 Poster: A snowHead
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New transponder-based timing technology is to be used for the first time at The '50K of Coronet Peak', an all-night endurance ski race in New Zealand between 29 July and 3 August.
Racers in this high-speed event (which the Bell brothers competed in a couple of years ago) will have transponders strapped to their lower legs. Individual, lap and team times have to be measured during the race, and this system - which replaces the lasers normally used in ski racing - will make all the timings and calculations.
This report from snow.co.nz.
The website for the race: 50K of Coronet Peak
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Interesting, hope it's more efficient than conventional systems. Just about every other local/regional race I've been to has major delays because of technical problems in communication between the start gate and finish, or because someone (often a snowboarder!) will somehow find his/her way onto the course and, impervious to the shouts from spectators, will decide the slalom looks fun and poodle down, crossing the finish line and putting the whole system out of sync.
Technology moves on. This rather complex article (for me anyway) on a new product both for ski racing and locating skiers around the mountain is interesting - if it's cheap enough, could be useful to be able to track the movements of family members around the resort.....
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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PG, how about attaching a long piece of string to the back of the skier, and looping it round a pulley and down a tunnel down the side of the piste to a starting mechanism at the bottom timer. There could be a catch that detatches the string a metre down the slop so they're not trailing the string behind them all the way.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Actually, thinking about it, I wonder if string will be too stretchy that it'll affect the 100ths of a second difference you get between racers? Expecially as it deforms throught the day.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Could be a problem. Wire? But then it might expand on a sunny day and go a bit slack. 
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It might do for slower, lower tech races though (and I'm sure there's a reasonable material out there). Maybe something people like the Lake District skiers could use for races?
All you'd need is a harness, a crocodile clip, a length of string or whatever, a lot of drain pipe and a trip switch and you're just about there.
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Chuck the silly technology. Put a piece of tape across the finishing line and send all the skiers down at once. First one over the line wins. Simple.
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FAQ
