended
– Gloves, waterproof jacket, telescopic poles, change of clothes, compass, knife, sunscreen, vario, first aid kit, back protection.
– Radio recommended for safety
5.3) Live Tracker
– The use of a Live Tracker module will allow tracking of the pilot’s race throughout the event on the Internet. It does not constitute proof of the route taken.
– Starting, stopping and recharging of the Live Tracker is the responsibility of the pilot.
PLEASE NOTE that the organization does not provide a charger for the Live Trackers batteries and that it is the pilot’s responsibility to obtain one, compatible with the model indicated by the organization, and to manage their autonomy.
– Misuse of the Live Tracker may result in penalties.
– In the event of damage to the device, the deposit of 250 euros will not be returned.
5.4) GPS
Each pilot manages the autonomy of his GPS and his batteries.
GPS track: The GPS track in ICG format UTM WGS84 format, must be provided to the organization as proof of the route taken by the pilot.
The GPS track provided must include at least:
– 1 point every minute in the air
– 1 point every 200 m on the ground.
Each pilot must provide the cable corresponding to his equipment for unloading.
The pilot must provide his GPS track from time to time upon request from the Race Committee, or at the end of the race.
5.5) Mobile phone
For communication between the pilots and the organization, each pilot and assistant must have a telephone number with a subscription and a French number.
Course
6.1) The Course
The route is done on foot or in flight, passing the turnpoins in the order given.
During the briefing, the race committee after discussion with the team committee and depending on the weather forecast, will present the final route as well as the direction of rotation. One or more turnpoints could be removed from the planned route.
Starting from St Hilaire, the pilots must complete a course of several turnpoins following three loops.
The Dent de Crolles turnpoint will be carried out last. The entry of the pilot into the cylinder validates the race time.
The start is the North take-off from St Hilaire du Touvet, and the goal is the landing at Saint Hilaire (Syndicat school slope next to the Tourist Office).
6.2) Turnpoints
To be considered past, the turnpoints must be crossed, in flight or on foot.
The turnpoints have a minimum radius of 400m up to several kms.
Some turnpoints may be removed before the start of the race, in the event of unfavorable weather.
B: Le Rachais (Chartreuse massif, Isère, Rayon = 400m – 8km max
C: Charming Som * (Chartreuse massif, Isère, Rayon = 400m)
D: Take off EST St Hilaire (Chartreuse massif, Isère, Rayon = 400m, flight possible)
E: L’Aiguille (Dévoluy massif, Isère, Rayon = 400m)
F: Aspres sur Buech (Hautes Alpes, Radius = 400m)
G: Pic Queyrel (Champsaur massif, Hautes Alpes, Rayon = 400m)
H: Jas d’Oris (Valbonnais / Isère massif, Rayon = 400m)
I: SOUTH St Hilaire du Touvet takeoff (Chartreuse massif, Isère, Rayon = 400m mandatory AIRTOUR sign signature)
J: Col du Galibier (Savoie, Rayon = mini 400m – max. 26km)
K: Pierra Menta * (Beaufortain, Savoie, Rayon = min 1.5km – max 3km)
L: Col de la Madeleine (Lauziere Savoie, radius = 400m)
M: Dent de Crolles (Chartreuse massif, Isère, radius = 30m, validation of time points)
Goal / Finish: St Hil Landing (School Slope Landing / Tourist Office), finish line for distance validation.
6.3) Goal
– Physical line placed on the landing (Pente Ecole / Office Tourisme ST Hilaire) to validate the distance.
6.4) Race programm
Saturday 11th June 2022
– Race briefing course Obligatory presence
Sunday 12th June 2022
Course : 10h00 – 20h30
From Monday 12th June to Saturday 18th June
Race : 7.00 am – 8.30 pm
Sunday 19th june
Race : 7.00 am – 10.00 am
Prize giving from noon.