Safety Nets
Whistler Weasel Workers devote most of their effort to erecting and maintaining safety nets that serve to protect fallen racers and to keep them within the course boundaries. In addition, we place crowd control nets that keep spectators off the course and out of harms way.
“A”
NETs are the large sprawling
“fishing” nets placed throughout the
course. A-NETS are hung from overhead cables by the Net
Crew (with help from Course
Crew
at times) . The purpose of the A-NETS is to absorb energy and to
deflect a racer, either back onto the course, or along the
net.
To protect racers from getting caught in the coarse weave of the A-NETS, dense slip-skirting is attached to the bottom 6 feet of the A-NETS. This may be of two types, “VEXAR" or "KITZBUHEL” The slip skirting system allows racers to “slip“ along or actually ski off the A-NET, rather than getting caught in it.
After
being hung, A-NETS are secured to the snow at their bottom edge using
cookies and are then tensioned by the Net crew. After
being
installed, A-NETS must be kept clean of newly fallen snow and snow
build-up along their bottom edge must be cleared away, so the
net does not become frozen into the snow. A-NETS are
suspended
from the overhead steel cable using a long rope called a Power
Braid.that
passes through pulleys attached alternately to the cable and the top
edge of the A-NET.
For 2008, new Alpina A-NETS were in use on both downhill courses at Whistler. These have been procured for the 2010 Whiter Olympic Games.
“B-NETS”
are the deceleration nets placed in high incident (high risk
of
crashing) areas throughout the course. Their function is to
absorb energy and to decelerate a fallen recer. B-NETS
are hung loosely on polycarbonate poles and may be erected in single,
double or triple rows. They stand about six feet in height.
B Systems are placed by volunteer Course
Crew, under the direction of its
crew chief.
After being installed, B-NETS must be kept clean of newly fallen snow and snow build-up along the bottom edge of the nets must be cleared away, so the net does not become frozen into the snow/
In 2008, new Alpina B-NETS were in use on both downhill courses at Whistler.
Installation training sessions for Crew Chiefs were held
January 19, and will be repeated in subsequent years. Note that the new Alpina nets have a different
installation method than earlier Alpina systems and differ entirely
from the Canadian Barry
systems used in Whsitler and Lake Louise in earlier years. The
photo below is of an earlier Alpina B-Net system. The photos to
the right are of Barry systems, which are hung more slackly than the
new Alpina B-Nets.
The new Alpina B-Nets are "sea-spray blue" in colour with matching blue PC poles and do not clash with basic Weasel Black.
Note: the
method of
linking sections has changed.
