There are always a lot of questions in the run up to an ATBA-UK competition, questions about entering an event, what happens at an event, and the rules. Hopefully this information will help answer those questions.
ATBA-UK competitions are ‘open competitions’. This means that entry is available to anyone who is able to ride a mountainboard safely.
It costs £10 to enter a single discipline at the UK Championship. If you are an international rider, competition entry is free.
Although there are first aiders on site all riders are strongly advised to hold personal accident and injury indemnity insurance to cover possible loss of income and a range of other eventualities. We recommend that all riders take out Personal Accident and Liability Insurance, for competitions which can be bought from Sports Cover Direct.
All entrants will need to complete an Entry Form which will be available from the ATBA-UK at the competition.
Payments will not be refunded for any reason because of the fixed costs involved in organising these events. The ATBA-UK committee and events crew will always turn up to events regardless of forecast weather conditions or other circumstances. Any decision to cancel a competition will only be made on site on the day, and only for Health and Safety reasons in the best interest of the competitors after proper consultation with Riders Representatives.
In entering the events you are granting the ATBA-UK Ltd the right to use any video or photographic image for promotional purposes and consent to the storage of any image for future use.
This document, as part of the Competition entry form, has legal status and indicates informed consent to take part in an activity or event. It can therefore only be signed by someone who is over the age of 18 . Younger riders who come to events without parents or legal guardians being present must bring a suitable, signed letter which satisfies this requirement. Another adult, including a team manager, cannot sign on behalf of a parent or guardian unless they have written authorisation to do so. Unfortunately, any rider under 18 and who does not have a legitimate disclaimer, will not be permitted to take part in the event. A refund will not be given to a rider who is later found not to meet this requirement and who is then disqualified.
The weekdays before an event including the Friday are not part of the ATBA-UK events and centres are open for normal business. Riders should pay for all charges for riding and camping during this time in order to meet the cost of opening the centre.
ATBA-UK as the Event Organiser is required to hold public liability indemnity insurance without which the events would not be permitted to take place. This insurance does not cover riders for injuries sustained during the competition.
There are six competition categories at ATBA-UK competitions; Pro, Seniors, Juniors, Masters, Ladies, and Groms. The Pro Category is the highest level of achievement within the competitions and one that many riders aspire to. It is an ‘Opt-in’ category which means that all competitors (except for those under the age of 14) are eligible for the Pro if they consider themselves good enough. The Juniors Category is open to any riders who are 15 years old or under. The Seniors Category is open to riders between the ages of 16 and 29. The Masters Category is for riders aged 30 or over. The Ladies Category is open to any female riders of any age. The Groms Category is for riders who are 12 or under. All ages are based on the riders age on the 1st January.
BoarderX (BX) is four-rider racing down a specifically designed track. BoarderX racers are qualified by 3 random races selected from either groups of similar ability or within each category (depending on numbers) and are then sorted by the results they gain across qualifying races. Once qualification is complete, the riders are put into their age categories and four-rider knockout racing gets underway. The top two riders in each heat progress to the next round. This is done until the final four riders race off for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.
Freestyle (FS) is performing aerial tricks over jumps. The competition uses a Jam format so riders can have has many or as few runs as they like within the allotted time. Each rider is scored by a panel of judges and the rider´s best three scores are used to rank them for their final placings.
Downhill (DH) is one-rider timed descents down a marked course. The competition uses a Jam format so riders can have has many or as few runs as they like within the allotted time. Each rider’s best time is compared, with the fastest time winning.
We make every effort to keep to this timetable however on occasions, delays may occur which are unavoidable. However, timings will only be brought forward for the safety and well being of competitors, for example, in deteriorating weather conditions.
Please bear in mind that times are subject to change. Riders should listen to announcements to ensure that they are where they need to be.
Your age group for the UK Championship is based upon how old you are on the 1st January. So, if you’re 12 or under you’ll be in the Groms, 15 or under you’ll be in the Juniors, 16 to 29 and you’ll be in the Seniors, 30 or over and you’ll be in the Masters category.
Yes, you can register for BoarderX Racing on Saturday morning until 11am, for Downhill until 11am on Sunday and for Freestyle until 11am on Monday.
On-site camping is provided and used by the majority of riders. Attendants will be charged £5 per person per night for camping. International riders can camp for free.
We do our best to make sure that there is catering available at the events, although this may not be available during the early morning or later in the evening so it’s a good idea to bring food and drink.
Here are the rules for ATBA-UK endorsed competitions taking place in the UK. Please take note as you will not be permitted to enter competition unless both you and your board comply with the stated rules. Some of these may seem obvious but please take time to read them:
All riders MUST wear a Helmet, Wrist Guards, Elbow and Knee Pads. It is recommended that riders also wear additional protective equipment such as padded shorts and body armour. Helmets must be fastened at all times when riding and be at least CPSC/CE certified.
To prevent any potential injury to other competitors and spectators, all riders are required to use a board retention device that attaches the rider to the board. The accepted forms of board retention device are Snowboard Bindings, Heel Straps or a Leash. It is important to note that ratchet bindings alone are not sufficient, and should be used in conjunction with either a leash or heel straps. This must pass inspection if not standard equipment. The device must not let the rider and board be further than 5ft apart.
To ensure the safety of spectators and other competitors the ATBA-UK has a zero tolerance policy in regard to this rule. Any rider found without a suitable board retention device will be stopped. If that rider has completed a run, then that run will be annulled. This could result in the loss of a qualifying run, or the rider’s early exit from competition. Refunds will not be given to riders disqualified on equipment safety grounds.
Race numbers must be worn during all competitions. Numbers must be worn on the rider’s lead leg with the entire number clearly visible at all times.
Verbal and physical abuse will not be tolerated. Officials will issue a single verbal warning. Upon a second violation, the rider will be disqualified from the event. Sabotage of other competitors boards and equipment will not be tolerated and will lead to immediate disqualification.
Boards must comply with the rules below:
Please note that these rules apply to ATBA-UK events. Should there be sufficient support and entrants for a type of board that falls outside of these guidelines, a specific race class may be provided for them.
All competitors are expected to listen to trackside announcements, and to ensure that they are ready to start when their number is called. Officials will allow a short amount of time for riders to prepare, but if a rider is not present when their number is called, then they should not expect for the event to wait for them. If a competitor misses their race or run, then that is solely their own responsibility.
No intentional pushing or grabbing is permitted. During unintentional contact riders may not grab other riders or other rider’s clothing or equipment. Should a rider be judged to have gained an advantage through physical contact, then that rider will be disqualified from their heat. This will mean that the rider is given 4th place in that heat and will not advance to the next round.
On BoarderX tracks, start lanes may be marked out in order to ensure that all competitors get a clean start. These lanes will typically go from the start gates to just before the first racing feature. Should a competitor cross over these lane markings and cause a racing incident (i.e. collision, fall etc.) then the heat will be restarted. Should no incident be caused by a competitor crossing the lanes, then no action will be taken.
Riders should stay on the track at all times. Should a competitor leave the track for any reason, they should make their way directly back onto the track. Should a rider miss a race feature, or are judged to have gained an advantage by leaving the track, then that rider will be disqualified from their heat. This will mean that the rider is given 4th place in that heat and will not advance to the next round.
Every event will be crewed by a group of race marshals. Each marshal will have 2 coloured flags. Should riders be shown a yellow flag, then they should be aware that a racing incident has occurred at some point further down the track, and that a competitor may have fallen and be lying on the track. Should a rider be shown a red flag, then they should stop immediately. A continuous red flag is held up when a race is stopped for any reason. Riders will get a re-run, but it is essential that all racing stop the moment a red flag is seen trackside. Red flags are only shown when a serious fall or incident has occurred, and must be taken seriously. Riders who are judged to have deliberately ignored a red flag will be disqualified from the event.
There are two types of freestyle competition. Big Air, and Slopestyle. In Big Air, competitors will have a single large jump over which to perform tricks, and each run will consist of one jump. In slopestyle, riders will be given the opportunity to ride down a freestyle park performing tricks on the features. It is important to note that in slopestyle competition, riders will not be judged on each individual jump, but will be given an overall mark based on their performance throughout the entirety of their run through the freestyle park. Riders who deliberately hit lots of small obstacles in an attempt to accumulate points may find that their score is less than that of someone who took a flowing line through the park hitting a lower number of large features.
Each freestyle competitor will be marked by 3 judges. Each judge will score competitors out of a total of 100 marks. The entrants will be scored on five criteria. These are TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY, STYLE, VARIETY, AMPLITUDE & LANDING. Once judges have allocated their scores, the highest and lowest scores will be ignored, and the remaining score is used as the run score. The five criteria are further explained below.
A rider’s three highest run scores are added together to give each rider their final score. Final scores are ordered from highest to lowest in each competitive category with the highest final score winning.
In the event of two riders achieving the same highest score, each rider’s highest run score will be used to rank them. If rider’s are still tied, their second highest run score will be used.
The ATBA-UK fully understands that riders may want to push their limits in an attempt to score well in competition, and we have no wish to prevent this from occurring. However, the ATBA-UK would also like to remind riders that mountainboarding is an extreme sport, and that the possibility of injury is a real one. We would like to take this opportunity to strongly recommend that riders do not use competitions as their first attempt to perform difficult tricks. This is especially true for riders considering inverted tricks for the first time. The potential for serious injury while going upside down is very real, and the ATBA-UK would like all riders to bear this in mind before trying a flip or rodeo for the first time.
Each rider’s fastest time will be used in their ranking. Riders times will be ranked fastest to slowest in each competitive category with the fastest time winning.
A competitor who is hindered while competing by the error of an official, by a spectator, an animal, or by any other justifiable causes outside their control can request a re-run. In special circumstances or technical failures i.e. failure of start gate or timing systems, the ATBA-UK may order a provisional re-run.
In the event of two riders achieving the same fastest time, each rider’s second fastest time will be used to rank them.
The ATBA-UK reserves the right to refuse entry to any rider on safety grounds if we believe that rider has a greater than normal chance of injuring themselves. The ATBA-UK also reserve the right to refuse entry to any rider it believes is suffering from the effects of alcohol or drugs to the extent that they are unsafe.
The Official’s decision is final.
All Terrain Boarding Association. 39 Cotswold Avenue, Rayleigh, Essex, SS6 8AN.
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