Sierra Summerfest

Table of contents

Sierra Summerfest

2013 Western States Championships

A-meet Sprint, Middle, & Long Events
Plus Wilderness Scramble, Fun Event, Sierra Goat/Kid, OUSA AGM

Date: Jul. 25 - 29, 2013
Location: Lake Tahoe Area
Event Directors: - 510.407.1876 (A-meet), - 650.365.4275 (Thursday), - 650.281.5280 (Friday PM), (Monday)
Course Setters: Bruce Wolfe (Thursday), Steve Gregg (Friday AM), Nik Weber (Friday PM), Rex Winterbottom (Saturday), Deron van Hoff (Sunday), Greg Walker (Monday)
Type: A; Six events over five days, including A-meet Sprint, Middle, and Long events (comprising the 2013 Western States Championships); Orienteering USA Annual General Meeting (pending park approval)

Please note that fees and time limits apply. Events are typically not canceled due to bad weather.


The results are available


The 2013 Sierra Summerfest will consist of the following events:


Date Day Venue Format
 July 25   Thursday PM  Spooner Lake State Park Wilderness Scramble
(Mass-start Score-O)
July 26 Friday AM  Donner Memorial State Park   A-meet Sprint 
July 26 Friday PM Burton Creek State Park Motala
July 27 Saturday AM Little Truckee Summit  A-meet Middle 
July 28 Sunday AM Little Truckee Summit  A-meet Long 
July 29 Monday AM Northstar California Resort Tahoe Goat
 (Mass-start TrailCross


Other dates to remember:

Truckee Recreation Center is located at 8924 Donner Pass Road, off the Pioneer Center Roundabout. From the west, take exit 188A and turn left on Donner Pass Road to the roundabout. From the east, take exit 188 and turn right, take the first roundabout to Donner Pass Road, and then the next roundabout (Pioneer Center) to the recreation center.

If this is your first A-meet, you might want to read this information about what to expect. Also, please do not be intimidated by this being an A-meet! The courses will not be any more difficult than at a local event.

Event Schedules

The detailed schedules for the Sierra Summerfest events will be as follows:


Activity  Thursday  Friday AM  Friday PM  Saturday Sunday Monday
 Registration/Check-in   2:45 PM  9:00–11:30 AM 2:00 PM 9:00 AM – noon 8:00–11:00 AM  8:30–9:30 AM 
 Shuttle Buses Run  9:00 AM – 2:30 PM   8:00 AM – 2:30 PM 
 Beginners’ Clinics 3:25 PM 9:30–10:30 AM 2:30 PM 9:30–10:30 AM 8:30–9:30 AM TBD
 Map Distribution 3:15 PM
 Pre-race Instructions  3:15 PM   2:45 PM  9:45 AM
 Mass Start 4:00 PM 3:00 PM 10:00 AM
 Starts*  10:00 AM – noon   2:30–3:30 PM   10:00 AM – 12:30 PM  9:00–11:30 AM
 Course Time Limit 90 min. 1 hour 2 hours 2 hours 3 hours 4 hours
 Courses Close 5:30 PM 1:00 PM 5:00 PM 2:30 PM 2:30 PM 2:00 PM
 Awards 6:00 PM 1:00 PM TBD
 * A-meet entrants will have pre-assigned start times within the given periods for the A-meet events (see the Note below).


Note: Preassigned start times for the A-meet events are available here (https://www.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/a31/reglist/?event_id=38). Start times will be available on packets, at Registration, and at the Start. Please make sure you are at the Start at least five minutes before your assigned start time. We might be able to accommodate people who are late, but it will be most convenient for everyone if you are on time.

Note that there are remote Starts on Saturday and Sunday. Be sure to allow enough time for waiting for the shuttle bus, the bus ride, and the walk to the Start. Also, be sure to be at the Start five minutes before your assigned start time.

As a special treat, wood-fired pizzas will be served on Sunday from about 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM at Wheeler Sheep Camp, which is near the Start/Finish and assembly area.

Registration

Early registration is now closed, but you can register at the event. (The deadline for early registration was 8:00 PM PDT July 14.)

Note to "Recreational" Participants: Early registration is not available for recreational courses on Friday morning, Saturday, and Sunday. Registration for those courses will be at the events. However, everyone needs to register early for the "fun events" (Thursday, Friday PM, Monday) in order to pay the reduced fees for those events.

Do you want to know who is registered? Use this link (https://www.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/a31/reglist/?event_id=38).


Early-Registration Fees (deadline July 14)
 
Event  Adult (21&up)   Junior (20&under) 
A-meet days* (Fri AM, Sat, Sun) $33 $13
 Other events (Thurs, Fri PM, Mon)  $10 $5
Package deal for all six events* $107 $42


Day-of-Event Fees
 
Event  Adult (21&up)   Junior (20&under) 
A-meet days* (Fri AM, Sat, Sun) $45 $20
 Other events (Thurs, Fri PM $15 $10
 Monday TrailCross  See the event page


* OUSA/IOF discount will be applied to A-meet days ($4 Adult / $2 Junior per event)

Saturday night dinner: $21 Adult / $15 Junior – salad, chicken or veggie enchiladas, beans/rice, chicken fajitas, cookies, iced tea or lemonade

Short-sleeve T-shirt: $15 – technical, sand color with Summerfest logo

Awards

The three-day A-meet competition, which is open to all, will simultaneously be the Western States Championships for those who are eligible.

Results

The event write-up and comments, and links to all the results are on the event results page. For convenience, links to the results for each day are also below.

Volunteers

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated. Please take a look at our volunteer spreadsheet (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmBSHkUlORdCdHlka1FCOVU2cldSS0k1dTBNTmtIRFE&usp=sharing) and sign up, or contact the respective Event Directors.

July 20th Update:

We still have quite a few gaps in our list of volunteers (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmBSHkUlORdCdHlka1FCOVU2cldSS0k1dTBNTmtIRFE#gid=0), and are especially in need of people for:
  • Beginner's Clinics (all days)
  • Finishes, especially for Friday's sprint
  • Parking help Saturday (8:30–10) and Sunday (7:30–9) mornings
  • Refreshment purchase and setup
There are other odds and ends, and if you can help in any way please contact or put your name on the list (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmBSHkUlORdCdHlka1FCOVU2cldSS0k1dTBNTmtIRFE#gid=0).

Request for help with E-punch:

One of the BAOC volunteers has dropped out of the Summerfest entirely. So, if you have any experience with OE2010, even a little, we could use your help. The shifts needed are Saturday 10–11:15 and Sunday 9–10:30. There will be two volunteers working at all times, so you would always have the help of an experienced volunteer to rely on.
Please let know if you can help even part of those times.

Request for early runners:

Like to run in the cool early morning hours? Want to get away from the crowds? Got plans for a day in Tahoe after your run?
We have an opportunity for early runners for the Saturday and Sunday A-meet events (all courses) at Little Truckee Summit (July 27–28). This is an important part of making sure we have a successful event. Plan to start about 2 hours before the first scheduled start (or plan to finish before the official start window).
Note: This will still be an official run. On the remote chance that there is a major problem with the course, you will have the option of taking a Sporting Withdrawal. If a control doesn't beep, just punch and go, and report it to the course setter at the end.
If you can help with this, please contact .

Travel

Typically, the most convenient and fastest way to the Tahoe area is by car. Other forms of transportation to the area include trains and buses. The Amtrak Zephyr train leaves Emeryville in the Bay Area once a day and stops possibly in Truckee and definitely in Reno. There are a couple of Amtrak buses that leave from Sacramento to Truckee each day. The MegaBus (http://us.megabus.com/.aspx) runs from San Francisco and Sacramento to Reno, and has very good deals.

If you are flying to this area, San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose Airports handle North American and some international traffic. Sacramento and Reno airports handle more local traffic but are closer to the events.

Note that Orienteering USA has a discount program with Hertz Rent-a-Car (http://link.hertz.com/link.html?id=25721&LinkType=HZLK&TargetType=Offers_overview) (CDP 1916601). Anyone (members and non-members) can use this discount at any time, for any travel whatsoever​—​for orienteering and non-orienteering personal use, and on business. (In addition to the discount you receive, there's a benefit to Orienteering USA.)

Driving directions to the individual events are on the respective event pages.


Driving Distances to Events from Various Cities
 
Event  Truckee   Tahoe City   Reno   Carson City 
 Spooner Lake (Thur) 30 27 47 14
 Donner Lake (Fri Morning) 3 16 35 46
 Burton Creek (Fri Afternoon) 18 3 50 40
 Little Truckee Summit (Sat/Sun)  16 31 45 57
 Northstar (Mon) 7 16 37 37


Google Map

Map Legend

Thur. PM, July 25 – Spooner Lake – Scramble
Fri. AM, July 26 – Donner Memorial Park – A-meet Sprint
Fri. PM, July 26 – Burton Creek – Motala
Sat.-Sun., July 27-28 – Little Truckee Summit A-meet – 2013 Western States Champs
Mon. AM, July 29 – Northstar Resort – Sierra TrailCross

Lodging

Two words: Reserve soon!

Late July is an optimum time to be in the Tahoe area, and we won’t be the only ones there. Options range from campgrounds (more details below) to full-service resorts.

We have set aside a block of rooms at Truckee Donner Lodge in Truckee, just off I-80 less than 0.5 miles from Donner Memorial State Park. Call 1-877-TRUCKEE (878-2533) for our group rate (BODP13, Bay Area Orienteering Club), rooms available with one king or two queen beds, $119/$129 weekdays and $149/$169 weekends. This hotel has free wifi, small pool and hot tub, and free breakfast. (Note: As of June 23, there are no more rooms available.)

We also have special rates at The Inn at Truckee: one king or two queen beds, $99/$109 weekdays and $129/$149 weekends, 1-888-773-6888, "HI000 Bay Area Orienteering Club". (Note: The special rates expired on June 23.)

Orienteering USA’s sponsor, Choice Hotels (http://www.choicehotels.com), has some budget options in Reno and Carson City. Choice properties can be booked through Orienteering USA (which offers a 15% discount and yields a percentage back to OUSA); visit this website (http://www.choicehotels.com/en/sports-travel) and use the "Select Rate" drop-down menu to select "Special Rate/Corp ID" and enter the OUSA ID number 00228560.

Note:
  • The Choice Hotels discount program ended March 31, 2015.
  • Choice Hotels includes these chains: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, Econo Lodge, and Rodeway Inn.
  • Anyone (members and non-members) can use this discount at any time, for any travel whatsoever​—​for orienteering and non-orienteering personal use, and on business.

Alternatives include Northstar California Resort (http://www.northstarattahoe.com/) (hotel rooms to 4-bedroom condos; shops and pool/spa/gym on site) and vacation rental homes (North Lake Tahoe Visitors' Bureaus (http://www.gotahoenorth.com/) and Vacation Rentals by Owner (http://www.vrbo.com/)) that can be convenient and economical if you can get a group together.

Camping

This year the main camping area for the Sierra Summerfest will be at Donner Memorial State Park (http://www.campsitephotos.com/campground/Donner-Memorial-State-Park) in Truckee. We have reserved several individual sites to share on the Ridge Campground loop in the park. We have reservations as follows:

Three of the sites are for juniors and their families.

If you are interested in sharing those sites, tell what nights and how many people. As of June 30, we have room for only a few more people on the sites we have reserved.

July 9 Update:

We have places for only two more people on our 8 sites at Donner Memorial State Park, and no other sites are available.
Nancy received an e-mail from Mike Burns (CROC) offering a site at Goose Meadows Campground (http://www.campsitephotos.com/campground/Goose-Meadows), which is between Truckee and Tahoe City. If somebody wants to camp and take over this site for Thursday through Sunday nights, they should contact as soon as possible. There is one other site still available at Goose Meadows, so this might be our overflow area when all our Donner sites are filled.

We are going to be there during the peak season, so if you want to camp, be sure to reserve your space early. If you reserve a space, please let Nancy know if you have room for others at your site.

Here's the link for campground information and reservations (http://www.reserveamerica.com/campgroundDetails.do?subTabIndex=0&contractCode=ca&parkCode=donn).

Metal bear-resistant food lockers are provided for each campsite. All food, beverages, and toiletries are required by law to be stored in the food lockers.

There are flush toilets and coin-operated showers (bring quarters).

Eight people and two vehicles are allowed per site. Overflow parking for extra vehicles is nearby on the Ridge Loop. (One vehicle is included in the fee for each site. There's an $8/day fee for each additional vehicle. Parking outside the park is free.)

This loop is very close to a great swimming area. We can just walk over there to swim. (The water might be a little cold in July.)

I tried six months ahead of time, at 8:00 AM, to get a Wednesday-night site at Nevada Beach campground, but everything was already taken by people who reserved for multiple days.

For those who like to be farther out, there are good campsites available in the Tahoe National Forest by Jackson Meadow Reservoir and various other nearby areas, for about $15–20/night, and still available (as of June 16).

For U.S. Forest Service campsites, visit this website (http://www.recreation.gov).