Orienteering - an Overview

The skills needed to complete an orienteering meet depend on the kind of meet and on what level you are competing at. Let’s look at the usual levels offered at an O meet and what skills you need to participate in each level:

• White: These are beginner courses. They should stay on the trail and are usually about a mile long. White courses require few map skills. It is only important to be able to know where you are on the trail on the map. Because you are likely never to deviate off trails and roads, this is a great course for beginners who are nervous about getting lost in the woods.
• Yellow: These are also beginner courses. They are usually about 2 miles long. They follow trails but the markers are usually in the woods off the trail. In other words, you should be able to follow the trail to a point where you deviate off, punch the control, and then get back to the trail to go to the next marker. At this level, it is important to be able to use a compass to orient the map in the direction you are facing and to be able to recognize things like ditches, streams, fences, and man-made objects on the map.
• Orange: This is the intermediate level. It ranges in length from 2 to 4 miles and controls are near distinct features, like rock faces or the top of a knoll. The orange level requires more skill, such as recognizing and reading contour lines, judging distances traveled, and using compass bearings.
• Brown/Green/Red/Blue: The advanced courses are all of the same difficulty but vary in length, with brown being the shortest (usually 2 miles) and blue being the longest (up to 7 miles). The navigation is tricky with few distinct features. These courses are designed for older teens and adults with extensive previous navigation experience and good physical conditioning.

Many orienteering clubs offer classes. Many private fitness institutions teach navigation classes, usually for adventure racers, but the same class will help your orienteering skills tremendously. You can also just take a topographic map of a park (most state parks sell topographic maps of their park) and wonder around with your compass and map working on recognizing features. Or just start out doing the white and yellow courses at O meets until you feel skilled enough to move up.

All in all, orienteering is a fun activity that the whole family can participate in. It is a core component of most adventure races. It is a great sport for runners who want a new element of challenge in their fitness routine, but it is also a fun way to get the family out of the house and working as a team. (A parent or two and the kids can sign up to do the white or yellow course for fun, usually called map hikers, and teens can easily compete in the white or yellow events as well.) And, no special gear is necessary to get started, just show up, ready to run (or walk) and, if you have one, bring a compass. Whatever reason you are out there, orienteering can provide a great deal of fitness with a great deal of fun.

To find an orienteering event or club near you, search the US Orienteering Federation website (under "Clubs"). Each club will be able to tell you about their upcoming events. For international clubs, see the page maintained by the International Orienteering Federation for more info.