LAOC Skills Seminar

Route Choice and other assorted advanced skills

Resources

OUSA Skill Level Progression Program (“Patch Program”)

OUSA Training Videos

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Five Orienteering Techniques

• Attackpoint - Find something close to your control that you can easily navigate to and then “attack” the control from there with precision navigation.
• Handrail - Follow a linear feature as a guide along a route.
• Beginner - Paths, Fences, Walls
• Intermediate - Streams, Clearing edges, Power lines
• Advanced - Distinct Vegetation boundaries, Reentrants, Water features
• Expert - Subtle Vegetation Boundaries, Ridgelines, Change in slope, Parallel to handrail
• Collecting Features - Keep track of features along your route as you pass them to know that you’re on track; THUMBING!
• Catching Features - Approach from a direction so that you will hit an obvious linear feature if you miss your control.
• Aiming Off - Approach your control or a collecting feature from the left or right, so you know which side you are definitely on. Commonly used when taking a bearing to a catching/collecting feature.

Planning and executing your route

• CAR Route Planning - plan backwards!
• Control - Identify the next control location
• Attackpoint - Find the attackpoint you want to use to best attack the control, consider catching features as well
• Route - Plan the fastest route to your attackpoint that you feel confident you can execute
• Execution
• Put the five techniques to work
• Use distance estimation and collecting features to catch errors quickly
• Red Light, Yellow Light, Green Light
• Green - Move fast when you’re sure of your route
• Yellow - Slow down when precision is needed
• Red - STOP when you’re unsure or fall out of contact with the map
• Never go faster than you know where you are on the map

Relocation

When you lose contact, you must regain it quickly. Relocate sooner rather than later.

• Stop moving, don’t wander aimlessly.
• Orient your map with your compass - if you’re unsure of your position, assume that features won’t line up
• Find an obvious feature in the terrain
• Acquire that feature on the map

If you cannot successfully relocate, then return to a known position or bail out to an obvious place where you can relocate.

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Evaluation and Training

Use a GPS watch or Phone app to record your track as you run. Use Routegadget or Quickroute to see the track on the map.

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World of O often has route choice analysis

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Armchair Orienteering has always been good practice - Just pull out a map and study!

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