[USA flag vertical]

This page should not need to be updated.

HOW YOUR RACE HANDICAP IS CALCULATED

The handicap system provides a means of rating the skier against the course and of evaluating the individual's performance as the season progresses.

Each racer's handicap is calculated based on his/her time and Zero Par (Zp) for the course.

Racer's Handicap (Rh) = [ (racer's time/Zp) - 1] x 100

HOW ZERO PAR IS CALCULATED

Zero Par (Zp) is based on the time(s) in which rated pacesetters run the course. The pacesetter's rating is used for this calculation. This rating is determined at an annual pacesetter's meet. Selected league racers run the courses at the pacesetter meet. The average of their four best (lowest) handicaps are used.

EXAMPLE: If a pacesetter had handicaps of 31.06, 28.00, 30.04, 30.65, 29.82, and 28.39 then her/his pacesetter rating (Pr) would be:

28.00 + 30.04 + 29.82 + 28.39
Pr = ------------------------------------------------- = 29.06
4

Zero Par for a course is determined by the equation:

Pacesetter's Time
Zp = -----------------------------------------------
(Pr x 0.01) + 1

EXAMPLE: If the pacesetter skis the course in a time of 35.91 then Zp is:

35.91
Zp = ----------------------------------------- = 27.82
(29.06 x 0.01) + 1

(At this point you may need to apply a Zero Par Adjustment Factor .)

So if you ski the course in a time of 41.61 seconds, then your handicap is:

Rh = [ ( 41.61/27.82 ) - 1 ] x 100 = 49.57

You will often hear it said that this is the percentage slower
that you were compared to the fastest racer in the world.
[Back to SDAL home page]

Please send any remarks and/or info on updates,
omissions, or errors to this site's Webmaster,
Laura Meldrum [webmaster@skisandiego.org].