Orienteering Ontario

Do you wonder what all those colours and markings on an orienteering map mean? Here's a great resource to help you! The O-store has lots of resources for orienteers.

Winter running requires more traction than regular trail running shoes can provide. In snowy conditions, spiked shoes provide excellent grip. Brands include Salomon, Icebug and La Sportiva. You can also buy screw kits to modify your favourite trail shoes or add a simple traction device. When trails get very icy, you'll need beefier traction devices to stay on track. We've had success with Kahtoola Microspikes - mini-crampons that let you have a bombproof run in all but the slipperiest conditions.

A simple orange and white marker can awaken so many feelings. Sometimes frustration, but also the excitement of the challenge, and especially the joy and exuber...ance of finding one exactly where you expected it! We applaud the resilience and creativity of the global orienteering community in keeping orienteering alive and well in 2020 with appropriate social distancing and respect for the pandemic. We look forward to a 2021 where we hopefully can once again share the challenge of finding those elusive flags, together. Happy New Year!!

O - Cup # 3: 2021 TOC January Score-O A different race this year, following all the rules! Flexible start-time, using the awesome MapRunF app, and a Secret Stash Map Location! More details...

This is a great 14 min introduction to orienteering for those who are able to speak French! Thanks Orienteering Canada for sharing it.

The entire province may be in lockdown, but did you know that you can work on your orienteering skills while staying close to home? Enter pace counting! This is one way to measure distance while you're running. Measure out a distance of 100 metres (on a sidewalk, on the grass, on a path, wherever you want), then run that distance. Count every time your left foot touches the ground. Say you count 90 left feet over 100 metres. While orienteering, you can then estimate that to cover 200 metres, you need to count 180 left feet. Remember that if you made your calculation while running, your estimate may not be as accurate when you're walking. The next step is to not lose count while running along...

Well this is pretty adorable, a book about map reading by Swedish Canadian orienteer Malian Hansen.

Did you ever wonder who is behind the scenes at Orienteering Ontario? Well, we're going to tell you over the coming weeks, and give you our best orienteering tips! ------ Hello! My name is Laura Teutsch! I’m in it for life when it comes to orienteering, the best sport in the world. I grew up in Ottawa and have been a part of their club for most of my life. I moved to Kitchener a few years ago for school and have loved becoming a part of the Waterloo Stars. I love orienteer...ing because it connects me with myself, with nature, and with other people. Running through an open, sun-speckled forest; breathing the fresh, crisp air; not another soul in sight; hitting your next control dead on. Life can’t be better than that moment! The best tip I can give for orienteering has to be: let this sport open your eyes to the natural beauty of our world, notice your surroundings when you’re out in the woods (yes, my own advice has caused me to get a little lost when I sometimes pay too much attention to the beauty around me and not enough to my map - so find yourself the right balance!!). See more

Results are up for Saturday's Stars O-Cup double header. Thanks to the Stars for holding a fun event in these challenging times. Congratulations to this year's Kick Start winner (and Starry Night runner-up) Isak Fransson and to Starry Night winner Chad Spence. Great job by the top female racer, Emma Waddington, who placed 3rd in both races. https://stars.whyjustrun.ca/events/view/4288

Yes! Orienteering is the best physical distance-get outdoors-use your brain and body sport EVER!

It's not too late to sign up for Saturday's races!

We're impressed! Claire, Gabe and Linden, all 12 years old, raced as a team in Sunday's Dontgetlost Raid The Hammer Adventure Run. They finished the Half Raid, covering more than 16 km in less than 4 hours while navigating with map and compass - and no adult help. These incredible kids showed amazing spirit and teamwork. They even took time to help a team of adults who were struggling to find a checkpoint. Watch out, everyone - they're only going to get better! Congratulations.

Are you finding it harder to fit your weekday runs in with shorter daylight hours? Are you planning to participate in the Starry Night O-cup race held on November 14 by our friends at Stars Orienteering? Then you need a headlamp! As an experienced orienteer said this week after getting turned around during a Don’t Get Lost X-league race, "The moral of this debacle is: always carry a compass. A night light is also useful when, you know, it gets dark....at 5pm!" In addition to ...helping you see where you’re going, a headlamp makes you more visible to others, including cars. Prices range from $20 to more than $500! In essence, you want a headlamp that provides you with enough light to see while staying in place on your head. Here are a couple of links to best of articles: https://www.cleverhiker.com/headlamps and https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/best-headlamps.html. And here’s an article from MEC on how to choose a headlamp, giving helpful tips on the different features to consider (such as how long the battery will last, and whether the headlamp will tell you when you’ve missed your turn I wish!): https://www.mec.ca/en/explore/how-to-choose-a-headlamp. An alternative to a headlamp is a waist light. Does anyone use one? Do you have a favourite headlamp? Did you ever run into a situation where you wished you had packed your headlamp?

The Orienteering Ontario winter O-Cup Series kicks off next Sat. Nov. 14 at Pinehurst Lake Conservation Area and all are welcome for some COVID-safe outdoor fun. https://www.orienteeringontario.ca//all-are-welcome-o-cup-

Wondering what it's like to orienteer during COVID-19? Check out Kyra's 60 second video to follow along with her as she races through the Dundas Valley Conservation Area! https://vm.tiktok.com/ZSXwFM1V/

Have you done an orienteering race using MapRunF on your phone or MapRunG on your watch? What do you like most about this way of orienteering? For me (Kyra), it's the ability to see everyone's route choices after they've run - and to learn from them! Some people are incredibly efficient!

Who wants to test their orienteering skills at night - in the dark?! It's super fun! Our friends at Stars Orienteering will be holding 2 orienteering races on November 14 - one in the daylight, and one at night. These O-cup races, the first two of the O-cup season, will look a little different this year - for example, there will be staggered start times to reduce the number of people. For all the details, check out the Stars website! O-cup races are for everyone, from beginners to experts. https://stars.whyjustrun.ca/events/view/4288

We've seen an influx of new followers to our page recently - welcome everyone! Some of you may be brand new to the sport of orienteering and are looking for tips on how to use a compass. So for everyone else, please share your top tip to help the newbies! (Pictured on the top is an orienteering "thumb compass", and on the bottom is a traditional compass - both can be used for orienteering.)