The Map & Compass course gives participants a good grounding in navigation techniques. You will learn to read a compass, measure distance via ‘pacing’, plot routes and work with maps. Much of the course is practical and will take place outside.

If you are interested in taking the course, you can download the course flyer here and the registration sheet here. Places are limited!

Sign up today!

Looking for a teammate? E-mail us and we will put your name on the list below. Please specify whether you are interested in the 8hr or 24hr event, as well as the challenge type you would like to enter.

As of February 6th, there are 9 teams and 24 people registered.

Emergency Responders & SAR – registered teams

8hr

Red Island – H.Pringle, J.Toner (PEI) WINNERS 2009, 2008, 2006 (8hr SAR), 2004 (8hr Rec); 2nd 2011, 2010, 2007, 2002 (8hr SAR); 4th 2005 (24hr Rec); 9-time competitors

24hr

Public Competitive – registered teams

8hr

The North Fakes – P.Wilkinson, J.Amyotte (NS) > 4th 2011; 5th 2010; 2-time competitors
Fun and Furious Five – E.Drysdale, M.Cavanaugh, P.Barnes, J.Fraser, S.Anderson (NS)
Straight Ahead – E.James, T.Jones (NS) > 2nd 2011; previous competitors

24hr

Brothers Grim – J.Sellers, A.Sellers (NS) > 3-time competitors
Riverhead Rogues – M.Verge, N.Skinner (NS) > previous competitors

Recreational – registered teams

8hr

Just Follow Your Nose – H.Selig, K.Murray, S.Parker, K.Maccara (NS); 3-time competitors
Twin Flames – L.Laviolette, J.Matthies (NS)

24hr

Armed Forces – registered teams

8hr

24hr

The Lost Boys – D.Leduc, D.Harper, R.Bartoc (NS)

People looking for teammates:

Changes for 2012 are…

1. The post-race banquet will now be on site. This is in response to lots of feedback regarding the time it takes to travel to the banquet location, the unwanted extension to an already long day, and the additional wait before the banquet begins for teams that finish the course early. Instead, we’ll be having a barbeque/buffet style dinner at the race site immediately after the event ends; in essence this will be an extension of the ‘unofficial’ bbq that we’ve had going most years at the finish line. This will give competitors the opportunity to immediately refuel when they’ve handed their punch cards in, compare notes with friends and have a rest before making the journey home. We’ll be presenting awards and prizes here too. We will still be holding registration off-site, for logistical reasons.
2. Teams that wish to compete in the Public Competitive category are no longer restricted to a maximum of 2 team members. We’ll be bringing this category in line with the others by allowing teams of 2-5 people to enter. Again, this was in response to feedback from competitors, as well as discussions with the Orienteering Association of Nova Scotia regarding rules in other events. The general conclusion was that smaller teams are actually quicker through the woods than larger teams, meaning that no advantage is gained by having more team members. However, we know that a number of 3- and 4-person teams register for the PC category every year, only to be told that they have to compete in Recreational or split into two teams… so we hope that this will make it easier for people who want to compete together to do so.
3. In addition to results being posted in the ‘conventional’ way (that is to say, by category and 8hr/24hr), results will also be posted for the field as a whole. This will allow teams to see where they finished in relation to all the other teams in the event, rather than just in their own category. Additionally, we will be posting the results by gender category; male teams, female teams and mixed teams. If there is enough interest in having prizes for the top male/female/mixed teams in future years, this may be something that we implement into the event, rather than just into the presentation of results.
4. Last – but not least – cost. A number of competitors felt that having an equal cost for the 8hr and 24hr races was discouraging new people from signing up for the event, or from dropping down to the 8hr event if they were injured or had other commitments. We’ve decided that this year, the 24hr event will stay fixed at $80, but the cost of entering the 8hr event will decrease to $65. Although of course you’ll be limited to only two burgers off the bbq… just kidding!

If you have any comments on these changes, feel free to send them along to us. Unfortunately, we think that the suggestions of a 36hr event and having a zipline might have to wait for another year, but we’ll keep them in mind

One good suggestion was that we list results in 2012 not just by category/challenge, but also for all teams in the event so that you can see where you placed across the whole field of 400. Hopefully this will give people a better sense of whether they should be fighting for the title in Public Competitive, aiming for the top in 8hr Recreational, or joining the crazy ranks of people doing a full 24hr race!!