Lubrecht Foot and Mountain Bike Orienteering

Grizzly Orienteering is kicking off the fall season with a special event at Lubrecht Forest! In addition to the regular selection of foot orienteering courses, we are also offering Mountain Bike Oeinteering courses for the first time. You can try one format or both! 

Registration and Fees:

First-timers: $5, First-time groups: $10 (If first-timers wish to purchase memberships after the event, the cost of the event will be subtracted from the membership fee)

Standard event entry fee: $15 per individual; maximum of $30 for group

GrizO Member event entry fee: $8 for members; maximum of $15 for member group

Junior entry fee: $5 for youth aged 12-20

Kid entry fee: Free for kids under 12

Volunteer discount: Free for anyone who volunteers at a given event

Extra map for any additional group member who wants one: $2

Second course: Free

Compass rental: Free

Date and Time

The event will take place Saturday, September 10th between 10:00am-2:00pm. Starting time slots will be between 10am-1pm. Please arrive at your assigned time slot in order to help us run things smoothly and safely.

Location

The event will be staged at Lubrecht Experimental Forest outside of Greenough, MT. The exact location is here.

Covid-19 Precautions We recommend that you wear masks the entire time you are in the registration, start, and finish areas. Hand sanitizer will be available at check-in.For the purposes of beginner instruction, you will be assigned to one  of our experienced volunteers. Please respect their space and maintain  proper social distancing.

Equipment  We will provide specially created maps with pre-printed courses for each participant.We will also provide loaner compasses. Please return these when you are done. The compasses will be sanitized after each use.Wear clothing that is comfortable for activities in the woods and  off-trail and appropriate for the expected temperatures. Please bring your own snacks and hydration. A limited supply  of single-serving snacks will be provided, but due to Covid-19  precautions, selection and supply will be limited. Also due to Covid-19  precautions, water will NOT be provided. Please bring an adequate  supply of liquid.

Courses You will be able to select from five different maps (courses) for the foot orienteering event (Beginner, Advanced Beginner, Intermediate,  Advanced, and Long Advanced), as well as three different courses for the mountain bike orienteering event (Beginner MTBO, Intermediate MTBO, Advanced MTBO). 

Besides differing in length, courses differ in difficulty levels -  the beginner course stays exclusively on trails; advanced beginner  offers opportunities to take some shortcuts and shorter off-trail  excursions; the intermediate course requires some traversing of the  terrain off-trail; and the advanced courses often do not have trail  options for some of the route choices. For the MTBO courses, all checkpoints will be located on trails. 

We recommend that you pick a relatively easy course if this is your  first event. If it goes quickly and you enjoy it, you can try another,  more difficult course, right away. We recommend going out individually  or in groups of no more than 2-3 so that everyone is able to get the  hang of map reading and navigation.

Beginner Instruction Beginner instruction will be provided by several experienced orienteers. If this is your first event, take a look at the "Newcomers" section of our website to get an idea of what to expect: https://www.grizzlyorienteering.org/newcomers .

Start and Finish You will need to check in with one of our volunteers at registration  before proceeding to the start. Our volunteers will provide you with the  appropriate map, a loaner compass if needed, and a loaner electronic  timing chip and will keep track of  who is out and doing which course. When you have found all the controls  on your course, return to the finish and check in with a volunteer  there. Even if you decide to quit your course before finding all the  controls, please check in at the finish so we do not go out searching for you.

Electronic "punching"

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 shows 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!