Orienteering Competitions

[Paradox]

Has anyone ever competed in an "Orienteering Competition"?

Tell me about it. What did you like about it? What didn't you like about it?

 

[SAR-EMT40]

Has anyone ever competed in an "Orienteering Competition"?

Tell me about it. What did you like about it? What didn't you like about it?

Yep. I help teach it to scoutmasters and others. I have done many orienteering competitions including a few ROGAINE's.

They are useful in teaching basic map and compass and frankly they are just great fun. It starts easy with white and yellow courses and increases in difficulty and length to red and blue courses. There is lots of information on the net.

People who train in orienteering events are not necessarily great navigators though they may be outstanding orienteers. There are subtle differences in the sport as compared to the work. Including the fact that the maps in orienteering are works of incredible technical detail. Land nav is usually done with outdated 1:24000 maps, if lucky. There are other subtle differences involved but as basic map and compass, orienteering is a great way to learn the basics and in a controlled environment increase your experience level.

Add to that there are very many different types of o-events such as ski-o's and mountain bike o events and kayak or canoe o's. They even have ham radio o-events and it makes for a fun type of activity.

ROGAINE's are long distance, long duration usually 6, 12 or 24 hour and sometimes longer events often with checked 1:24000 scale maps so they are closer to real land navigation and are real endurance tests as well as a test of navigation skills and are scored in different ways. Frankly, they are a blast and require a pretty high skill level and my personal belief is they are a great introduction to bushwhacking.

You should have no problem getting information on o-event in the area on the internet. If you do, let me know.

Keith

 

[REK]

I love orienteering. It's actually very alive and well in New England with several active clubs.

http://www.upnoor.org/
http://www.newenglandorienteering.org/sched.htm#schedstart

Events are run at various locations including state and local parks and other woodsy venues. My favorite place id Pawtuckaway, it gets pretty gnarly in there. Ahearn State Park, Mine Falls Park, Fox Forest, Fort Rock, Beaver Brook, UNH College Woods are other local places that I've been to meets.
Up North Orienteers has a camping weekend in Sept at P-way with almost constant running. They have all courses on both days and two special ones on Saturday night. The Vampire-O is sort of like flashlight tag. You get as many controls as you can in an hour (Score-O) but you have to watch out for the six Vampires who will "Vamp" you and take your scorecard. The second one is the "Wicked Hard Night-O". It's just what it says.

Like Keith said you start easy and work up over time. Courses range from White (easiest) through Yellow, Orange, to Brown (for old guys like me), Green, Red, and Blue. The last four are all technically difficult but of increasing length.

What I like best is the challenge. There is something to setting what you hope is the best course through the woods and by careful compass work, pace counting, and serious map reading you find that small knoll or depression in the middle of nowhere, right where it's supposed to be. Very satisfying! The maps are nothing short of artwork. The other thing I like are the folks themselves. You can find yourself in with some truly world class runners or maybe a couple of champions. They are all willing to help out. It's sort of a solitary endeavor (running as hard as you can through the puckerbrush is not really a communal activity) so you won't find anything like big summit celebrations but there is a sense of camaraderie after all.

I wear glasses (progressive lenses so contacts are out) and I HATE rain! but not enough to keep me home. It make it hard to read the map.

Check out all the info on the web and just go try it. Every meet has someone who will teach the beginner (Last anecdote, I promise!. I learned from an elderly Norwegian couple 11 years ago who were old then. They have 20 years on me. They still regularly kick my butt!)
Bob

 

[arghman]

I did a "sno-deo" once (snowshoe orienteering). Got lost in some mountain laurel & ran out of time, otherwise it was kinda fun.

I dunno if this is the way it always works, but they gave us a paper card, and each of the stations we had to visit had a special orange punch with needles making a different shape (e.g. letters or numbers) and when you get to the station, you punch your card at the appropriate spot. This is proof that you actually got there.

I'd definitely do it again, more for fun than to be competitive about it.

 

[J.Dub]

I've taken my kids (now aged 12 and 9) to about a half-dozen orienteering meets over the last couple years, and they've loved it. In fact, over the weekend my daughter was urging me to take her to the 10/17 event, since we haven't been to a meet since last spring. It's a fun way to get the kids running around out in the woods, and isn't as committing as a full-day/multi-day hike or backpacking trip.

When we started out, the kids divided the responsibilities: Katie would navigate, while her little brother Adam would punch the passport at the controls. Now that they're both older, they both help with the nav, though Adam still likes to wear the transponder on his finger. (Our local club went digital last year, so the old pin-punches have given way to electronic punches.)

My experience has been different than Keith's, however, in that all the O-meets have used 1:10K maps, not the normal 1:24K topos that most of us are used to from BC hiking. (The couple adventure races I've done have used 1:24K's though...) As he notes, O-maps are MUCH more detailed than the 1:24K's. If you haven't seen an orienteering map, I encourage you to take a look at one sometime. As he said, they're works of art!

The scale difference has caught me out on several occasions, as I've over-shot some control points thinking they were farther away than they actually were.

While there's not time, nor usually the need, to do complex navigation tasks like triangulating your position, O'ing has definitely improved my skill at matching visual cues against landmark/topo information on the map.

 

[SAR-EMT40]

I've taken my kids (now aged 12 and 9) to about a half-dozen orienteering meets over the last couple years, and they've loved it. In fact, over the weekend my daughter was urging me to take her to the 10/17 event, since we haven't been to a meet since last spring. It's a fun way to get the kids running around out in the woods, and isn't as committing as a full-day/multi-day hike or backpacking trip.

When we started out, the kids divided the responsibilities: Katie would navigate, while her little brother Adam would punch the passport at the controls. Now that they're both older, they both help with the nav, though Adam still likes to wear the transponder on his finger. (Our local club went digital last year, so the old pin-punches have given way to electronic punches.)

My experience has been different than Keith's, however, in that all the O-meets have used 1:10K maps, not the normal 1:24K topos that most of us are used to from BC hiking. (The couple adventure races I've done have used 1:24K's though...) As he notes, O-maps are MUCH more detailed than the 1:24K's. If you haven't seen an orienteering map, I encourage you to take a look at one sometime. As he said, they're works of art!

The scale difference has caught me out on several occasions, as I've over-shot some control points thinking they were farther away than they actually were.

While there's not time, nor usually the need, to do complex navigation tasks like triangulating your position, O'ing has definitely improved my skill at matching visual cues against landmark/topo information on the map.

I can see that my statement might have been unclear.

What I meant was that if you are doing backwoods bushwhacking, like in the Whites or Dacks then you are probably using outdated 1:24k maps which is not like orienteering were you get to use 1:10k or better, higher resolution, seriously accurate, field checked maps, by people who really know their stuff.

I assume you are talking about WCOC. A very good club with great maps. Some very good competitors also. Like J. Dub says, you really need to go to an event just to see some of these maps. A single hardwood tree in a stand of softwoods will be located on the map for you. That kind of detail all through these maps. NEOC is also another very active club in the CT/MA area with some real good people. Not to slight anyone because most New England and NY clubs are very good.

Ditto on the scale difference and over shooting also. In the army I typically navigated with 1:25k and 1:50k maps so when I first started orienteering I often did the same thing.

And REK mentions Upnoor. I think they are one of the few clubs in the area that sometimes runs a ROGAINE.

I probably should mention that I have kept, probably every map from every event that I have been to because they are such really increadable pieces of work. If you like maps, you really need to go to some o-events.

Keith

 

[Little Rickie]

Rochester has a very active Orienteering club. They have courses set up in some of our county parks. You can buy a map and go for a hike, on trail or bushwack.

I haven't been to an event yet but it's on my to do list. I'm on their e-mail list.

http://roc.us.orienteering.org/

I see it as away to get some exercise outdoors since it can get boring hiking the same old trails in the local parks.

The Scouts and some dads chased down some check points in Webster Park for a morning of a make shift compition at a campout. The Scouts loved it and was good fun.

 

[RoySwkr]

Tell me about it. What did you like about it? What didn't you like about it?

I used to go to orienteering events right after I got out of college. What I liked was here was a group of friendly people who were willing to share their knowledge, liked to hike off trail, understood and produced maps of excellent quality, and had events at interesting places.

What I didn't like was the running, to be in any way serious you couldn't stop to look at anything interesting you came across, and you basically had to travel very light and ignore all hiking safety rules.

But once I was able to find tiny flags in the woods, I had the confidence to visit off-trail summits, ponds, etc. which were much easier to find and I could do at my own pace on my choice of days.

 

[Paradox]

Thank you all! From what I have learned here and from websurfing, I don't think I am young or fit enough to compete in these things, but I do think it it would be a great father and son activity.

 

[REK]

Thank you all! From what I have learned here and from websurfing, I don't think I am young or fit enough to compete in these things, but I do think it it would be a great father and son activity.

Oh No! Lots of folks walk, take all the time they want, enjoy the scenery, whatever. It's really about being out in the woods. There are some ultras out there but that's their thing, others take hours to do a course. The beauty of this sport is that you are out there by and for yourself. Looking at your lists and reading your posts, you are plenty fit enough (I have no idea how old you are!) Give it a try.
Bob

 

[Paradox]

Oh No! Lots of folks walk, take all the time they want, enjoy the scenery, whatever. It's really about being out in the woods. There are some ultras out there but that's their thing, others take hours to do a course. The beauty of this sport is that you are out there by and for yourself. Looking at your lists and reading your posts, you are plenty fit enough (I have no idea how old you are!) Give it a try.
Bob

I wasn't very clear in my post. I meant to say that I want to participate in one (or more) with my son, but I won't be out there with a stopwatch and heart rate monitor, trying to place in the top three.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

I probably should mention that I have kept, probably every map from every event that I have been to because they are such really increadable pieces of work. If you like maps, you really need to go to some o-events.
Keith

I was a member of the North American Orienteering Association (NAOA) many years ago, taught some winter orienteering classes, and agree about the maps being fantastic pieces of artwork (besides being very accurate). I also like some of the orienteering map vocabulary, like "re-entrant."

I also noticed that Peter Gagarin, one of the founders of the NAOA, I believe, ran a fine race in the VT50 a couple of weeks ago.

 

[prino]

Another fan of orienteering here. You can take part in any level of "O" competition as they always have many class levels, especially at the higher end events. My first event was at the Canadian orienteering championships that was held in the Laurentians north of Montreal in 1986 and I was hooked after that, even though I had a very difficult time on the first day (it was a 2 day event)
If you like maps, you'll love orienteering.
Although it is a "competitive sport" do not be put off, a lot of people just enter to be out there in the woods having fun with map and compass.

 

[Peaks]

I'm active with NEOC, and Scout Orienteering here in New England. Come on out and try it! Schedule at www.neoc.org.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

I probably should mention that I have kept, probably every map from every event that I have been to because they are such really increadable pieces of work. If you like maps, you really need to go to some o-events.

I'll second that. I signed up for some local events just to get the detailed maps of Gatineau Park.