ONB-Wostawea Ski-O

Map: Killarney Lake

PRE-EVENT BRIEFING

You will get most of this on site on Saturday but in case anyone is checking in, here are some tips.

What skis to use: the trails are well-groomed for skate and classic, the overall conditions are good to excellent, some trails have been skied a fair bit today (Friday) so will not be pristine, but are good. Almost all controls will be right next to the trails, no off trail skiing required. A few are a short distance off the main trails but can be reached via snowshoe tracks. Classic skis maybe a slight advantage there but gradients are shallow in those areas so you can double pole easily. There are a few longer snowshoe trails that are skiable and may offer advantages -but that is up to you to decide when you get the map.

Be at the start location, the groomed area next to the Lodge parking, by 12.50 for an on-site briefing. By then you need to have checked in, paid fees, checked gear and be all ready to go.

The event is in a public park and there will be other skiers, walkers and snowshoers about. Be careful and share the trails courteously with them. The trails around the lake are marked out of bounds. No controls are there, and there is no need to ski there. This is where most walkers tend to be.

There are several 'one way loops' that are marked this way for safety reasons. These are marked on the map. Be careful on these sections and observe the direction of traffic. Short sections skied in the 'wrong' direction are OK if you are careful.

If there should be an emergency on the trails, two emergency numbers are provided on the map.

First come first served at the controls. Everyone must punch in at the finish control, which is at the start location. This stops the clock on your time. Then go to the lodge basement to download your dibber, get your results, hand in the dibber, and enjoy some eats.

See you on Saturday.

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Organizers: Rob Hughes, Eric Luiker

Map: Killarney Lake, Fredericton

Event Format: Ski-O, Score

Take the challenge, have fun skiing the great Killarney trails while navigating to find the control points shown on your map. The map will show all groomed trails but no other trail identifying information.

Participants will have a fixed time period (around 60 - 90 minutes) to find as many controls as they can in any order they choose. Points are awarded for each control visited. Penalties are deducted for participants who return late to the start area.

Free ski technique, skate or classic, it's up to you. The trails will be groomed for both.

Courses

• Easy: controls will generally be closer to the start location.
• Harder: Some controls will be placed at a greater distances and require more 'climb'.

Controls will be on or close to groomed ski trails, but there may be scope for a little creative off-trail ski-whacking here and there to gain an edge on your opponents....

Note that there are several sections of course that are one-way only, these are signed and will be shown on the map. Direction of travel must be observed on these sections for safety reasons.

Registration

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR THIS EVENT. Please pre-register before midnight March 7. Register online (see the right hand side of this page) or by email with the organizer rh@orienteeringnb.ca. Event fees will be collected on-site.

Please provide:

• Name
• Club/Group (eg Wostawea, ONB, 1st Saint John Scouts, etc)
• Course
• SportIdent serial number (if available)

Being pre-registered means you have advised the organizers that you are coming, and we'll have your name pre-programmed into the event computer and your timing stick pre-assigned for pickup when you arrive.

Fees

Registration Fees will be collected at the meet site. On site registration available from 12:00 noon. Arrive in good time to get registered, pay event fees, collect your map and SI timing unit, get briefed and be ready for the 1 pm mass start.

Note about Electronic Timing
SportIdentTM electronic timing equipment is used at all ONB events. Participants who do not have a SportIdentTM device will be provided with one. If the device is lost, there will be a $50 charge to recover the cost of the device.

More Info

What should I bring? No special equipment is needed (but see below). Dress as usual for the day. Don't forget a timing device (a watch, phone or whatever works for you) as the event has a time limit.

Managing your map

This is one item of 'special equipment' that you may want to think about. You will be skiing and navigating using your map - trying to hold it in one hand that is also holding a ski pole does not work very well, the map will get totalled and you stand a good chance of losing the map as well. Pro ski orienteers use special map holders like this:

These are great, but expensive, and who has one? But there are alternatives that work well. Canoe/adventure racing map cases are OK, but can flap around in your face and may be best if pinned to your clothing. Also, if wearing around your neck, replace the cord with elastic or do something to make sure it will break or pull free if hooked on a branch - safety. It's also easy enough to make a working ski-O map bag from a ziploc bag, some ductape and a couple of safety pins. We will have those supplies on hand.

There are some other ideas for map holders here.

After the event

We'll have some sort of food/BBQ, hot chocolate on offer and some impromptu prizes.

Directions

The Start/Finish is located at Killarney Lake Lodge, see map below.

Register in the basement of the lodge, follow signs from the parking area.

Location