Moose biathlon ( fi, Hirvenhiihto) is a variation of the winter sport

biathlon The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not ti ...

comprising

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreatio ...

, range estimation of paper targets resembling a

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...

and

rifle shooting Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms ( firearms and airguns, in forms such ...

at a 10 ringed target using fullbore

biathlon rifle A Biathlon rifle is a specialized rifle designed for use in a biathlon event. Specialist biathlon rifles are ultra lightweight, and usually equipped with straight-pull actions, integrated magazine carriers, and ergonomic stock designs suitable f ...

s. Competitions are held by the Finnish Hunters' Association. The sport was developed in Finland in the 1970s, and today competitions are held in Finland and Sweden with a goal to become a Nordic discipline. There are over 10,000 competitors in Sweden and Finland, and over 600 competitors compete at the yearly Finnish Championship.Piteå-Tidningen - Finns and Swedes win in moose biathlon (Swedish)
/ref> The skiing is performed classic style over a distance of 7–9 kilometers while carrying the rifle. Competitors under the age of 16 do not have to carry the rifle themselves. The places of range estimation and shooting are located along the ski course. The shooting consists of ten rounds fired from the standing position at a distance of 100 meters, and the rifle must fulfill the legal requirements for hunting moose. In the range estimation part the competitors must judge the distance to two moose figures placed somewhere between 50 and 200 meters. The winner is determined by a point system, and maximum number of points for the whole competition is 1200. * The points of the shooting part is calculated by multiplying the target scores by six, giving a maximum of 600 available points. * The range estimation part has 300 points available, where two points are deducted for each meter of error. * The fastest competitor in the skiing part is awarded 300 points, while the other competitors are given points based how far they finish behind the fastest skier. One point deducted per 10 second. For example, if a competitor finishes 50 seconds behind the fastest skier he is awarded 295 points from the skiing part of the competition. In most races the oldest competitors will be awarded full skiing points in order to avoid life-threatening illnesses. There is also a

relay race A relay race is a racing competition where members of a team take turns completing parts of racecourse or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games. Relay races are common in running, orien ...

version where each of the team members fire five rounds at a moose target, and estimate the range of one only moose figure instead of two. Penalties apply for missed shots or errors in range estimation. ( fi, Hirvenjuoksu) is a summer version of moose biathlon where skiing is replaced with a 4-5 kilometer run. Firearm are not carried during running, but are instead placed in a rack near the shooting location.

References

External links

The Finnish Hunting Association - About moose biathlon
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Introduction film by Älvsby Shooting Club (Swedish)

Information film by Salmonfox (Swedish)

Hirviurheilu.com - Webpage for match results and upcoming matches for moose biathlon and moose running
Biathlon Multisports Cross-country skiing Racing Rifle shooting sports Biathlon in Finland Moose Sports originating in Finland

See also

References

External links