A Beginner’s Guide To Orienteering & Rogaining

The goal when rogaining is to compete against other teams and win with the highest score. You score points by finding checkpoints within a set time limit, and your team must do this entirely on foot, ditching Google Maps and finding your way with a topographic map and analogue compass.

At this point, you may be thinking, “this sounds like orienteering, so what is orienteering?” Great, and fair, question. The goals of the sports are very similar, almost identical, but in orienteering, the checkpoints have to be visited in a specific order. In rogaining, you can reach them in any order you like. Orienteering events are also often much shorter than rogaining ones, with a typically orienteering session lasting anywhere from one to three hours.

The gear you take with you on a rogaine is crucial and can be the difference between a win or a loss. We strongly recommend the following considerations when rogaining:

Must-have clothing:

• Quick dry shorts, preferably with pockets
• Quick dry shirt with pockets
• Cap or brimmed hat
• Light and breathable trail runners
• Canvas gaiters with good ventilation
• Synthetic moisture-wicking socks

Optional clothing for cold weather:

• Long sleeve top with long zip neck
• Lightweight fleece jacket
• Light rain jacket/shell
• Fleece gloves
• Beanie

First Aid/Emergency:

• Bandages, dressings/gauze/tape
• Pain Killers
• Band-Aids and blister Pads
• Lighter
• Whistle
• Space Blanket
• Lip Balm

Extras:

• 2 x lightweight torches
• Bumbag for food on the go
• 3L water bladder
• Standard compass
• Weatherproof bag for spare clothes

In a rogaining race, teams are given a map with required checkpoints an hour or two before the race begins. This is when they can start planning their route and strategy to reach the points in any order within the allocated time.

Teams must stick together for the entire race and are not allowed to split up to reach more checkpoints. The only navigational devices allowed during the race are a map and an analogue compass. This is where wits, map reading ability, and navigational skills come into play to help you find the checkpoints, which are often slightly hidden!

All teams must return within the allocated time limit to avoid a penalty, and the winners have hit the most checkpoints.

Absolutely! Rogaining is designed for varying degrees of fitness and age, so if you are looking for a great family bonding and skill-boosting activity, rogaining is perfect! It’s also a lot of fun and a great way to disconnect from technology, diving into and exploring nature via an outdoor activity that is quite different from anything else! Except maybe orienteering…

As we’ve mentioned, orienteering is very similar to rogaining. In fact, you could essentially call it ‘light rogaining’ as it runs for a shorter duration, and checkpoints must be reached in a specific order.

Orienteering offers many benefits and is a ton of fun! It is a great way to explore nature and is perfect for any age and skill level. Orienteering (and rogaining) challenge the mind and body, requiring navigating, problem solving, and decision-making skills. These are all things that can be useful in day-to-day life as well!

Orienteering is often referred to as the thinking sport with decisions being made in a competitive environment while you are experiencing increasing fatigue, improving your mental toughness!

When it comes to how to do orienteering, orienteers need certain skills and techniques to relocate themselves. Some basic orienteering skills that are required include:

• Knowing how to fold the map (sounds simple but isn’t, and it is a crucial part of successful orienteering)
• Orientating to north (with ground or compass)
• Reading features on the map
• Taking and following a compass bearing
• Pacing and judging Distance

Once you get the hang of that, some of the more intermediate orienteering skills include:

• Making the right route choice and aiming off
• Reading fine details on the map
• Compass and relocation skills
• Choosing and using an attack point
• Traffic Lighting
• Visualisation of contours and other features
• Disaster recovery

Compasses are simple pieces of technology, and to navigate correctly, you need to orient your map with the landscape. First, you set declination, then follow these steps:

• Put the compass on the map with the travel arrow pointing to the top
• Rotate the bezel to match the travel arrow with north on the compass
• Ensure the edge of the baseplate sits on the left or right side of your map
• Rotate the map and compass, so the magnetic needle sits in the outline of the orienting arrow
• You are now oriented appropriately, and the landscape you see should match up with what you see on the map
• Bearings describe the direction of travel, and next, you must set a bearing
• Do this by placing your compass, so the straight edge of the baseplate sits between your current location and where you want to go
• Rotate the bezel, so the orienting lines match the north/south lines on the map
• The index line on your compass will indicate a bearing line; make a note of this
• Make sure the direction-of-travel arrow is facing away from you, and move your body until the needle lines up inside the orienting arrow

At this point, the direction-of-travel arrow should be facing toward the bearing you took from your map, which will lead you to your desired destination!

Rogaine players and orienteers are passionate about environmental stewardship. They clean up their rubbish and refrain from picking flowers as the two sports aim to be as gentle on the environment as possible. This means no damage to the areas they cross and intentional avoidance of areas that are fragile.

Orienteering mappers regularly mark off-limits areas that endangered animals or plants inhabit, and directors often work closely with park rangers or wildlife managers to protect fragile habitats and local environments. The beauty of the sport is a respect for the land that allows it to take place, and those involved place a high priority on this!

Lake mountain offers some of the best bushwalking in proximity to Melbourne, making our little mountain the perfect spot for orienteering and rogaining! We have an extensive number of well-marked and maintained hiking trails, and Victoria’s alpine landscape is a beautiful option for a match.

Come and test your map skills on our mountain and soak in the spectacular views this weekend!