"Try Orienteering" at the Canmore Nordic Centre during National Orienteering Week.
This event will be a gentle introduction to orienteering racing. A short clinic will explain the basics of navigation using the orienteering map and simple racing strategies. A mass-start race will follow in the Canmore Nordic Centre trail system. The clinic and race course will be designed for first time and intermediate level orienteers of all ages and fitness levels. Individuals, teams, and family entries invited.
This event is also the 2010 Grand Opening of the permanent orienteering courses which has been installed at the Nordic Center to give groups and individuals the opportunity to develop their navigation and map reading skills at their own convenience on a series of increasingly challenging orienteering courses.
This event is a "come and try it" event, it is open to all levels of ability, fitness, and orienteering experience. Race fees include post-event refreshments at the Nordic Center.
Latest News
| Dec 15 | Preliminary information |
Event Schedule
| Sunday May 9th 2010 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 10:00am - 10:45am | Clinic | Nordic Center Day Lodge |
| 11:00am | Kids race | Nordic Center Stadium |
| 11:30am | Adults race | Nordic Center Stadium |
| 12:30pm | Awards | Nordic Center Day Lodge |
| 1:30pm | Course closing | |
Registration
Click here to register online. Register online to avoid lineups and delays on the day. On the day registration will be subject to a $2 extra fee.
Entry fee is $10/person. Entry fee includes post-race refreshments.
Race Info
Super important SAFETY information
- You must always report to the finish, even if you don�t finish your course. This is to avoid us worrying unnecessarily and/or pointlessly executing our emergency search procedure. Regardless of anything else, you must report to the finish by course closing (at 1:30pm).
- Everyone must carry a whistle. In an emergency, repeatedly blow three blasts on the whistle until help arrives. Competitors hearing three whistle blasts must abandon their race and go to give help.
- Consider carrying a cellular phone if you are unfamiliar with the Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park terrain. Call the Day Lodge (403.678.2400) or make noise to alert others of your presence if you become lost.
- Make lots of noise as you travel through the woods to alert wildlife of your presence. For more information on dealing with wildlife, please visit www.wildsmart.ca
- Pay attention to the details of the map � avoid steep hills or other natural hazards.
- At the Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park there are many options for which trails you can take from one control point to another. The straightest line is sometimes not the fastest way from one control to the next � the terrain between the control points could make another route faster. Consider your route carefully!
Kids Race
A free, fun run around the stadium area designed for kids under 10. Very simple orienteering, suitable for tots being led around by their parents. This course will also be available to adults before 11:00am so they can warm-up and practice the basic mechanics of orienteering. No pre-registration required.
Adults Race
A mass-start event on the Black permanent course. Everyone will start together at 11:00am. We expect very fast running times from the winners but even walkers will have plenty of time to complete the course.
What to wear
- Sturdy running shoes or hiking boots. They will get dirty, so don't wear your favorite new shoes.
- Tights or long running pants. Keep in mind that you might want to take shortcuts through the forest, so your clothes might get snagged or torn - so wear old stuff.
- Long sleeve shirt - an old technical shirt is a good choice.
- Bring a change of clothes (including socks!) to switch into after the race.
Maps
Maps will be in plastic bags to protect them during the race. The maps are yours to keep after the race.
Event details
| Officials | Adrian Zissos (email: adrian 'at' barebones.ca) Charlotte MacNaughton (email: charlotte 'at' barebones.ca) |
| Map |
Canmore Nordic Centre (new in 2007) Scale: 1:10,000 with 5m contours |
| Notes | Part of National Orienteering Week |
| Entry fees | $10/person - includes post-race refreshments. Kids race is free. |
| Directions |
Park at the Canmore Nordic Centre Day lodge. Start / Finish are in the stadium. The clinic will be held inside the Day Lodge. |
Courses & Categories
| Black Course (40 - 60 minutes) Technically challenging. with lots of off-trail navigation |
Open Sport - Solo Sport - Team Youth Plus (16 - 19) |
| Blue Course (30 - 45 minutes) Controls close to trails, short-cuts through the forest possible, more complex navigation |
Junior (10 - 12) Youth (13 - 15) Venerable (60 & over) |
| Green Course (30 - 45 minutes) All on trails, with simple navigation and limited route choices |
Super Juniors (9 & under) Family |
| Score Course (45 minutes) Variety of control sites. Visit as many as you like in any order. |
Recreational New in 2010 - the Score course |
First Aid and Emergency
- Adrian Zissos is the Safety Chief
- Limited first aid is available at the finish.
- Contact Adrian Zissos (cell: 403 585 8478) in the case of serious injury or an overdue competitor.
- Medical services are available in Canmore. Dialing 911 will contact emergency services.
Results
Results are available at the Trail Sports website (click logo below). These results will be continuously updated as more people try the courses, so keep an eye out for new fastest times!
Clinic - Introduction to Orienteering
Free clinic in the Day Lodge. No pre-registration required.
This clinic will cover the rules, the map, navigation, route selection, and safety. In addition, it will cover the logistics of the race, including the start, what to do when you arrive at a control, what to do at the finish, and proper use of the timing equipment. No previous orienteering experience necessary.
About the Permanent Courses
The Canmore Nordic Center in partnership with Trail Sports and the Foothills Wanderers Orienteering Club have installed a set of permanent orienteering courses.
There are two types of orienteering course at the Nordic Center: �point-to-point� courses in which you visit all the check-points in the specified order, and a �score� course where you visit as many check-points as you want in any order. The point-to-point courses are great for racing, while the score course is good for exploring at your own pace and developing basic navigation and map reading skills.
There are three point-to-point courses of increasing difficulty (Green, Blue, and Black) for runners, walkers and hikers. In addition there is a fourth course for mountain bikers. All courses are changed up mid-season � to give people new challenges and to take participants into different parts of the park. Timing is done using electronic chips, and fastest times are posted to the Trail Sports website.
New in 2010 is the Score course � points are earned for each check-point
visited, and you choose how many of them to visit and in which order. Of course,
competitive types will want to score maximum points by visiting all controls in the
least amount of time.
The permanent courses will be available to individuals or groups to use at their convenience. For a small fee anyone will be able to get a map, a �how to� brochure, and a rental SI punch at Trail Sports. At the end of their course, participants will get a print out of their splits, and their splits will be uploaded to the permanent course website. The Permanent Courses are expected to be popular with adventure racers, hiking groups, school groups, summer camp groups, scouts, cadets, and the casual park visitors too.
Links
- Orienteering Lingo
- Foothills Wanderers Orienteering Club - local orienteering club's "intro to orienteering" page.
- Barebones - greatest event in all Canada! Held in Whistler, July 9 - 13
- Alberta Orienteering - news and schedule of events in Alberta & neighboring areas
- Canadian Orienteering Federation - many Orienteering resources and links