New safety rules

[Witton Park]

but the one constant measure is HH....

IainR - the Hydro static head test is a measure but there's plenty of suitable products out there where you may not be able to find the test results and even then, at what standard.
Even in industrial PPE where they use EN343 it's not clear.

The 2 options are really to just ask for full body cover and leave it to the athlete to make the decision of the material type, or to ask for waterproof material with taped seams.

[dominion]

I read nothing into your post... it was the WA in the PDF..

Bob.. yeah sure the odd person will say a binbag etc...

But we now have jesus knows how many jackets available.. you can understand confusion about what is waterproof... we have shower proof... water resistant.. water proof.. treated materials... such vague ambiguous terms.. but the one constant measure is HH....

I get quite a few requests for info on gear from people looking to start fell running due to various articles and you can't blame people for the confusion.. it seems a petty the FRA didn't use this to specify a HH... lots of other bodies have, it seems common sense to me.

Clearly a bin bag doesn't satisfy the new criteria (and old) wasn't hood specified, it is now at least..

But there is still a huge continuum of potentially suitable jackets...

The fact that there are so many jackets out there means it would be impossible to police it by specifying the HH rating. A race organisor would need a huge database of kit to check whether a given jacket meets / doesn't meet the requirements.

Looking at Pete Bland's website, http://www.peteblandsports.co.uk/trolleyed/5/6/120/123/ 7 of the 10 jackets listed as waterproof specify a HH rating

One jacket listed as "Meets Fell Runners Association standards" clearly isn't waterproof! http://www.peteblandsports.co.uk/pro...jacket-210.htm

[IainR]

- The man who entered an AL in the Lakes as his first fell race, with by his own admission no map or compass skills. Survived by playing follow my leader.
- The woman, who ran round an AM race course including all the check points and finish funnel, without having entered.
- T.

re the woman.. annoying but its hardly anything that can be tackled by rules.. just education.. racing without registering is pretty common in some countries so we're bound to see it..

re follow the leader... common too.. the best thing the FRA did here was cheap nav courses...

[IainR]

I know.. but at least its good guidance for those buying....

As at the moment you can understand the confusion.. its confusing enough for us..

[IainR]

I don't think much has changed.. so its not a big deal anyway.. just think an opportunity missed..

[bigfella]

re the woman.. annoying but its hardly anything that can be tackled by rules.

No, but the guidelines can make sure ROs don't count them as a legitimate runner and miss someone still out there by making assumptions, this also happens possibly if you have someone inexperienced taking numbers at the end...

[IainR]

But this was all the same previously no? When racing on open roads or open fells.. open access land there's really not much you can do..

Basically we need chip timing.. :-)

[IainR]

Que?? Utterly bemused by what you seem to have read into my post!

What I meant by WFRA.. is as I udnerstand they insure most fell races in Wales.. so when discussing safety requirements I think all bodies should sing from the same page.. it seems strange to have two fell races,, held a few miles apart, say in Shropshire.. one witH FRA and one with WFRA insurance.. I know the FRA have/had WFRA reps so maybe just include them so its all one system.. one set of guidance.. keep things simple..

Where fell running is concerned.. actually at te grass roots.. its the WFRA which matter really..

Anyway now leavinG Bavaria back to the flat lands.. so long drive... :-)

[Wheeze]

Well, quite. We re-established the WFRA to mirror the eFRA in the principality in response to the presumptuous, non-democratic, non-discussed land grab for fell running in Wales made by WA.:wink:

[LissaJous]

Well, quite. We re-established the WFRA to mirror the eFRA in the principality in response to the presumptuous, non-democratic, non-discussed land grab for fell running in Wales made by WA.:wink:

So is the WFRA free to set its own rules? Can't work that one out.. the safety document seems almost identical to the FRA one, and Scottish SHR.

The SHR site says races can be insured through SHR or SA, but the SA website seems to imply that races must at least be registered with SA.