Visitors Guide
Veko for Dummies
EKSTREMSPORTVEKO FOR DUMMIES
It´s hard to get the hang of the different sports at Ekstremsportveko and what the competitions are all about. This guide is made to help you understand what the crazy athletes are up to during our festival.
raft·ing [ræftɪŋ] definition - the sport of travelling on rivers and streams by raft
Sprint
A short section of river is rafted as fast as possible. The fastest team wins.
Head to Head (H2H)
The sprint results determine which teams will meet each other in the H2H. Two teams fight it out on the same course as the sprint. The loser is eliminated and the winner moves on to race the next round until we have an overall champion.
Slalom
This is the most technical discipline. In slalom the teams have to navigate the raft through several gates, either heading downstream (blue gate) or upstream (orange gate). A 50 second penalty is incurred if all team members do not pass through the gate and a 5 second penalty if they hit the gate.
The Amazing Raft Race
This is a fun competition with lots of surprising elements. The competition’s goal is to gather Norway’s rafting community and have a good time!
2. Kayaking
kay·ak·ing [kahy-ak-ing] Definition - Use of a kayak for moving across white water
Brandseth Downhill
A 500 metre technical section of white water is paddled as fast as possible.
Team Competition
Teams of 3 compete on a longer section of Brandsethelva (Brandseth river) There must not be more than 15 seconds between the first and last team member at the finish line. The fastest team wins.
Head to Head (H2H)
Three or more athletes fight it out on a short white water section in Strandaelva (Stranda river). The losers are eliminated and the winner moves on to race the next round until we have an overall champion.
3. Riverboarding
riv·er·board·ing [riv-er-bawr-ding] definition - swimming down a river using a body board with fins on your feet for steering and speed
Riverboarding Competition
This competition is a mass start down river race. First person to touch the finish banner wins.
4. Paragliding/hang gliding (venter på mer info)
par·a·glid·ing [par-uh-glahy-ding]
hang·glid·ing [hæng-glahy-ding] defenition - launching oneself from a steep incline and soaring through the air by means of a para or hang glider
Acro Competition
This competition aims to push the pilots' skills as far as possible. You are welcome to watch the spectacular manoeuvres that expose the pilots to G forces up to 7G at Prestegardslandet! The athletes get points on the basis of how clear and well executed the manoeuvres are. Points are lost if they land in the lake!
Swoooping
The pilot steers the canopy into a spectacular turning dive to gain speed before he/she recovers and levels out to enter the swooping course. In this competition the swooping course will be on water. The pilot must be maximum 2 meters above the course and the pilots feet must touch the water for as long as possible through the course.
Capture the flag
Distance, speed and audacity are the main keys in this competition. There will be placed flags in and around the mountains of Voss. The pilots get the name of the mountains and the GPS coordinates of where the flags have been put. All the flags have different grades of points as the distance and difficultness varies. The first pilot who captures the flag gets points. The pilot who has gathered most points wins.
Precision Landing
The athletes have to land on a small platform floating on Vangsvatnet.
Expression Session
This is a freestyle paragliding show at Prestegardslandet, where the pilots begin by jumping from a helicopter. The spectators judge the winner.
5. Skydiving
sky·div·ing [skahy-dahy-ving] definition: jumping from an airplane and free-falling before opening one's parachute. In Voss we are usually skydiving from altitudes up to 15 000 feet. The most popular disciplines within skydiving are:
FS: Formation Skydiving
You are flying on your belly creating formations.
FF: Free flying
You are doing formations standing upright, on your head or back.
Swooping:
Swooping is another growing and spectator friendly activity in the skydiving world. The pilot steers the canopy into a spectacular turning dive to gain speed before he/she recovers and levels out to enter the swooping course. The speed can be up to 100 km/h.
Drop by Skydive Voss for skydiving, dare a tandem jump or just relax with a coffee and watch the skydivers.
Every evening during Ekstremsportveko you can watch spectacular skydiving shows at Prestegardslandet.
6. BASE
BASE [beys] definition - BASE stands for the four objects from which the jumps are made: Building, Antenna, Span and Earth
During Ekstremsportveko the BASE jumpers leap off Nebbet, a huge cliff, which is a part of the UNESCO world heritage list.
Friday is the day to watch BASE jumping from Nebbet. Be there or be square!
7. Bouldering
boul·der·ing [bohl-der-ing] definition: Climbing without ropes and protection on large boulders
Bouldering Competition
This competition emphasizes power, strength, and dynamics. Boulder routes are commonly referred to as problems because the nature of the climb is often short, curious, and much like problem solving. The participants are given points on how many problems they climb in a certain amount of time.
8. Freeride
free·ri·de [free-rahyd] definition – freestyling down a steep mountain side on skis or a snowboard
Freeride Competition
The athletes get points based on the Freeride World Tour requirements, judging elements such as style, lines, flow, control and technique.
9. MTB/BMX
moun·tain·bik·ing [moun-tn-bahyk-ing] definition – a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, using specially adapted mountain bikes.
b·m·x [be-em-eks] definition - bicycle moto-cross. A sport, which consists of riding small bikes with no gears, suspension and often no brakes. Basically doing all types of tricks in all kinds of places
bi·ke·tri·al [baik-tra-yl] definition – riding tailor-made bicycles up, over and down from obstacles as rocks, ledges, logs, cars, pallets and whatever you find suitable. Probably the most technical discipline of mountainbiking
Down·hill [daunhl]– the athletes have to bike down a steeop and technical trail as fast as possible
Slopestyle Competition /BMX competition
These competitions are held in a “park” with jumps and elements made of soil or wood. The athletes get points based on tricks, style, lines, flow and how they utilize the “park”.
Biketrial competition
The athletes have to ride a number of pre-marked sections, where the athlete with the fewest points at the end of the competition wins. You get a point when any part of your body or the bike, except the tires, touch an object in the course.
Speedtrials competition
Two competitors riding against each other in an identical parallel obstacle course. This is a spectator friendly head-to-head competition where the last one standing is the overall champion. No points are given, it's all about being the fastest rider.
Downhill/ Tag team competition
Downhill races are held on steep, downhill terrain with no extended climbing sections, resulting in high speed descents with extended air time off jumps and other obstacles. Riders race against the clock, usually starting at intervals of 30 seconds (seeded from slowest to fastest), on courses which typically take two to five minutes to complete. Tag team is a relay competition where there are two participants in each team.
hor·gi·ned [hawr-ghi-nehd] definition: untraditional version of a triathlon
Horgi Ned Competition
In Horgi Ned (Lønahorgi Down) we’ve swapped running with downhill skiing, road biking with downhill biking and swimming with white water kayaking. The athletes can enter the competition in two ways: individually or as a team of three.
As a spectator you can only watch the paddling section of this competition.
12. Big Air
big·air [big-air] definition – executing tricks on a big jump on skis or a snowboard
Big Air Competition
Riders perform acrobatic moves on a big jump. The riders are judged on the height and difficulty of the trick they perform in the air, the control of the move and the precision of the landing.
13. Longboarding
long·board·ing [lawng-bawr-ding] definition - riding down a steep and winding road on a long skateboard
Longboard competition
Again the longboard competition will be down Skjervet, but this time it will last four days. First day will be a freeride day where the aim is to explore, learn and enjoy the hill (very audience friendly). Second day will be time trail where one racer at a time compete against the clock to be crowned the fastest skater.(average audience friendly). Third and fourth day are race days. In heats of 4 skaters compete to be the two fastest. These two advance further in a basic cup format until we on day four will have crowned the winner (extremely audience friendly).
stand·up·paddling [stand-uhp-pdl-ng] definition – standing upright on a long surfboard, moving forward with a long paddle
Free SUP Lesson
Anyone can try out the 12 feet long Stand Up Surfboards on Vangsvatnet. It’s fun and a great exercise in a safe environment.
SUP Competition
An informal and fun competition open to anyone at Voss during Ekstremsportveko. Go with the flow.