Cross Country Skiing

Sports Summary

Cross Country Skiing appeared for the first time at the 1976 Winter Games in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden.

The competition is open to athletes with a physical disability and blindness/visual impairment. Depending on functional disability, a competitor with little or no leg functionality uses a sit-ski, a chair equipped with a pair of skis.

Athletes with blindness/visual impairment compete in the event with a sighted guide. Male and female athletes compete in short distance, middle distance and long distance (ranging from 2.5km to 20km) or participate in a team relay using classical or free techniques.

Events/Disciplines

Freestyle – 5km and 2.5km
Classic – 5km, 10km, 15km and 20km
Relay – 3X2.5km and 1X3.75km+2X5km

Classification

Cross Country Skiing is open to athletes with a wide variety of physical disabilities such as amputees or limb deficiencies, spinal cord injury and cerebral palsy; and to athletes with a vision impairment. These athletes are classified dependant on their functionality into classes LW2 – 9, for athletes who ski standing; LW10-12 for athletes who ski sitting down; and the classes of B1 – B3, for those athletes with a vision impairment.
A percentage system is used to determine overall place of each competitor relative to each of the classifications. The athlete’s actual time is multiplied by this percentage to determine his/her adjusted finishing time. Each disability class has different percentage for the different techniques, classic and free technique. View a more detailed explanation of Cross Country Skiing classification.

APC Classification Information Sheet - Nordic Skiing.pdf (64.43 KB)

Rules & Equipment

Sit-Ski

An athlete with a lower-body disability uses a sledge, which is a specially built chair that can be attached to a pair of skis. The skis are almost identical to standard skis, although shorter, and are attached to the chair with a standard cross-country binding.

Ski

Made from fibreglass, classical skis are usually 25cm to 30cm taller than the height of a skier. They are light, weighing less than 0.45kg each; and narrow, with curved tips and a cambered midsection, which is thicker and arched. Free technique skis are about 10cm to 15 cm shorter for greater manoeuvrability. They are also nominally stiffer and have tips that curve less than classical technique skis. The underside of both types of skis has a groove down the centre to keep the ski straight when going downhill.