REGULATIONS

The following rules and regulations shall apply to SALOMON 4 TRAILS. By registering for the event, every participant confirms that he has read and understood these rules and regulations and fully accepts them.

The participant confirms this by signing this document or by clicking the corresponding check box at the online-registration.

1. NATURE OF THE EVENT/CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

The SALOMON 4 TRAILS is an extreme stage race from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Samnaun. Various portions of the daily stages contain high-alpine trails passages demanding particular experience and skill of the participants. This specifically means for the participants:

• Each participant has to have an appropriate level of alpine running experience
• Each participant must be aware of the distance of the course and the physical challenge it poses and enter the competition prepared for such a challenge
• By signing this document each participant confirms his or her full physical fitness to participate in this endurance competition and to cope with its extreme physical challenges. Additionally, each participant affirms that his or her full fitness has been confirmed by a sports physician before the competition
• Each participant has to be sure-footed and have the ability to move safely on alpine mountain trails, across what would seem to be trail-less terrain and in steep terrain with exposure. This ability must not be compromised by any possible fear of heights
• Each participant has to be experienced in hiking difficult alpine trails passages such as short cliffsides secured by ropes
• Each participant has to possess a good sense of direction in mountain terrain, even when weather and visibility turn for the worse This also means being able to follow a path by topographical maps or by maps and course information contained in the Trail Book
• Each participant has to be familiar with emergency procedures in alpine mountain terrain
• Each participant must have sufficient physical fitness to cope with a total of four successive and extremely long running stages in high alpine territory at heights of up to 2,800 above sea level. The distances of the respective stages can be 50 kilometers and more and cover a difference in elevation of over 3,000 meters
• Each participant must have sufficient physical fitness to cope with a difference in altitude of 500 meters per hour and a distance of 7 kilometers per hour, even if the running environment is in high alpine territory and includes technically demanding portions (e.g. short portions secured by rope or exposed trails) and if conditions are difficult (due to e.g., rain, snow or ice)
• There is no need for participants to qualify in preliminary runs in order to participate in the SALOMON 4 TRAILS.
• Eligible for participation are all persons that are at least 18 years old and thus of legal age.

The fact that the participant actually has the necessary skill and expertise cannot be verified by us as the organizer of the event. By registering for the event and signing this document, the participant represents and warrants to the organizer that he or she has the above listed skill and expertise, where the individually mentioned skills are by no means to be understood as a complete list but merely represent examples we have taken from experience with the event.

2. COURSE

At the SALOMON 4 TRAILS participants will run 4 stages of different distances and levels of difficulty. Depending on weather conditions, the organizer reserves the right to change the course as appropriate or fall back on alternative routes. Due to those measures, the distances, elevation differences and levels of difficulty may change.

3. RANKING CATEGORIES

There are the following categories:

• MEN
• WOMEN
• MASTER MEN (ages 40+, cut-off date July 4,2012)
• MASTER WOMEN (ages 40+, cut-off date July 4,2012)
• SENIOR MASTER MEN (ages 50+, cut-off date July 4,2012)
• SENIOR MASTER WOMEN (ages 50+, cut-off date July 4,2012)

The minimum number of participants in each category is 20. If the minimum number of participants in a given category should not be reached, participants will automatically be ranked one category below (e.g. Senior Master in case of Master)

4. CLOTHING/EQUIPMENT

It is mandatory to carry the following equipment during the entire competition

• Foul-weather gear for protection from the elements (as a minimum water-proof rain coat)
• Warm clothing (long-sleeved shirt and running pants) as insulating layers underneath the rain gear (in case of bad weather conditions which may set in suddenly in high mountain territory)
• Gloves and a warm hat
• Functioning headlamp and replacement batteries
• Water tank containing at least 1.5 liters
• Emergency gear (first aid kit, rescue blanket, whistle)
• Trail Book with outline and detail maps, and altitude profile of the whole course
• Back pack
• Mobile phone with rescue phone number saved in its address book to be able to make emergency calls (it must be made sure that the phone can make calls from within Austria as well)
• Identification card and race pass
• Also recommended.: GPS device, trekking poles, sun screen, fatty cream against chafing, additional supply of food and beverages

The race organizers will perform random checks prior to the race start and at various check points on whether the aforementioned mandatory equipment/clothing is indeed being carried along. If mandatory equipment were to be missing, the participant in question will be disqualified from the race.

5. START NUMBER TAG/RACE PASS, LEADER JERSEY AND FINISHER SHIRT

Start numbers must be worn and remain visible at all times during the race (participants of the same team have identical start numbers). Start numbers are assigned individually and as such are not conferrable to others. Advertisement on the start number tags must remain visible during the race. Both team members' transponder chips, which is integrated in the start number tag, will be scanned at the start, at every check point, and at the finish line.
Participants must also carry their race pass during the race. The overall leaders in each category must wear their Leader Jerseys.
The start number tag must never be taken off, except if a participant were to be disqualified due to a breach of the rules and regulations. In case of a withdrawal from the race the transponder chip will be removed from the start number tag.

6.TIMING

Times are recorded with an electronic transponder chip system. The chip is attached to the back of the start number tag and may not be torn out! The chip records the individual participant's time electronically. Should a chip get lost or fail to work properly, please inform the personnel at a check point and the race office immediately.
The chip carries a deposit of EUR 50. If the participant loses the chip, this deposit will remain with the organizer. After the competition the deposit will be refunded to the participant when the chip is returned..

7. BRIEFING/START

On the day the event starts, there will be a thorough briefing on the whole race as well as a briefing on the first stage in the context of the "Evening-Party" at the eve of the next race by the race or course director in charge. At every following stage there will be a detailed course briefing on the upcoming stage in the context of the "Evening-Party.". Participation in these briefings is mandatory. Participants that miss the briefings must ask other participants to provide them with all the information they have missed. In those briefings the race and course director in charge will bring specific features of the upcoming course to the attention of participants.
Participants can position themselves within the starting grid 45 minutes prior to the officially announced race start. An updated, daily briefing will be given by the race-course director for all starters approximately 15 minutes before the start.
At the first stage the position of a participant within the starting grid is established by his/her start number. At the following stages a participant's starting sector will be determined by the overall ranking.

8. NEUTRALIZED START

A neutralized start will be announced always during the briefing by the race and course director in charge. During a neutralized start it is not allowed to pass the pilot vehicle / motorcycle.

9. SIGNPOSTING

The course of the SALOMON 4 TRAILS will be marked with chalk spray, signposts, barrier tape, flags, etc. by an experienced and competent team. This, however, does not guarantee a continuously marked course and it does not free the participants from their obligation to keep their bearings in alpine territory. Especially at nightfall, after heavy rain, in case of snow, or other adverse weather conditions, markings can disappear, be covered up, or not be visible in time. That is why participants have to carry with them the Trail Book with outline map, detail map, and altitude profiles of the course.

10. CHECK POINTS & FEED ZONES

On each stage there are between one and four check points, the location of which is unknown to participants before the race, where participants have to check in. Participants that miss one of the check points but still arrive at the finish (e.g. because they lost the way or took a shortcut), will receive a time penalty of 60 minutes for every check point they missed. The jury reserves the right to impose a higher time penalty depending on the specific circumstances.
At each feed zone sports drinks, energy bars and gels, and fruit are available for participants. The exact location of the feed zone is pointed out on the map and the Trail Book. Participants are obliged to make sure they have always enough food and beverages and pick up supplies at the feed zones accordingly. Depending on the weather, some feed zones will also offer warm meals.

11. TIME LIMITS

Time limits will be defined (e.g. check point 3 by 15:00) by which participants have to have passed a certain check point or other predefined point on the course. Such time limits are mentioned in the trail book to provide some level of guidance. Changing weather or trail conditions may command the race and course director to change the cut-off times accordingly. For their own safety, participants that do not make the cut-off times (e.g. from 15:01 at check point 3) will officially be taken out of the race by the race and course director, the personnel at the check points, or the officials trailing the field and thus not be classified. They will be allowed to start again the next day but are no longer considered finishers.

12. FINISH

Participants have to check in with their start number tags at each stage's finish. At this point their time will officially be recorded for ranking. Also in the finish, there will be a strict time limit (e.g. 17:00), by which all participants must have arrived. Such time limits are mentioned in the trail book to provide some level of guidance. Changing weather or trail conditions may command the race and course director to change the cut-off times accordingly. For their own safety, participants that do not make the cut-off times (e.g. from 17:01) will officially be taken out of the daily ranking.
Participants who have been taken out of the race by the race director, course director, the personnel at the check points, or the official trailing the field due to not making the cut-off times or who do not meet the cut-off times in the finish, will not appear in the official ranking. They will be allowed to start again the next day but are no longer considered finishers.

13. WITHDRAWAL FROM THE RACE

Participants that decide to withdraw from the race for whatever reason (i.e. exhaustion, injury) must inform the race organizers by calling +49/151/55010146. Participants that do not inform the race organizers of their decision to withdraw will be considered "gone missing" and a search and rescue operation (including official mountain rescue teams and the use of helicopters) will be initiated at the expense of the participant(s) in question. Participants who want to withdraw from the SALOMON 4 TRAILS also have to cancel with the Race Office at the finish and return the transponder chip.

14. TIME PENALTIES AND DISQUALIFICATIONS

The jury reserves the right to disqualify participants or impose time penalties between 5 and 120 minutes, e.g. for any of the following violations:

• Failure on the part of the participant to fulfill the particular pre-conditions mentioned under heading 1 of this document
• Noncompliance with / violation of the SALOMON 4 TRAILS rules
• Disregard of the directives of the race and course director, rescue director, officials at the check points, or officials within and trailing the field
• Breach of traffic regulations
• Not carrying the complete, mandatory equipment at the start (for a complete list see clothing/equipment)
• Refusal to be subjected to an equipment check
• Littering/polluting the environment
• Unfair behavior or misconduct toward other competitors
• Missing one of the check points
• Failing to help a person in danger
• Health problems of a participant
• Doping
• Deliberately taking shortcuts
• Intentionally lining up in the wrong sector of the starting grid
• Tampering with start number tags

This is a list of examples and by no means to be understood as complete!
Participants that are disqualified from the race cannot claim reimbursement from the organizer.

15. EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE (RESCUE-TEAM)

Start/finish area
In the finish area the rescue-team keeps a mobile assistance site. The aid personnel at this site will make sure care is provided until the last runner arrives. Service in the start area begins 1 hour prior to race start.

During the SALOMON 4 TRAILS
Spread along the course rescue services are in place which are staffed by people from the local mountain rescue service as well as from our own rescue-team. They will make sure that participants get immediate assistance in case of an emergency.

Emergency phone number for all participants
The emergency telephone number is written on all race passes and course maps given to participants by the organizer. Additionally, the number of the organizer's phone hotline is written on the race passes.

The medical info hotline is: +49 178 7819222

What to do in case of an emergency?

• Stay calm
• Dial emergency phone number: +49 178 7819222 (must be saved to address book of your mobile phone)!
• Give exact location and start number
• If unable to make an emergency call yourself, please inform other runners so they can call for help at the next check point
• After the facts have been clarified by the head of the rescue operations, immediate help will be provided.
• In trivial cases special arrangements apply

Procedure
All rescue operations are coordinated by the commander of the rescue-team. He determines which rescue team is to carry out a certain rescue operation. In case of an emergency the rescue-team commander immediately notifies the central rescue office. Depending on the emergency, the central rescue office will then dispatch additional rescue forces provided by the public rescue services. In case of undefined reports or trivial injuries or complaints of a participant the rescue-team commander reserves the right to initiate a rescue operation on its own without informing the central rescue office. If an emergency call is received by one of the rescue teams, the respective team will notify the rescue-team commander.

Each participant is obligated to provide first aid to other runners who are in an emergency and inform the rescue-team!

16. DOPING

The organizer reserves the right to perform unannounced doping tests. Each case of doping will result in the immediate disqualification of the participant in question. Specifically prohibited are intravenous infusions without medical exception permit (an exception, for instance, would be a medical infusion in case of vomiting that does not respond to other forms of therapy).
In case of dehydration caused by exertion, infusions by the race physician or by the participant's own medical staff are prohibited. The race physician will decide whether an infusion is called for according to the rules and regulations of the NADA.

17. EXTERNAL SUPPORT

Participants are not allowed to accept help from a third person (spectators, supporters, other participants) during the race, except in emergency situations, injuries, or bad falls. It is acceptable though to receive food, beverages, clothing, and gear in need of replacement from assistants along the trailside. It is also permissible to accept medical attention and treatment from the SALOMON 4 TRAILS rescue-team. If a participant requires or enlists third-party services, in particular search and rescue services, the race organizers are indemnified from payment for such services. The participant further authorizes the race organizers to collect any incurred charges.

18. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION/NATURE

Since the SALOMON 4 TRAILS leads through the nature reserve Wettersteingebirge, appropriate environmental etiquette will be under rigorous scrutiny at all times. Littering outside of the designated feed zones and check points or deliberate damages to the environment will carry severe time penalties or lead to disqualification.

19. THE SALOMON 4 TRAILS RULES

• The SALOMON 4 TRAILS takes place on public roads, roads that are not closed to traffic, forestry roads, hiking and alpine trails.
• Participants have to obey the traffic laws of the respective countries. Participants also have to comply with directives issued by police officers, the race and course director in charge, and any authorized trail patrol.
• The SALOMON 4 TRAILS mostly makes use of forestry roads, hiking trails, paths, and high mountain alpine territory. Veering off the official routing may entail a high risk of falling with potentially fatal consequences. Participants are forbidden to take any shortcuts (including the shortcutting of switchbacks, bends, serpentines, etc.) or detours of their own choosing. All participants take part in the event at their own risk.
• Each participant is obliged to exercise caution with due diligence at confusing or dangerous trail/road passages. The race organizer reserves the right to designate high-risk sections where the specific directives apply, such that participants may not pass each other or that a reduction in speed and appropriate caution is appropriate. The organizers may place warning signs at such sections and may provide additional safety measures (such as fixed ropes to be used as handrails). There is, however, no obligation on the part of the organizer that such measures be taken.
• The organizer reserves the right to change portions of the course or stage or use alternative routes or, if necessary, cancel whole stages on short notice if weather conditions demand such changes.
• A vehicle escorting participants must not interfere with the race in any way; coaching from an accompanying vehicle is prohibited. The jury may penalize interference of the race by accompanying vehicles by issuing time penalties or disqualifying the participant receiving support from the interfering vehicle. Finding accompanying vehicles on portions of the course that are closed to traffic will result in the immediate disqualification of the participant who received or was to receive support from that vehicle.
• For reasons of environmental preservation it is strictly prohibited that people accompanying/assisting individual participants pollute or, worse, damage the course and/or the natural environment. This especially includes the spraying or painting of appeals to participants onto the course, even if it is done by biologically recyclable chalk spray. If people accompanying/assisting participants are found to be violating this rule, the participant(s) that received or were to receive such appeals will be disqualified immediately.
• It is prohibited to throw away litter such as food wrappings, bottles or drinking cups in the nature, except at check points where there will be designated containers for that purpose. Any violation of this rule leads to an immediate disqualification.
• As a principle, the following regulation applies with regard to using poles: Participants starting into the race using poles must carry them until they arrive in the finish. Conversely, no participant who has started the race without poles is allowed to pick up any along the way.
• It is expected that participants act in accordance with the principles of courtesy, sportsmanship and fair play.

20. APPEALS AND THE JURY

Each participant has an opportunity to raise an objection in case of a perceived breach of rules by other participants or to enter a caveat against decisions of the race and course director up to one hour after the finish time limit. Such objections have to be made in person in the race office and require the naming of (a) witness(es). A jury of three adjudicators (race and course director, the head of time keeping, event organizer) will consult on the issue of appeal and make a decision within 24 hours. All witnesses have to be present at the proceedings. The appeals fee is EUR 100. It will not be reimbursed if the appeal fails. The aforementioned contraventions, which may be reprimanded with time penalties or disqualification, provide only an incomplete rundown of other possible offenses that may be penalized.

21. Termination of contract between participant and organizer

The organizer reserves the contractual right to cancel the agreement with any participant until the official end of the event in the form of a right of withdrawal in accordance with §§ 324, 241 para. 1 German Civil Code ["BGB"]. The settlement will then take place in accordance with § 346 German Civil Code ["BGB"].

22. DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY

With the antecedent registration, the participant submits a self-willed and binding registration for an event of his/her choosing by the PLAN B event company GmbH and asserts, without requiring further proof by the event organizer, possession of the skills and experiences that are mentioned and required by all participants under heading 1 of this document. Compensation claims brought forward by the participant against the event organizer, for whatever legal reason, are excluded. Each participant agrees to waive all legal claims against the organizer or promoter, as well as their helpers or agents. This does not apply, if the organizer, his legal representatives or his agents have acted with intent or with gross negligence in the execution of his duties or if the organizer is duly liable due to accountable damages resulting from injuries to the life, the body or the health of a person or the breach of constitutive contractual obligations.

The participant consents to be subjected to tests and inspections on his/her person and personal equipment as ordered by the race jury.

The participant knows, understands, and fully acknowledges the conditions of participation and the rules and regulations. The participant expressly confirms that he or she has fully read and understood the rules, guidelines, and conditions detailed within this document.

The participant agrees to the publication of photographic and other audiovisual materials obtained during the event. With the release of an e-mail address, the participant knowingly allows PLAN B event company GmbH to use this email address to send additional event information.

The participant certifies with his/her signature that their participation in this event will be at their own risk and that adequate insurance coverage (valid in foreign countries as well) exists in case of an accident or injury.

Furthermore, by starting at the event the participant solemnly affirms to be unaware of any health concerns that would undermine his/her participation in the race and that his/her physical level of performance meets the requirements that such an alpine endurance race places on the body and mind.

23. STATUTE OF LIMITATION / PLACE OF JURISDICTION

Any claims by the participant towards PLAN B event company GmbH, irrespective of its legal ground, are subject to the statute of limitation of one year after the contractually specified end of the race event.

The legal place of jurisdiction for any settlement of dispute(s) is Munich, Germany. The legal and contractual relationship between the participant and PLAN B event company GmbH shall be entirely subject to German law.

 

These rules and regulations remain subject to change by the race organization!