>Winter Olympics are approaching >get a renewed hankering to try my hand at some biathlon, again>remember that I live in the desert and no one does biathlon within like 600 milesaw.Any snowanons here do some biathlon?
It would be interesting if there was a summer biathlon, where instead of skiing it's a cross-country run or a forced march
>>64766387there is summer biathlon! roller-skates on asphalt instead of snow.Personally I think in the US, we should have bike biathlon... I'm considering trying to get something like that going where I live. It would be fun.
>>64766380I've done some biathlon, the biggest accessibility issue with biathlon is that "beginner" biathlon events mostly cater to experienced skiers who don't shoot, rather than people who shoot but are shit at skiing. And I'm not great at nordic skiing.A few times some friends of mine and I have made a course in Wisconsin where we set up stations for full power rifle with a skiing loop that was friendly to our amateur skill level at nordic skiing, since we all have Swedish Mausers, but between some bad snow years and most of us having toddlers are home these days, it's been 5 years since we've done it.
>>64766415I've never skied, yeah. Plus I'm not 12, which is when most biathlon people seem to have started lol
>>64766387example:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG-f_V4Ka1othere are smaller events in the US where it is just running too, it seems
>>64766380I live in a place that's basically an overgrown ski town, with a major ski resort less than 30 minutes away and tons of XC in the area. Sadly there's zero biathlon though, despite attempts for years to get something together. A lot of the land around here is BLM or state forests that allow shooting and I've been thinking about maybe doing some biathlon larp with my 10/22 someday.
>>64766380In vermont and new hampshire yeah, though like >>64766415 says a lot of the mainstream events are more about the skiing then the gunning, though in the north country enough people have guns and are decent shots and ski as well that you can get bigger sets. It can be a pretty good time though to mix up your own rules, fundamentally they are things that combine well and precisely because they exercise pretty different skill sets with some creativity you can mix around the two aspects so that everyone can have fun particularly if you do a series of events. Helps if you put together a bunch of different prize categories too, best overall traditional sport scoring sure but then also you might have best young/best senior, best bigboolet, best ski time, have a few sets of targets at different ranges with different scores and conversely a few different routes with more technical ones being shorter, and get it to sort of sugar out so everyone can aim for something and then enjoy a big hot lunch in the snow at the end.Putting together good courses take some effort and buy-in from neighbors though.
>>64766396>>64766474I feel like that doesn't exactly capture the original "spirit" of biathlon, which was a winter military patrol
>>64766656dude it's a sportjavelin isn't in the spirit of killing people either
>>64766661Yeah this, though of course if you're in shape and a decent shot even after having traveled a distance that's kind of fundamental anyway. But that's not what biathlon itself is particularly if amateurs just want to put together a fun time in the winter that's different from some of the typical stuff.
diopter sights are comfy to usecircle-in-circle feels right
awesome 90s video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In9z3ecJtdAwhat a different time it was
>>64766380>Any snowanons here do some biathlon?I do summer biathalon. I run around with my M82 or M12 checking my target and running back. Literall, a work out.
>>64766656Back in the day, biathlon was done with a country's bolt-action service rifle instead of hypercustomized Anschützes and 50cpr CCI ammo.
>>6476723250m? so 100m run each time?
>>64767572At that site, down hill to, uphill back. My other site is ~67yrds, by paces. 5 rnds, on a run with M12. Abt the same as the M82 pictured, it might be heavier.
>>64767468Yeah but back in the day (1920s until 40s/50s or whenever it stopped being the military patrol in charge) everything was less hyper optimized, bolts were standard service rifles for regular infantry, and country differences were less radical. What would be the "standard bolt-action service rifle" nowadays? Like, whatever snipers or special forces are running or what? That doesn't really get around the issue of money basically, serious militaries have pretty spendy kit, so you sorta end up in the same place except with more capability variance. Personally I think that'd still be pretty cool but I can also see why they'd just put out a more even spec and fully sportify it.
80s Suhl is for sale, these things are ultra rare.https://altiusguns.com/product.php?product_id=21399there's video of the grip-cock action on yt from an 80s olympics video.... trying to find it
>>64767468Werent they trying to force some gay ass lasers tags instead 22lr?
>>64767601modern pentathlon uses laser pistols now, yes.sports change over time, that's to be expected...like lol, trap shooting doesn't shoot live birds nowadays either.
>>64767609also there are laser clay setups out there, they've been around for decades
>>64766415>rather than people who shoot but are shit at skiingAs someone who lives in CO, believe me when I tell you that every year we have a few "Olypmic" skiiers/biathlonfags who end up on a park/graduated run and end up getting absolutely wrecked (hopsitalized) before an Olympic or red bull qualifier.Biathlon is probably the easiest winter/skiing sport you could possibly do, skill wise.
>>64767663>Biathlon is probably the easiest winter/skiing sport you could possibly do, skill wise.So you have never shot the course.
>>64767679>So you have never shot the course.Been an active member of USB (something you have never been) since I was enrolled at 14 in middle school, and have been a redbull qualifier for rail jams two different years.I have more experience actually being in the snow and shooting than you will in a lifetime, and yes, pushing off a 23' wall requires significantly more skill than cherry picking an X-ring @ 50yds. with a .22.Hope this clarifies for you, kthxbai. :)
>>64767717you sound insufferable
>>64767717Strangest biathalon course I've seen.
>>64767725It would be much cooler if they had to complete a halfpipe before doing a timed shooting course.
