Sprint Adventure Race Chapter Two Lessons

Foot Course A

12 Aug 2018

Leg Main Decision Other Factors
1  :  
2    
3 The classic AP would be the junction. But you probably saw it from the main track:-))
4 No good AP here. Estimate distance from before (the X at the slip) or after (you'll hit the Tee-junction). But you may have been able to see it from the track. Good on you.
5 Main AP for the control is the big track junction. Anyone notice the little short-cut down to the ford?
6 Route choice - up and down to the poles, or down and up? Counting contours gives 4 each way (ignoring the little hilltop which you get both ways). So distance wins out.
7   Minor route choice - cut the corner. Probably not worth it.
8 The sting in the tail, heh heh. Straight up or via #2. I tried both at a leisurely speed. Going via #2 2min30. Up the slope 1min30. But you can't really do the latter without effort. In a long race you might conserve energy for later.
F   Hope you enjoyed the bush. The tracks and signs were made by Brian, an Upper Hutt volunteer. The slip marshall was Mark and the bike supervisor was Nicola. Nicola also brought the controls in. Thanks to you all.

Foot Course B

12 Aug 2018

Leg Main Decision Other Factors
1 Straight? Or left past the finish circle and along the edge? Or right along the track and thru the trees? The track is slightly faster than even the best (white) forest, so "right" wins out in theory. BUT you need a point to head off thru the trees. Where the track gets close to the trees is the best you've got but its not very accurate. In other words it comes with a risk. To cover this risk, a clever orienteer would turn off EARLY, hit the riverbed, and go along.
2 AP is the patch of light green trees, use that to leave the track and go up the slope. But what's the best way to get back from #1 onto the track? Something a bit to the right of the red line, then you get out of the trees quicker.
3 The choices are a bit like #1, see above. But there's no good point to head into the trees from. The super-cautious orienteer would go round the end of the white trees and come back along the edge. The best would be to aim a bit left of the red line, and when you hit the riverbed go along. This is called "aiming off".
4   You just have to hug the vegetation by the river.
5 This might be the first time you've seen white with yellow spots - its between passable forest and open land - scattered trees or young trees that don't feel closed in. In this case planted willow poles. Once you recognise them you can go along the north edge of them and find the tip of green (nasty forest) that the control is on.
6 Across to the south side of the willow poles. This is an easy "turning control", orienteers don't like going in and out of a control the same way.
7    
8 AP for when to leave the path - the big tree (green circle) or perhaps the path junction  
9 You can hardly fail to find the river, this is about route choice. The track is fast, the white a bit slower, the riverbed MUCH slower. Wouldn't hurt to go along the track to the clump of trees near #2 before heading for the river. Or maybe turn into the trees early (aim off). Don't depend on the end of the bank as a definite point, Banks can just get lower and lower so the point where the mapper stops it is a matter of opinion.
10 Well you can see these ponds from a long way off but how fast is the stony riverbed? You just have to make a judgement call on heading for the trees to get a bit of extra speed, vs the extra distance. Speed on the stones is highly variable.
F   Orienteers should practice following compass bearings in white forest like this, just like cricketers practise at the nets. Over and over. Its not hard, bring down some eg used fizz bottles and set them out along both sides of the forest using whatever features are there. Then go zig-zag-zig-zag etc across the trees and see if you hit the bottle on the other side.

Thanks to an unknown parent for keeping an eye on the bikes at Foot B.

Sprint Adventure Race Chapter Two Lessons

Foot Course C

12 Aug 2018

Leg Main Decision Other Factors
1 AP the Left-most building Sometimes there's a choice of which way round, pretty clear for this one due to the corner its in.
2 Straight, or use that track to the left (North)? If you go straight you're pretty unlikely to be perfect. And there's no AP on the edge of the trees. Find the track first, then you can use half of it and go along the white corridor. The green stripe pattern signifies obstructions on the ground that you can see over, in this case long grass and a bit of blackberry. So you might as well try and avoid it.
3 You want the building NW of the tennis courts (playcentre). Then slow down, you're entering a "maze". Secondary AP the N-most yellow (grassed open) area. If you can find that you'll find your tree.
4 Similar to the last leg, get to the building N of the control (the complex shaped one not the plain rectangle). You can then use the path, identify the near tree, and then the SE tree.
5 Warning bells! Back into the maze and no buildings to help. Pick your way carefully between the vegetation. Visibility thru the trees is good, otherwise you might need to approach that little track from the north.
6 Still in the maze but there's an AP - the end of the path. From there you can go through the trees to the "inlet" of grass with the tree in it.
7 Route choice here. Work back from the control to choose how you're going to get near the river. You could use the track to the North, the one to the South, or the yellow strip with the watercourse in it. that will determine which side of the big building (scout hall) you'll go, and maybe even how you'll get out of the maze.
8 Designed to give you a scenic view of the river Though its rough (pale yellow) its not worth the deviation back up to the track and down to the river. Even with the little bit of green stripe (blackberry) at the end.
9 Its a big tree, but there are zones of scattered trees on either side. Which one? Quickest way would be a compass bearing once you get out of the riverbank trees. In this case the compass serves as a simplification tool. Other methods would be to take the time to sort out which is the biggest tree in the distance. Or to aim left and go along the edge of the field looking at every tree:-))
F Those tracks near the river are down a slope and invisible until you are close. Similar issues to #9, a compass bearing would be fastest. Alternative - head for the start tree, that isn't far off your ideal direction. If the tree hadn't been there, there's a small hill near it which could do.

This terrain is quite easy, but you need several techniques to do it without wasting time. 10 seconds saved in this mini AR represents half an hour in the Godzone.

Thanks to Irina Winsley for keeping an eye on the bikes at Foot C. To Heather Darby (HVHS) for putting out these controls, to David Darby for assisting with that, and Graeme Silcock for getting them in afterwards.

Sprint Adventure Race Chapter Two Lessons

Foot Course D

12 August 2018

Leg Main Decision Other Factors
1 There's a route choice here. Anyone think of hopping down to the road and going round to the bottom of the zig-zag? Trade 3 contours of climb for a bit of extra distance. Could be worth it.
2 AP the patch of trees Careful, there are other similar patches of trees.
3 AP the small building (toilets) Small knolls and depressions are among the hardest to find, don't try directly. Use an Attack Point.
4 AP the steps in the middle of the grass Quite odd, think they used to be something to do with a flying fox. Without that, the cliff on the other side of the stream is a good giveaway. You can "visit" an AP with your eyes.
5 AP the road end  
6 AP the west end of the fenced off bush. Or you could follow the path (not necessarily with your feet, use your eyes)
7 AP the path end Or you could hug the edge of the grass open
8 AP the "X" in the open land BEFORE the one you want.  
9 Route choice out of #8, and several choices into #9. Easy short cut back onto the road via the stream-bed. Could approach 9 along the white strip (almost a track) or the path to the toilet. But note that the final approach to the control from the south has green stripes - there's a bit of blackberry there. Could be worth going past and coming in from the north.
10 Route choice - trade off distance vs wet feet, heh heh. One of those small patches of trees, and a table (the special OHV arrow symbol) show where there's a gap in the vegetation on the other side.
F   Interesting what you can do with a small area. And we've got more up our sleeves for Chapter Three!

Thanks to Phil Kendon for collecting controls from Foot D. And to Michael Wood for planning the courses.
This page was written by and updated on 13 Aug 18.