The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Alpine Skiing announced that it may introduce a new discipline, banked slalom, for the 2014-2015 season and make changes to snowboard cross so that racers will go head-to-head with each other. Banked slalom will involve athletes tackling a slalom course down a gulley run with a number of other features. “It’s a lower-risk opportunity for people to enter into adaptive sports instead of going straight into the higher-risk snowboard cross scenario,” said Miah Wheeler, head coach, U.S. Paralympics Snowboard National Team.
“We will also look to change snowboard cross so that athletes will come down the course two-by-two,” said IPC Alpine Skiing Sport Technical Committee Chairperson Sylvana Mestre. “After a qualifying round, athletes will go head-to-head down the course with the winner progressing to the next round of competition. These changes will help grow the sport further…. We are currently in the process of finalizing the rules for these changes….”
IPC Alpine Skiing also confirmed that for the 2014-2015 season all events will be for standing athletes only.
