Orienteering traditionally occurs in forests and other natural areas. Now orienteers are equally at home in urban areas with many events taking place at university and business campuses and providing a new type of navigational challenge. Though most often a running race or walking event, orienteering can also happen on cross country skis, snowshoes or mountain bike. Ski and mountain bike orienteering is best in areas with dense trail networks that force you to determine which is the best route from control to control. 

Orienteering Ottawa offers all of these formats at different times of the year. Our Foot and Bike events occur in the forest and the city. We offer ski and snowshoe orienteering in the Winter.

In the forest the focus is on careful map reading and precision navigation to find controls in the middle of the forest.

Urban orienteering is about choosing efficient route choices and not getting stuck in dead-ends.  

Orienteering is practiced on specially created orienteering maps that show all the details you need to complete a course.  In addition to the course itself these maps contain very fine topographic detail and include all significant boulders, cliffs, small marshes, and man-made objects - including small trails. Open areas as well as thick vegetation are depicted with colour overlays so the orienteer can choose the fastest  and the most appropriate route for your skill set between controls.

Learn more about orienteering maps

How quickly can you get from the start to the finish via the three controls?

Point to Point Courses

The majority of orienteering courses are point to point, requiring competitors to visit the controls in a pre-specified order with results based on how quickly you complete the course.  These courses come in lengths from 1.5-3 km sprints with easy navigation to 12+ km long distance events that challenge competitors both physically and navigationally.  

Our ever popular Foot and Bike events are generally of this format and offer a range of lengths and difficulties.  Our Winter Events are also of this format and offer courses from Novice to Advanced.

The more controls you find in the allotted time, the more points you get.

Score Orienteering

In score orienteering, or score-o, competitors have a set amount of time to find as many controls as they can in whatever order they choose. Score orienteering events are often half an hour to an hour and half long.  Longer score-os, between 2 and 24 hours long are called Rogaines.

With score-os the challenge is as much about knowing your own pace and choosing a good course route as about navigation.  With a mass start and common finish time this makes them good fun and very social thus the popularity of our Summer Solstice Series.

Orienteering gear can be as simple or as 'high tech' as you wish.

Sport Ident Timing

Orienteering Ottawa uses an electronic timing system from the German company SportIdent (SI) for its meets. This system is used throughout North America and Europe.

The orienteer carries a small chip on her finger – the SI card- that she inserts at control stations to record the fact that she was there and the time. At the finish she downloads the contents of the chip, receives a printout with split times and total time. Results of all competitors are posted on the web within a day or two. After the event, competitors can compare individual legs with others, chat about route choices, and better determine which was the better choice.

SI cards (or 'dibbles' or 'finger sticks') can be rented ($2.00 per event) or purchased from O-Store online or at Orienteering Ottawa events. (Ask at the SI station - where you see the computer)  Please be sure to secure them to finger and wrist. Ask for help if you are not certain. There is a $40 charge for lost cards.

Shoes and Clothing

For shoes, you want shoes with a good grip, possibly with cleats, and that won't be destroyed by a bit of mud and swamp land. For clothing, something that breathes well, moves with you, and does not snag or gather burrs. Quite a challenge.

O-store has specific orienteering wear that meets these requirements. Our local outdoor stores have good general outdoor wear suitable for most needs. 

Our club design clothing is handled by O-Store  They have a limited supply but even if they haven't what you want in stock, they will send in a new order when sufficient interest is shown.They often have a full display of equipment and clothing at our major meets such as OFest.

Compasses

Simple base plate compasses can be bought at several local stores.  When purchasing a compass move it around and upside down, move yourself around. Check that the compass finds north quickly - you don't want to be waiting for a compass in the woods while others are running past you. You are looking for speed, accuracy and a 1-3 cm measure. You do not need declination or other added features. 

For thumb compasses (the kind available for rent at our meets and used by many seasoned orienteers ), see O-Store - a web based but local provider.

GPS Watches

If you own a watch size GPS that you carry with you, you can overlay your track on a map at Route Gadget. With this you will be able to see your race in virtual reality and race against others on the same course. Our maps are regularly put up on Route Gadget - with the courses so you can post your route and compare both with others and with the actual course. Note that a cell phone, that will show a map is not allowed in a competitive event.

Instructional Resources 

Here are some documents you may like to download and review. 

• A 2 page full colour pdf of the basics All About Orienteering
• document which matches map legend with international symbols found on your control sheet from MapRunner.co.uk. 
  
• A summary sheet of key points for beginners. 
  

For personal competency, we recommend you join us, for our yearly Introduction to Orienteering clinic, or our Mini Clinics at local meets. Let us know you are learning the skill for teaching purposes and we can talk further at the meet and give you further pointers.

International symbols

Are you now running the intermediate or advanced courses but having difficulty understanding the International Symbols used on the control descriptions? Have a look at . This 2 page document relates the most common features to a map symbol. We recommend you keep a copy with your orienteering gear for quick reference.

Orienteering Ottawa club maps

Our very detailed orienteering maps are under copyright. They may be used by other organizations for a small charge.

Please contact our mapping coordinator for details.

Maps legends

The IOF publishes extensive standards for mapping, All mappers should reference these.

Orienteering equipment

Our O flags and punches can be borrowed by non-profit organizations and otherwise rented.

Please contact our equipment manager.

Timing equipment, flags and much more can be purchased at the O-store .

Help with hosting an event

If you are a school, non-profit organisation, or corporation looking to host an orienteering event, we can help! We have a wide variety of options, from an affordable print-your-own-maps option, to providing the coaching and assistance that you might need for your event. Contact outreach@ottawaoc.ca to learn more about the options available, and their costs.