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All the FAQs

What is Orienteering? When are the events? How much does it cost? What should I bring? What if it rains? What types of events are there? What courses and competitive classes are offered? How do I use electronic punching (EP)? What is e-punching, and how do I read the splits? What are the hazards? What is Lyme Disease? But I was taught to always stay on the trail... What do the abbreviations found in results mean? Where can I get equipment?

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What types of events are there?

Orienteering has four official divisions, Foot-O, Ski-O, Mountain Bike-O, Trail-O, and numerous variants.

Foot-O

Foot-O is what most of us think of as just plain "orienteering." Most BAOC events fall into this category. There are several variations on the theme:

The standard format, used for most meets and all formal competitions. Competitors find several control locations in a specified order; the winner is the person with the fastest time. Competitors start at different times, usually separated by 2 to 4 minutes to discourage following. There are usually several courses available, from beginner through advanced.
Competitors visit as many controls as they can, in any order, within a specified time limit. The controls are worth points, sometimes different amounts based on difficulty. There are usually penalty (minus) points for each minute you finish over the time limit. The winner is the person with the most points; scoring ties are broken by the fastest time.
A long-distance endurance event similar to point-to-point courses. It usually has a mass start and often includes special rules such as permission to skip a control.
Similar to point-to-point orienteering, except that competitors are not allowed to carry a map. They must memorize the course, either in whole or in part. Sometimes there is only one map at the start; sometimes there are maps at one or more controls.
Similar to point-to-point orienteering, except that competitors come back through the start/finish doing several short loops to create a long course. Often used on a small map to create a longer course. Named after the city of Motala, Sweden.
A really long Score-O, with time limits of 3, 6, 12, or 24 hours, generally using really large maps. The acronym "ROGAINE" was invented in the 1970s from Rugged Outdoor Group Activity Involving Navigation and Endurance—or from a combination of the inventor's names (ROd, GAIl, and NEil)—depending on who you ask.

Ski-O

Ski orienteering (http://www.orienteering.org/brief_s.htm) is similar to point-to-point foot orienteering, except that competitors are on cross-country skis. BAOC hosts a couple of Ski-Os each winter, usually at Bear Valley and Royal Gorge.

Mountain Bike-O

Orienteering on mountain bikes is an endurance sport attracting both orienteering and mountain bike enthusiasts. It's the newest of the orienteering disciplines. Mountain Bike-O (http://www.orienteering.org/brief_m.htm) is not a regular part of the BAOC schedule, although we've had a couple of events.

Trail-O

Trail orienteering (http://www.orienteering.org/brief_t.htm) was developed to give those with limited mobility — folks in wheelchairs, with arthritis, etc. — a chance to enjoy the map-reading aspects of orienteering. No athletic ability is required, and speed is not an element of competition. Instead, you must accurately identify, from a distance, which of several control flags precisely matches each circled spot on the map. It's not as easy as it sounds! Trail-O is not a regular part of the BAOC schedule, although we've had a couple of events.

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