• Western Canadian Championship (Long distance)

The area contains an intricate and steep hill in the southern part and a less complex area of small hills and valleys in the northern part. The southern hill has a lot of rock detail and a maze-like collection of paths. Competitors will need to slow down and read the map carefully in this area. There are some marshes, ponds and lakes on the map. These were mapped in April. By July they will be drier than indicated. The runnability is mixed. We have planned the courses to use the best parts of the forest, but even mapped-white forest has some fallen trees and the visibility is generally quite low.

The competition map is at 1:7500 with 4 meter contours in order to capture the complexity of the southern hill which has recently been re-mapped to a high level of detail. The northern area was mapped a few years ago (with some recent updating) at lower level of detail. Competitors on the longer courses will definitely notice the transition in mapping style as they move into the northern part of the map.

Almost all the trails are heavily used by mountain bikers and walkers. Please watch out for all! Longer courses go through a popular disc golf course in the north of the map. There are a few minor unmapped trails in this area and especially around the golf targets.

Courses 9 (M-20A, M35, W21E) and 10 (M21E) will share a map exchange control. Please be very careful to pick up the correct new map and to dispose of your used map tidily! There will be three boxes:

1. new map for course 9
2. old map disposal box
3. new map for course 10.

Water controls will be provided on all but the shortest courses.

Climb, measured on the shortest reasonable route, is about 5% of the as-the-crow-flies straight-line course length on all courses.

Warm up thoroughly - the courses start up hill.

• Western Canadian Championship (Sprint distance)
• Negligible climb
• In order to obtain permission to run in this area we must assign early start times, and promise everyone will be on their best behavior (no running over tourists, no going through flower beds, no running through the uncrossable water features, and so on). We understand this is a race, but please remember we are guests, and there are other guests, and be respectful to other visitors and to landowners and businesses.

• World Ranking Event (WRE)
• Western Canadian Championship (Middle distance)
• This is the day of the soccer World Cup Final, which kicks-off at 11:30am local time. To give fans an opportunity to watch the game we have a fairly early start time and have delayed awards until the following day.

Parking is on the Cal-Cheak Forestry Service Road.

Directions to parking from Whistler:

Allow at least 30 minutes, plus 20 minutes for walk from parking to assembly area.

There is no left turn onto the Cal-Cheak Forestry Service road from Highway 99, therefore you must drive all the way south to Brandywine Falls day use area, turn around there (maybe stopping for 15-20 minutes to visit the Falls), and head back north, as follows:

• From Whistler Village, drive south 17km on Highway 99 to Brandywine Falls day use area. Turn left into the parking lot.
• Return to the Highway 99 and drive north 4.2km (passing the competition map on your right). Turn right off the highway onto the Cal-Cheak FSR. You will notice sign posts for Cal-Cheak campsite and the Whistler Bungee jump.
• Drive 0.7km along a dirt road and park well off the road, in the gravel pit area on the left of the road.
  

Directions to parking from Vancouver:

Depending on your starting location, allow at least 90 minutes plus 20 minutes for walk to the assembly area.

Take Highway 99 to Brandywine Falls then continue north, following directions as above.

Directions from parking to the assembly area:

Allow 15-20 minutes to walk from parking to assembly area.

From the parking follow flagging tape through the Cal-Cheak campsite, crossing Callaghan Creek on the pedestrian suspension bridge and continue along the hiking trails.  This is a scenic hike, though parts of the trail have a lot of roots to step over. The walk is generally flat, mostly along the side of the river.

• The early start is to allow more time up in the alpine
• Because of the tight schedule, we would certainly appreciate help with control pickup starting at 11:00am.

Relay Format

Three legs, no forking. Leg difficulty is as follows:

• Leg 1 - 2.6km advanced course.
• Leg 2 - 2.0km intermediate course.
• Leg 3 - 3.4km advanced course.

We expect the following fastest times:
Leg 1: 21 minutes
Leg 2: 18 minutes
Leg 3: 27 minutes

Team Composition

• You should make teams if possible from your club. Orienteers from far away should make teams from your region, or your country
•  Fill in your  team list and submit to Registration desk before Sunday July 11th at noon. Full details on the  to the Registration desk before Sunday noon.

Kids' race

This relay is not suitable for children 14 years old and under. For these young stars we will hold a mass-start race at 8:30am. There will be two courses based on the regular age groups. The courses will be in the vicinity of the school and will allow for lots of cheering.

Non-relay option

If you really, absolutely, definitely don't want to take part in the relay (which would be a tragic decision ;-) we will have a number of extra Leg 1 maps prepared. Report to the special area close to the start line at 8:50am. You will be part of the mass start - to make a big spectacle!

Relay tips - mass starts & following 

To prepare for the chaos of the mass start you must do lots of mental preparation so that you are able to focus on your own navigation and not be distracted by others. To help with this mental preparation, here are two video clips from the absolutely massive Jukola relay ... Video One and Video Two (warning: these take a while to download, but they are worth it).

Following: While following is generally frowned upon in orienteering (actually it is quite against the rules), an exception is made for relays. In fact a lot of the fun of running in a relay is being in a "train" - moving together with other runners much faster than you would if you were alone.

The event center is at Myrtle Philip School, on Lorimer Road west of Highway 99. View a Whistler map.

There is no parking allowed at the event center � all the parking is reserved for other school users. We have been granted permission to use this area only if all participants walk from Whistler Village. Please do not cause trouble by attempting to park at the school or in the surrounding residential areas.

If driving to Whistler:
Park at Day Lot 4 in Whistler Village.
Walk along Lorimer Road west and north for about 1.3km
Allow 25 minutes.

If walking from Whistler Village:
Walk north to Lorimer Road and turn west (crossing Highway 99)
From Aava Hotel, approx 1.7km
Allow 30 minutes.

• IMPORTANT: You must have a valid gondola ticket to take part in this event. The price of the gondola ticket is included in the race entry fee, however you must pick up your gondola ticket from the Registration desk prior to this event! There will be no event organizers at the bottom of the gondola to help you if you don't bring your ticket! If you can not pickup your ticket and registration package at an earlier race then please email the registrar to make other arrangements.
• We are not able to refund gondola or BBQ tickets, despite the cancellation of the race.

A very long sprint-style race on a sprint-standard map, visiting the totem poles, the beluga whales (watch video), Coal Harbour, and many other fabulous spots in Vancouver�s iconic park. The courses are designed to show off the scenic wonders of one of the world's great urban parks and we hope they will bring a smile to your face as you navigate through this special place.

This race takes part in one of Vancouver's busiest parks. Please be especially courteous to other park users. In particular:

• Do not enter any flower garden or similar planted area.
• Obey the ISSOM mapping specification rules about which features may be crossed (see the "Forbidden Features" section above).
• Run around baseball, cricket, golf games and art sales.
• The roads are not closed. Use caution and common sense.
• Respect other park users and take special care to avoid cyclists and roller-skaters. On the seawall there are separate lanes for cyclists and pedestrians. Please stay in the pedestrian lane
• In a busy urban environment controls may disappear or be moved. Be alert to this.
• Most courses have two maps, placed back-to-back in the map bag. You will need to turn over the map part way through the course.
• The maps are tabloid size - very big!
• Water on the course is at public drinking fountains, which are marked on the race map with a purple cup symbol.
• Running shoes recommended. Metal studs are not allowed.

SportIdent card issues:

• Some of the courses have more controls than can be stored in some of the lower-capacity SI-cards. To deal with this in the simplest way, we will be using "dummy punches" on the course. These will look and feel to you exactly as a normal control - the only difference is the "dummy controls" will not record a punch in your SI-Card - but your SI-Card will be recorded in the control, so we will know if you were there or not. When you get your splits you will obviously not see a split for the dummy control.
• For your information:
• SI-Card 5: 36 punches
  SI-Card 6: 68 punches
  SI-Card 8: 33 punches
  SI-Card 9: 50 punches
• See here for information about SI-Cards 6, 8, and 9
• See here for information about SI-Card 5

Directions to Stanley Park from Whistler:

Allow at least 120 minutes.

Take Highway 99 south from Whistler and enjoy approximately 90 minutes of stunning scenery, including a wonderful drive along the cliff-shores of Howe Sound. When you reach Horseshoe Bay, stay on Highway 1 and take Exit 13 onto Taylor Way. Follow the signs to Vancouver and cross over the Lions Gate bridge into Stanley Park.

Follow the remaining directions on the tourist map below.
Immediately after crossing the Lions Gate Bridge take the right-hand exit onto Park Drive. Follow this road as it winds around the perimeter of the park, and turn onto North Lagoon Drive. Then turn left and drive under the Stanley Park Causeway, and turn right off the roundabout to rejoin Park Drive. Turn left onto Avison Way and find parking just past the aquarium. Pay parking is in effect throughout the park.

Here are a map and guide showcasing Vancouver's premier park, highlighting Stanley Park's status as one of the great urban parks of the world. The map and guide offers key information on activities, attractions, history, forest and wildlife, hidden gems and more. Information about restaurants, the Seawall, the Children's Farmyard, Miniature Railway, Aquarium and other attractions will help you plan your visit to this exceptional, 1000 acre park located next door to bustling downtown Vancouver.

Download Stanley Park Map + Guide   [2Mb]

Download Stanley Park Map   [867kb]

UBC is a delightful and large campus with many UBC attractions in including:

• Museum of Anthropology. A place of world arts + cultures, highlighting magnificent Northwest Coast carvings and contemporary artwork beneath soaring glass walls overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
• Blue Whale skeleton at the Museum of Biodiversity. Super cool
• UBC Aquatics Cente featuring outdoor & indoor pools. A good place to shower, swim, Jacuzzi, lounge around the outdoor pool following the event. Cost about $5.00.
• Student Recreation Centre, next door to the assembly area, has free showers and change rooms available.