Winter League #7 – Fire Mountain
WINTER LEAGUE
Saturday, February 8 at Fire Mountain Scout Camp in Mt Vernon, WA
Meet Director: Jud Kelley
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All runners should bring a set of clothes to change into as we are expecting wet and muddy conditions.
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When you park at the main parking lot, you must walk to start via Challenge Road. Using the attached trails from the parking lot is grounds for disqualification.
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Please see the site map here.
What is Winter League?
Winter League is the Pacific Northwest’s premier competitive orienteering series for all ages. Elementary, Middle School, and High School students compete under the banner of the Washington Interscholastic Orienteering League (WIOL). Cascade Orienteering Club also offers a competitive league for college students and adults, as well as non-competitive beginner-friendly categories at every event!
COURSES
Course designer(s): Alex Frank and Brett Anniballi
| Course | Controls | Length | Climb |
| 1 – Elementary/Beginner | 8 | 2.1 km | 25 m |
| 2 – Middle School | 8 | 2.5 km | 30 m |
| 3 – JV Rookie/Advanced Beginner | 9 | 2.7 km | 35 m |
| 4 – JV Girls/Intermediate | 9 | 2.8 km | 60 m |
| 5 – JV Boys | 9 | 2.9 km | 90 m |
| 6 – Varsity | 14 | 3.8 km | 130 m |
| 7 – Short Advanced | 12 | 3.5 km | 125 m |
| 8 – Intercollegiate/Long Advanced | 14 | 6.0 km | 200 m |
How are courses measured?
Courses are measured as the crow flies, in a direct line from control to control. Unless you have wings, you will travel farther than this distance! Courses are measured in kilometers, so a good rule of thumb is to simply round up to miles to estimate how far you will go. So in a 5 kilometer race, you’ll likely travel up to 5 miles.
COURSE NOTES
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The weather has been very wet recently. Expect blue (water) features on the map to contain water, possibly more water than normal. It goes without saying, but remember your dry socks, shoes, clothes for after.
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There is quite a bit of flagging on trees in the woods. These may or may not correspond to mapped trails. When in doubt, rely on contour and rock features for navigation and vegetation boundaries over indistinct trails.
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The map vegetation has held up fairly well but some areas may have more blackberries than previous events.
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The ISOM symbol #508 is very significant to this map: This symbol typically corresponds to abandoned logging/vehicle tracks. Pay attention to the vegetation background surrounding symbol #508 as this indicates runability. Some of these abandoned tracks have filled in with blackberries (green background) and are no longer useful for travel. You may be better off going through the woods instead of planning on taking the abandoned track.
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The camp recently replaced water lines and the main roads have been dug up recently. Expect these areas to be soft and muddy. Fire mountain has some nice fern sloped woods that are nice to run through.
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All advanced courses will have significant off-trail portions. Enjoy the woods.
SCHEDULE
9:30 am – Registration opens
9:30 am – Newcomer instruction available
10:00 am – Start opens
11:45pm – Registration closes
Noon – Newcomer instruction ends
Noon – Start closes
2:30 pm – Course closes
**PLEASE NOTE COURSE CLOSURE IS NOW 2:30 PM FOR ALL WINTER LEAGUE MEETS**
Why is there a start window?
This event uses an interval start, which means that participants are started in waves instead of all at once. When you arrive at the start tent, find the chute for your course and follow the start volunteer’s instructions.
PRICES
PRE-REGISTRATION PRICES
$17 base price
– subtract $5 for CascadeOC members
– subtract $5 for using your own e-punch
DAY-OF-EVENT REGISTRATION
$20 base price
– subtract $5 for CascadeOC members
– subtract $5 for using your own e-punch
What’s an e-punch?
An e-punch records your race. At each control, you’ll dip the e-punch into an electronic box, which will beep and flash as confirmation. After you finish, you’ll download the e-punch at the download tent and get a receipt that show which controls you visited and how long you took between each; these are your “splits.”
Part of the fun of orienteering is comparing your splits with people who completed the same course, and discussing the routes you took!
SIGN UP
Online pre-registration closes:
Day-of-event registration is available by cash or check, made payable to Cascade Orienteering Club
LOCATION
PARKING
Please park in the large lot that is near the camp entrance. Walk to the start by following Challenge Road. DO NOT take any trails from the parking lot. This is grounds for disqualification. See the Site Map here.
CARPOOL
Looking for a carpool? Join the Yahoo listserv and share your request to find a ride.
THE MAP
Fire Mountain Scout Camp is rugged terrain with some buildings, a lake, and a power line. Much of the accessible part of this map is hashed green (difficult run) which often translates into “acres of sword ferns”–you can lope through them, but it’s not quite running. And there’s a lot to see in there, including knolls, boulders and rootstocks. There is even a small cave on the property.
Closer in to civilization are a variety of small buildings, clustered in groups. You know you’re at a scout cabin, but which one? Mowed grassy areas are good year-round, but unmowed grass in the open field near the stream tends to get a bit swampy in winter–still traversable, but bring a spare pair of shoes!
Read more on the map pageSAFETY & ETIQUETTE
Return to the Finish
All participants MUST return to the finish and download their e-punch or turn in their punch card.
Even if you have not finished your course, you must still return to the the finish and confirm with event staff that you have returned safely.
Out of Bounds
Some areas may be marked out of bounds. It is imperative to respect these boundaries to maintain our relationships with land managers. Participants MUST NOT go out of bounds. Any participant caught going out of bounds will be disqualified.
Course Closure
All participants MUST return to the finish by course closure time. If a participant does not return by course closure, event volunteers will begin coordinating a search party.
If you need a long time on the course, start as early in the start window as possible, wear a watch, and be prepared to cut your course short to make it back by the course closure time.
Whistle
All participants MUST carry a whistle on the course. Complimentary whistles are available at the start tent (please only take one).
If you are injured on the course and need assistance, blow three long blasts to call for help.
If you hear a call for help, abandon your course to find the person in distress.
Voices
Part of the fun and fairness of orienteering is navigating your own course, so please be polite when you find a checkpoint and don’t holler that you’ve found it.
