Each time you race NASTAR, you earn a handicap that measures how much longer your run took than Par Time. A handicap of 15 means your time was 15 percent longer than Par Time.
A local pacesetter's run and certified handicap establish the course's Par Time, representing a zero-handicap run. This gives racers on different courses a shared standard for comparing performance. How Par Time is established.
Lowering your handicap shows improvement relative to that standard. Your race handicap is calculated as (your time ÷ Par Time − 1) × 100. See a worked calculation.
Medals and rankings
The handicap chart gives the medal ranges for each age and gender group. Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze recognize performances against those standards. Learn about earning and collecting medals.
A race handicap describes one run. A season ranking compares results with other racers under the rules for that ranking category. Some rankings use a best run and others require results from several race days. See how rankings work.
Discipline discounts
Snowboard, telemark, snowbike and adaptive disciplines receive discounts for medal and team-point calculations. The actual handicap earned remains on your race record. See the discipline and discount reference for the current giant slalom values.