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High Summer in the High Sierras

BAOC 2009 Club Championships

Spooner Lake/Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park

Date: Aug. 8 - 9, 2009
Location: Between Incline Village, NV and South Lake Tahoe, CA
Event Directors: - 510.681.6181, - 510.619.5728, - 510.526.9071
Course Setters: Rex Winterbottom, Nik Weber (GCO)
Type: B; 2-day combined middle- and long-distance courses for BAOC annual club championship

Please note that fees and time limits apply, unless otherwise mentioned below. Events are typically not canceled due to bad weather.


Rex will be the Event Director and Course Setter for the Saturday event, which will provide middle-distance courses.

Rosemary and Joan will be the Event Directors for the Sunday event. Nik will be setting the full complement of long-distance (i.e., "classic") courses.

The club champions will be determined from the combined results for both days. Bragging rights go to the best in each class!

Note that there will be a low-key event near Truckee on Friday. More information is available here.


After three years, we return to Spooner Lake in Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park, perched high above (at 7000 feet) and to the east of Lake Tahoe, a way point on the Tahoe Rim Trail. Whether you camp or stay at a resort, the area is superb for scenery, sport, and sun. We expect perfect weather, if you like it hot and dry.

Middle-distance courses set by Rex Winterbottom are offered on Day One, and long (classic-distance) courses set by Niklos Weber are offered on Day Two. The 2-day combined results will be calculated by the Scottish 6-day method, giving points to all runners on a 1000-point scale. The competitor with the top combined points in his/her age category is to be the 2009 Club Champion for that category, with all rights, prizes, and glory attendant thereto.

Beginners are always welcome, and short orienteering orientation classes will be held each day.

Two primary hazards exist for meet participants. First, the altitude, at 7000 feet, means extra attention to hydration and sun exposure. Second, the hot (high 70s) dry weather means extra attention to hydration and sun exposure. Expect to slow down a little, even though the championship is at stake. Reapply your sun screen and wear a hat. Did we mention attention to hydration and sun exposure?

Volunteering for the event allows the good orienteering faeries to bless your lungs and enhance your map reading abilities. Please contact event directors (Saturday), (Sunday) or (Sunday) to offer your assistance.

The Course Setter's Notes for the Saturday middle-distance courses are available here. The Course Setter's Notes for the Sunday long-distance courses are available here.

Schedule

The typical event schedule will be used on Saturday. Please check in at the download tent whether you find all the controls or not. We need to know you are safely out of the woods.

Early starts will be used on Sunday from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Courses close at 1:00 PM. Club Champion awards will be presented as early Sunday afternoon as possible.

Camping

Summer is a very popular time to get away to Lake Tahoe. So much so that almost every weekend the campgrounds are fully reserved. A review of local campgrounds for the Aug 7-8 weekend didn’t find much available, but keep checking because most people reserve months in advance and then cancel the last week or days ahead.

Some links to use:

Dispersed camping is allowed within 300 ft of the Tahoe Rim Trail, but you should use the area south of US 50. North of 50 you risk being on the course terrain and disqualified from the competition.

Driving Directions

Spooner Lake is on Lake Tahoe's east shore near the junction of routes 28 and 50.

From Truckee, exit I-80 at route 267 and head south to King's Beach. At the lake, go left (east) on route 28. Spooner Lake park entrance is approximately 10 miles south of Incline Village, on the left side of the road.

From South Lake Tahoe, take route 50 north approximately 10 miles, then turn left onto route 28. The park entrance will be on the right.

Expect to pay a $5 or $6 parking fee at the entrance kiosk. Free parking is located on the west side of Route 28 just north of the intersection with U.S. 50.

There's a map here that shows the location of the event.