You will only need to register and log on to the system if you intend to submit your own claims, or if you wish to maintain your own previously submitted flight details.

When logged on, go to the Calculator page and enter your cross-country or height gain claim. After calculating your score, you may submit it to the ladder after which your Ladder scores are recalculated and become available immediately to other site visitors.

For changes that substantially alter the scoring, the flight must be deleted and re-entered using the Calculator/Submit facility. BUT - be aware that the normal 10% penalty will apply if you resubmit the flight more than 14 days after it took place!

If you have a good reason for having been unable to enter your scores in time, please contact your own Club Ladder Steward, who has the facility to override penalty scores.

Some clubs insist locally that loggers or cameras are used before a claim may be made - this makes the job of the Club Ladder Steward less contentious. It is not a mandatory requirement as far as the National Ladder is concerned (but see the notes below) and most clubs operate the ladder by accepting the pilot's word for declarations and speeds. This is intended to encourage as many pilots to take part as possible. The local club ladder steward will usually be able to spot any irregular claims and challenge the suspect pilot accordingly.

Note, however, that a BGA prize will not be awarded to a pilot for flights lacking the appropriate evidence. The moral is, if you have a logger, use it for every flight and save the files. Note that photographic evidence is no longer acceptable in support of BGA Trophy claims.

The Ladder site has a facility that permits pilots to upload logger files for their flights. These files will be visible to, and may be downloaded by, all site visitors who view the flight details pop-up page. 

Note 1: Logger file uploads are mandatory for Height claims.
Note 2: Cross-country claims without logger files will be scored using distance points only until the logger file is posted. Once a logger file has been uploaded, speed points will be included in the  total score.

Glider handicaps are based on the flights made on an average British soaring day, which everyone knows is pretty mediocre. However, the ladder is almost always won with flights made on the strongest days, when the handicaps ought to be compressed for them to remain fair. In other words, the handicap for an ASH 25, for example, should be several points less on a strong day than it is on a standard day. However, if 'strong day' handicaps were used throughout the season, including on the weaker days, this would give an overwhelming advantage to high-handicap gliders, so the 'average day' handicaps have been retained to give as many glider types a chance as possible. 

During the 2000/2001 season, a new set of handicaps were introduced by the Competitions Committee and the cross-country scoring formula modified to improve slightly the scores of higher-handicapped gliders on the stronger days.

Not a bad idea, but there are practical difficulties with quantifying the soaring conditions of a particular day. In a competition, this is made easier by having a large group of people (usually of similar ability) flying the same task and seeing how many get back, and with what speed. This is not possible with club-based tasks in which pilots of widely varying ability fly tasks in different directions through many types of weather. Multiply this by the number of clubs across the country each with its own weather systems and you begin to get an idea of the difficulties involved.

Yes! If you choose to fly GRL-DID-GRL-DID-GRL, there is nothing in the rules to stop you. Not very adventurous though and you may also find that such flights will not qualify for badges or records.

Your club Ladder Steward is able to specify whether or not a Local Ladder conforms National Ladder rules. If it does, then your main Ladder scores will automatically appear in the associated Local Ladder. 

If the Local Ladder has not been linked to the National Ladder, then the Club Ladder Steward alone is responsible for maintaining that Local Ladder. Pilots who wish their National Ladder flights to be represented on their Local Ladder should send their flight details to their Club Ladder steward, who will then process the information accordingly.

Unlike rated competitions in which penalties may be applied during the period of the competition, the Ladder must be able to accept all valid flights held throughout the year. Currently, any cross-country flight that penetrates restricted airspace is accepted PROVIDED that prior clearance had been sought and granted. The problem for club ladder stewards is in confirming that such clearance had been received and therefore it is difficult to devise a mechanism for penalising claims that include unapproved airspace penetration.  

Pilots should be aware of and fully understand the guidance provided by the BGA in this respect. In particular, pilots who are in leading positions in the Ladder must post their logger files on the website in order to win a Trophy. Because these files are open to public scrutiny, pilots should ensure that their contents are beyond reproach. Note also that BGA Trophies will not be awarded for flights supported by logger files that include unapproved penetration of airspace. 

The Ladder is primarily a club-based competition and the National element was introduced solely as an attempt to let others know what can be achieved during a given season. It is not claimed to be a fair competition at the National level, and not just for the reasons quoted in this question. Other factors include the availability of an effective launch mechanism, whether the club operates daily rather than weekend-only, whether the pilot has unrestricted access to a glider on a given day and a host of other factors.  

The Distance Ladder was introduced to encourage pilots to supply ladder claims even when their claimed flights may not score highly enough to beat their current best four. There is no limit to the number of flights that may be submitted for the Distance Ladder, so encouraging competition right to the end of the Ladder season.

Not really a FAQ, as it has only been asked once during my tenure, but an interesting one, nonetheless. Scotland and the rest of the UK occasionally enjoy Bank Holidays on different days, so how does that day count in respect of the Weekend Ladder? In order to remove the need for carrying three generations of birth certificates, the rule should be assumed to refer to whether or not the day is a Bank Holiday at the site of launch.