Slalom
The most technical discipline — a precision test where crews thread a sequence of hanging gates, in order and on the correct side, as fast as they can.
What the Slalom is
The Slalom asks a crew to run a course of suspended gates in ascending numerical order, each from the correct direction, without touching a pole or missing a gate — all in the fastest time possible. It blends boat control and line choice with raw speed.
A course is no longer than 300 metres and carries between 8 and 14 gates, of which 2 to 5 are upstream gates (negotiated against the current) spread across both banks. Downstream gates are marked with green-and-white rings; upstream gates with red-and-white. Each team races two runs on the same course, with starts 2 to 4 minutes apart. Starting order is set from the Sprint results — slowest to fastest — so the quickest crews run last.
How the Slalom is scored — Classic Format
A team’s Slalom result is the time of its better of the two runs, in seconds, with all gate penalties from that run added in. Teams are ranked fastest to slowest, and ranking points are awarded by finishing position.
The Slalom is worth a maximum of 100 points — one of three scored Classic disciplines (with Sprint and RX) totalling a maximum of 300 points per event. Points are a percentage of that 100-point maximum:
| Finishing position | % of max | Slalom points |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 100% | 100 |
| 2nd | 90% | 90 |
| 3rd | 80% | 80 |
| 4th | 75% | 75 |
| 5th | 70% | 70 |
| 6th | 68% | 68 |
| 7th | 66% | 66 |
| 8th & beyond | −2% per place | 64, 62, 60 … |
For World Ranking, points are multiplied by an event value factor set by the event’s classification level (Annex B), so the same finish counts for more at a higher-tier event. If two teams tie on Slalom time, the higher placing goes to the team with the better Sprint result.
Gate penalties
Penalties are added to the run time in seconds. The maximum penalty for any single gate is 50 seconds.
Summarized from the URF Sport Rules v. 8/02/2026 (Slalom: Art. 52–60; scoring: Art. 10–11). The full rule book governs in any case of conflict.