Biathlon FAQ

If you'd like to try some winter biathlons, the first thing to do is to attend a safety certification clinic. Until you do this, you can't use a .22 rifle in a USBA event. Membership in the USBA provides racers with extra liability insurance, if they desire it.

At summer races, extra rifles are provided by both the Summer Biathlon office and CBC, so there are usually plenty to go around.

Competitors who will be at least 13 years of age by December 31 of the winter competition season may race using a .22 rifle, if they have attended a Safety Certification clinic.

You must attend a safety clinic before you can use one of the training venues. Be sure to carry your proof of USBA safety certification (and membership, if you have it) with you when you use these facilities.

Rifles are allowed upstairs at the Snow Mountain Ranch nordic center. No rifles are allowed in the nordic center building at Eldora. Do not leave your rifle unattended.

Eldora details: Let the desk personnel at the nordic center know that you're planning to use the range. Be prepared to show your Red Book. The target is located about halfway through the Phoebe Snow loop. You'll need to take a sharp left at the bottom of a short, but somewhat steep, downhill. There is a carpet rack at the range with a compartment on top that contains a sign-in sheet. Record your name, the date and time you're there. Bring your own paper targets. If you need target copies, you can print out an original from the CBC web site. Don't leave your rifle unattended at the range. Roll up the reset cord, remove paper, store the carpet(s) on the rack, and clean up your brass before leaving the area for the day.

Snow Mountain Ranch details: Sign in at the nordic center desk before heading out to the range. Be sure to indicate on the sign-in list that you're using the range (if there's no column for "biathlon," add the comment "biathlon" or "range" in the margin). Be prepared to show your Red Book as well. You should bring your own paper targets. Carpets are in the warming hut. Do not leave your rifle unattended at the range. Roll up the reset cord(s), remove paper, store the carpet(s) back in the warming hut, and clean up your brass before leaving the area for the day.

• PDF version of map to Snow Mountain Ranch, and race registration/range/start/finish areas.
• JPEG version of map to Snow Mountain Ranch, and race registration/range/start/finish areas.

• Altius Handcrafted Firearms, West Yellowstone, Montana. Contact Marc Sheppard at at 406-646-9222, or altiusguns@earthlink.net.

• Champion Shooters Supply (http://www.championshooters.com/)

• Neal Johnson's Gunsmithing (http://www.nealjguns.com/) carries Anschutz equipment and often has used Marlin 2000s available.

• Anschutz (http://www.anschuetz-sport.com/english/ansch/index2.htm)

• Marlin (http://www.marlinfirearms.com/)

• Check the CBC classifieds page at http://www.coloradobiathlon.org/classifieds.html.

• Check the Minnesota Biathlon classifieds page at http://www.minnesotabiathlon.com/classifieds.html.

• Eagle River Nordic (http://www.ernordic.com/)
• Reliable Racing (http://www.reliableracing.com/)
• TorbjörnSport -- wax, rollerskis (http://www.TorbjornSport.com)

• Neptune Mountaineering (Boulder)
• Eastern Mountain Sports
• REI

• Check the CBC classifieds page at http://www.coloradobiathlon.org/classifieds.html.
• Check the Minnesota Biathlon classifieds page at http://www.minnesotabiathlon.com/classifieds.html.

1. Pre-race setup at the range. This activity usually occurs between 9-10 AM. There will be a designated "chief of range" who will help direct the range preparation. The Chief of Range may also need assistance with zero lane assignment and general supervision during the zero period (usually 10 AM -11 AM).

2. Activities during the race: Scoring, counting penalty laps, resetting targets, and helping time the racers. These volunteers generally need to be at the range by 10:30-10:45 AM so they can review the score sheets, etc.

3. Post-race cleanup of the range -- the reverse of #1. Depending on the size of the race, this is usually happening around 2 PM.

Contact the Competition Chief for the race dates you're interested in working. If you'd like to take on more of the race responsibilities, the next step is to serve as one of the Chiefs (Competition, Range, Timing, Course). Check out the race management guidelines to get an idea of the various tasks involved.

1. Target assignment: Unless stated otherwise, all zeroing is done on paper, usually one paper initially assigned per person. In the case where a range official is present to assign targets, get your target assignment from the official before approaching any firing point. Typically there will be several lanes allocated to zeroing, with multiple (paper) targets at each point. The targets will be identified as a, b, c...etc. when you receive your assignment (the targets are labeled from left to right). Note that multiple competitors may be -- and usually are -- assigned to any one point.

   Often it is necessary to find another open (paper) target to confirm your zero after shooting up your first paper. If the full length of the range at Snow Mountain Ranch is open, that provides more chances to find clean paper. Remember that if lanes and paper are assigned, you should check with the range official before using another paper at the assigned lanes. Some lanes may be unassigned and available for standing/dry firing/paper confirmation.

2. Scopes: Usually there are several club/personal scopes set up at the range. These should always be well back of the firing line, in the coaching area! No personal scopes should be placed at any of the firing points. At bigger events it may be that as many as eight athletes work with one coach who spots shots with the scope. This person suggests sight movement (if he/she knows how sensitive your clicks are), shows a diagram with the shots marked on it, allows the athlete to look at the group themselves, or all of the above. A handy tool is a ping-pong paddle type-thing with a target on it, on which you place pins to mark the shots. This can easily be held up and shown to the athlete.

3. All warm-up kits, rifle covers, and ammunition should be away from the firing point. These items should all be stored in the warming hut or at rifle stands. Extraneous equipment left at the firing points just clutters the firing points and holds the position up from being used by another.

4. Ammunition should be loaded into magazines away from the firing point. Have your magazines ready to go, so you are ready to zero when your turn comes up.

5. Skis should always be on in the range (except range officials) and for zeroing. It's hard at first, but with practice getting up and down with skis on becomes easier -- after all, it's part of the sport. This is a good thing to practice in your range drills, so that you can get in and out of the range more quickly.

6. Once you're at the firing point, shoot up to one magazine of rounds (or perhaps two, if you need to shoot some fouling shots), then move away from the point to let the next person shoot. Check with the person manning the spotting scope and/or go to the coaching area and look at the group yourself, and make any sight adjustments. Then continue taking your turn at the firing point as necessary, each time shooting your five shots and then moving aside to check your results.

7. Ski poles can be left at the rifle stands while you do your zero. It is not necessary to zero with your poles, unless you are skiing into the range to confirm your zero with a pulse. It is often less cumbersome and quicker to do your first two or three five-shot groups without poles, then take your poles to do a short ski to get your pulse up and come into confirm your zero on a paper target. Make sure your coach/group knows this is what you are doing when you disappear for your ski -- it need only be 2-5 minutes. Also make sure that you and the rest of the group at your lane know what paper you plan to shoot at when you return from your ski.

8. If you don't already have a set pattern for your zeroing, here are some guidelines:
   • Two or three five-shot zeros to get on the paper and make any adjustments. These are shot without poles for speed and simplicity.
   • One or two five-shot zeros, each preceded by a short ski so that you're skiing in to the range with a slightly raised pulse.
   • Optionally, another five shots on paper in offhand position.
   This results in a range of 15 - 30 shots for your zero. 30 rounds of ammo should be more than enough to get a good zero. Unless something really went wrong -- e.g., your sights were loose and moved on their mount -- it's really not worth using any more ammo. If you just can't get on and it's not a technical problem with the gun/sights, chances are it's your position you need to concentrate on. Do your best for that race and go back to the drawing board in training -- you'll just get yourself wound up before the competition. The competition is not the time to train -- it's the time to be composed and just do what you can do on the day.

9. Be aware of skiers coming through the range to different firing points. If you have been back at the coaching area and you want to go to the firing point, look first to see if some one is skiing through your path. Anticipate your ability to pass in front of them without cutting them off, and either move forward quickly or wait for them to pass; likewise on returning from the firing point to the coaching area. In many cases you are not allowed to ski backwards through the range. (This may be hard to enforce at the range at SMR, though if rifles are ready at your allotted lane before zeroing, then it's only necessary to go through the range for confirming your zero.)

10. Those observing and not coaching or zeroing should leave the range and coaching area as free as possible to allow easiest possible mobility for others who need to be there.

These tips originally appeared in the Summer 1998 Colorado Biathlon Club Newsletter (http://www.coloradobiathlon.org/newsletters/summer98.news.html).

1. Join CBC and/or subscribe to our mailing list
2. Join the USBA and receive their newsletters.
3. Check out the Yahoo!Club for biathlon at http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/biathlonnorthamerica.