Physical endurance meets mental discipline.

We're talking biathlon. A sport that combines cross-country skiing and small bore rifle shooting.

• History of Biathlon
• Biathlon at Mount Hotham
• Who Can Participate

Here's the challenge.

You'll need fitness and coordination for cross-country racing, and mental poise and concentration to shoot accurately over 50 metres - all of this under the pressure of the clock.

It's demanding…..but a lot of fun!

And if you're interested, you're in the right place. Hotham is home to biathlon in Australia.

At Whiskey Flat, our twelve lane biathlon range has hosted Victorian and Australian championships. The facilities are first class - just ask the elite athletes who train here (including past and present Olympians).

But it's not only for the elite. Anyone from the age of 10 can come and give biathlon a go. The events held here are designed to cater for all abilities - from complete 'never skied or handled a rifle before' beginners, through to advanced biathlon competitors.

Coaches are available, and training days and training camps are also held throughout the season.

So, if you're ready to take the biathlon challenge, it's all here at Mount Hotham.

Participants ski a designated ski loop and then ski into the range to fire five shots at five targets. For every shot missed the participant is penalised. Depending on the type of race, the penalty could be in the form of skiing an extra penalty loop, or having an extra minute added to their time. The participant then skis and shoots again, repeating this sequence until the required number of ski legs and shooting bouts are completed.

There are two main forms of Biathlon - sprint events and distance events. In sprint racing participants shoot two bouts of five shots and ski a total of ten kilometres. For every shot missed the competitor must complete a 150-metre penalty loop before skiing their next leg. Distance events involve four bouts of five shots with a total of 20 kilometres being skied by racers. In these events one minute is added to your time for every missed shot, so it becomes more important to hit the targets. In addition to these formats, there are also pursuit events, relay events and team events. For more detailed descriptions of each format see www.ibu.at/biathlon/competitions.html

Biathlon is an exciting sport that challenges participants not only to develop the fitness and coordination needed for cross-country skiing, but also the mental discipline and concentration required to shoot accurately under pressure. Biathlon also teaches people how to use rifles in a safe and non-confronting manner - a point that is emphasised heavily in the sport. And all this comes on top of the fact that Biathlon is a lot of fun!

History of Biathlon

Biathlon has a long and detailed history. The Biathlon concept evolved from two sources - hunters in cold climates who pursued their prey on skis and military regiments in Europe and Scandinavia that patrolled their country's snow-covered borders on skis. The first organised events took place on the border of Norway and Sweden in 1776 and Biathlon was introduced to the Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley, USA in 1960. Biathlon came to Australia in 1977 and Australia has been represented at the Winter Olympics in both male and female competition since 1984. Biathlon has now well and truly evolved from a primitive form of military training into a highly scientific and competitive sport.

There is a relatively new warm weather variant of conventional Biathlon that is becoming increasingly popular. Summer Biathlon, for which there is now a World Cup series and World Championships, mimics conventional Biathlon but replaces the skiing component with running, rollerskiing/blading or mountain biking. These events are particularly popular in summer-oriented Australia and have seen the sport grow tremendously.

Biathlon at Mount Hotham

There is a twelve-lane Biathlon range at Whiskey Flat, Mt Hotham, which forms the epicentre of Biathlon in Australia. The first ever Biathlon events in Australia were held at Mt Hotham and the Whiskey Flat range has played host to the Victorian and Australian Championships for almost 20 years. The high standard range combined with the first-class ski trails and grooming provided at Mt Hotham make Whiskey Flat an ideal location to conduct Biathlon events.

The facilities at Mt Hotham are used regularly by Australia's premier elite athletes, and have been the training focus for many of our past Olympians, including Australia's most successful Olympic Biathlete Kerryn Rim. Cameron Morton, Australia's most likely candidate for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games is currently training at Whiskey Flat. In addition to being used by elite athletes, the Whiskey Flat range is also used by people of all abilities for various events, training and enjoyment.

Who Can Participate

Participation in Biathlon is open to anyone from the age of ten to 150 who would like to experience the enjoyment of this multi-sport event. The events that are conducted at Mt Hotham cater for all ages and abilities - from those who have never skied or handled a rifle before to the experienced cross-country skier or precision target shooter. There are introductory novice events, fun novelty events, events for juniors, citizen events and Championship events with junior, senior, masters and veteran categories

While it is necessary for participants to bring their own ski equipment, the Australian Biathlon Association can provide rifles. New participants are always welcome and coaching and other support will be provided by our many experienced coaches and participants.

In addition to the events that are held at Whiskey Flat throughout the ski season there are also several training camps and training days for participants who wish to undergo more concerted coaching and training in Biathlon. Once again, there is coaching available for people of all abilities with training days being held for rank beginners and longer training camps being held for elite athletes.

For more information visit the Biathlon Association Web site: www.biathlon.asn.au