Print text
Rules of the Winter Viking Games
Winter Viking Games is the ancient biathlon relay race — skiing and bow shooting. The participating teams consist of four persons with at least one member of opposite gender. The participants should have ancient clothing in Viking Age fashion. Each team should have its own set of equipment being hand-made and of ancient style, e.g. the skis should be of wood and only tar or skin is accepted as ski-wax. It is allowed to use one bow, eight arrows, one stick and one pair of skis per team.
With a common start the first member of each team skis a distance of about 300 meters around the island of Läntinen Pukkisaari. When a team-member arrives to the finishing area, he or she shoots two arrows at the target with a longbow from a distance of about 15 meters. Missing the target means a penalty round of about 30 meters. After that the skis and the stick passes to the next team-member on the finish line and he or she goes for the same tour. The first team completing the relay race is the winning team.
After the race there is the prize award ceremony. The main prize of the Games is the hand-made bailer from the Viking ship Rus wrecked in the Baltic Sea in 1996. A special prize is awarded for the most authentic dresses and equipment.
