FAQ

Here are some common questions that are often heard at orienteering events.  They are usually posed by newcomers, but not always.

How do I participate in orienteering?
How do I learn to do orienteering?
I have a terrible sense of direction. Can I still learn orienteering?
How are events structured?
What do I need?
When should I arrive at an event?
How do I know which course I should try?
What does it cost?
How long does it take?
How do I get to an event?
What is a Waiver of Responsibility?
Will I get lost?
Has anyone become really lost at an event?
But, has anyone become disoriented for a long time?
And will you come and find me if I am unable to find my way?
I have a lot of hiking experience (or I learned land navigation in the military). Do I really need to start with the Beginner course?
But the Beginner course is so short.
I am not concerned with my time; I am not racing. Do I really have to go through the Start and Finish stations?
Are there dangerous animals where I will go?
How common are injuries? Are they severe?
Why don't you hold an orienteering event in ____________ (a favorite park)?
How is an orienteering map different from other maps like USGS or a trail map?


How do I participate in orienteering?
The best way is to go to an orienteering event. At a typical orienteering event there are opportunities for people of all skill levels to orienteer. There is also almost always free instruction for beginners at events. At WPOC events, the only events that do not have instruction are the few that are aimed at experienced orienteers: night events and endurance events. If you have some experience orienteering, you can also go orienteering on permanent orienteering courses; you can see the locations of some of these at Permanent Courses

How do I learn to do orienteering?
It takes only about 15-20 minutes to teach a complete beginner how to orienteer at the beginner level. Instruction to do this is provided at most regular orienteering events and is free. WPOC also has one event per year that is totally devoted to instruction and goes beyond the beginner level. Once you learn the basics of orienteering, acquiring greater skill is usually learned through experience and discussion with other orienteers. You may also want to try WPOC's online instruction at Beginner Instruction; however, learning in person at an event is the preferred way.

I have a terrible sense of direction.  Can I still learn orienteering?
Probably.  There is no requirement that you "just know" which way north or anything else is.  If you can learn a simple technique for using a compass and can do terrain association (matching what the map shows to what the land shows and vice versa), you can learn orienteering.  If you are constantly doubting that the compass needle points north and/or can't develop the ability to match the land to the maps and vice versa, you may need to try another sport.

How are events structured?
The slide show on the Welcome page shows the sequence of activities at typical events; or read more detail at How an Event Works.

What do I need?
Very little. You need appropriate clothes for walking in the forest: preferably long pants and shoes that cover the feet. You need a compass; but if you do not have one, event organizers will usually loan you one for the day. You should also have a whistle - as a safety device so you can get people's attention if you have a problem in the forest.

When should I arrive at an event?
Events typically use a 3-hour window of time during which participants can register and start on courses, for example 11am to 2pm. You may arrive any time in that window; but you need to allow a little time to register and some time to get instruction if you need it so that you can start on a course before the end of the window. The best time to arrive is not right at the beginning of the time window; that is when many new people arrive which creates a backlog of people trying to register and start.

How do I know which course I should try?
The are usually multiple courses to choose from at an event; they range in skill level from beginner to expert. If you are a newcomer, begin with the Beginner (White) course.  If you have some experience on some course level and you want to move up to the next level, ask yourself these questions:  Do I feel that I was successful on the courses I have done?  Do I know what skills I need beyond those I have to move up a level?  If the answers are "yes", get someone to show/teach you any additional skills you need and go for it.  You may not be totally successful right away; have a little patience; there is a learning curve to be dealt with. You can read more about how different courses are designed for the skill levels at Course Design

What does it cost?
Depending on the club putting on the event, the cost to participate is usually less than $12. For WPOC events, the costs are much lower. We charge by the map: if you preregister $6 for non-members and $5 for members; if you don't preregister, add $1 to these numbers. If two or three people want to go on a course together and share one map; there is only one map charge. There is one exception: WPOC waives the cost for minors; thus, kids are free (provided they preregister).

How long does it take?
For several reasons, it is difficult to say. It depends on what the participant does: running, walking, strolling, stopping and smelling the flowers are all allowed. It depends on whether participants make mistakes. It depends on which course is chosen: beginner courses are designed to be completed in 30-45 minutes; expert courses are designed to be completed in 60-120 minutes. Regardless of course, participants are always given an absolute deadline, such as 3:30 pm for returning whether on not they have completed the course.

How do I get to an event?
On the Schedule page, you can click on the name of the location to get directions. On the Directions and Posters page you can click on the name of the location in the Directions column. Both of these links lead you to a page with a locator map, written driving directions, a link to a Google map of the area and the GPS coordinates of the location.

What is a Waiver of Responsibility?
Everyone who participates in an orienteering event needs to be covered by insurance. Each orienteering club get its insurance coverage through the national orienteering organization (OUSA). Club members are automatically covered by this insurance. In order for non-member participants to be covered, they (or a parent if they are minors) must sign a waiver of responsibility. You can view this waiver here: Waiver

Will I get lost?
Orienteers do not get lost; they do sometimes become temporarily disoriented.  That may seem like a flip response; but it is generally true.  Because beginners  do courses that stay on trails and in open fields, their low level of skill is still sufficient to keep track of where they are.  And when they become disoriented, the land features that they can see are prominent enough to help them reorient fairly quickly.  It is more common to be disoriented for longer periods when far away from trails; but that should happen only with more advanced orienteers; and they are use to reorienting themselves with less information.

Has anyone become really lost at an event?
Let's agree that "lost" means unable to find your way and requiring others to come and find you.  This has almost certainly occurred at some orienteering events; however, it has never occurred at any of the 100+ events that WPOC has  hosted.

But, has anyone become disoriented for a long time?
It depends on what you would call a long time.  It is fairly common to become disoriented for periods of a few seconds up to perhaps 10 or even 15 minutes.  Orienteers rarely become disoriented for an hour or more and then almost always from the same cause - they have tried a course that requires a higher level of skill than they have.  How do you minimize the chances of becoming disoriented?  How do you minimize the length of time you are disoriented?  The answer to both questions is the same:  get instruction before trying a course and  practice to improve your skill.

And will you come and find me if I am unable to find my way?
Yes.  At every event, we set an absolute deadline time.  All participants are required to come back by this time.  If they aren't back by this time, we will look for them.  Actually, we  do this while removing the course from the forest.  We do not leave an event until everyone is accounted for.  We also provide an emergency phone number which any participant who carries a cell phone can use to reach event officials.  This number is printed on the maps.

I have a lot of hiking experience (or I learned land navigation in the military).  Do I really need to start with the Beginner course?
Yes.  It is at least recommended that you do so.  You need to become familiar with an orienteering map; it has many attributes that are different from hiking trail maps and military maps.  As examples, trails are not labeled; the scale is likely to be different from maps you are accustomed to; declination is not involved; metric scales are used, and there is much, much more detail than trail and military maps.  There have been many instances in which newcomers did not follow our recommendation and chose a middle-level course instead of the Beginner.  Orienteers with appropriate middle-level experience were completing this course in 60-90 minutes; the newcomers straggled in after 3 or 4 hours and almost always not finding all control points.  We want orienteering to be fun, not an enormous frustration.

But the Beginner course is so short.
OK.  If you think it isn't enough of a challenge, go and do it quickly.  Then, you can try another course if you have the time.  Second courses at WPOC events are half price.

I am not concerned with my time; I am not racing.  Do I really have to go through the Start and Finish stations?
Yes.  We require everyone to be timed as a matter of safety.  It is the only way we know who is still on the courses and who has returned.  If you don't go to the Start, we won't know you are out there; consequently, we won't realize that you may be late in returning or even too injured to return.

Are there dangerous animals where I will go?
Well, most courses do go through the forest.  It is certainly possible that you may encounter snakes, bears, coyotes, even rabid animals; but such occurrences are very rare.  It is far more common to have run-ins with insects, spiders, ticks and even bees.  The largest non-human involved in a close encounter with an orienteer that has been  reported at a WPOC event was a chickadee - no kidding.

How common are injuries?  Are they severe?
Again, you are going to be in the forest - the ground is uneven; there are unfriendly plants and insects scattered about.  Bumps, bruises, scratches, poison ivy and insect bites are common.  There is also the occasional cut, sprained ankle or tick bite.  Severe injuries are fairly rare.  WPOC maintains a first-aid kit at all events to deal with an array of minor injuries.

Why don't you hold an orienteering event in ____________ (a favorite park)?
Lack of maps.  Proper orienteering requires a detailed topographic map.  Many potentially good areas for orienteering do not have such maps.  Why?  Because it takes a lot of work to make them.

How is an orienteering map different from others maps like USGS or a trail map?
Orienteering maps are extremely detailed topographic maps that are drawn to international specifications.  The scale on orienteering maps is normally 1:15000 or 1:10000 for typical events, although 1:7500 is sometimes allowed.  The scale for small or sprint events is normally 1:5000 or 1:4000 and occasionally 1:7500.  Contour intervals are usually 5 meters, although on fairly flat terrain they may be 2.5 meters.  The maps are metric with no grid, no coordinates and no labels on trails or streets; also, the maps are always oriented to magnetic north so that no declination adjustment is needed.  Five colors are used on an orienteering:  black to show man-made objects (roads, buildings, trails, utility poles, etc.) and rock features (boulders, cliffs, rocky ground, etc.); yellow  to show open or semi-open land (that is, with no trees or few trees); blue to show water features (streams, lakes, marshes etc.); brown to show contour lines; and green to show vegetation (runnable forest is white and three shades of green are used to show the thickness of the forest - darker is thicker.  Sometimes an additional color is used (purple) to show the boundary of a park or an out-of-bounds area or a dangerous area.  The maps that WPOC uses at their events  come close to meeting the international standard; the only difference is in the use of a few local symbols for features that are not included in the international standard.

All WPOC maps have been created using orthographic aerial photos  and LIDAR from Penn State, part of the PAMAPS project.