Lubrecht Middle National Ranking Event and Day 1 of the Pacific Northwest Orienteering Festival

What is it?

This orienteering event at Lubrecht Experimental Forest will feature a full set of courses from White (Beginner) to Blue (Long Advanced) in the middle distance* format,  according to Orienteering USA's standard course guidelines. It also constitutes Day 1 (of 9) of the Pacific Northwest Orienteering Festival  (PNWOF) and Day 1 (of 2) of the Western States Orienteering  Championships.

THIS EVENT IS FOR EVERYBODY! It's for competitive and non-competitive orienteers. It's for experienced, intermediate, and beginning  orienteers, hikers, runners, and adventurers. It's for families and  individuals. It's for people of all ages. It's for you!

For more information about PNWOF and the Western States, see below. You can choose to participate in just this event, or any number of event  days. Pre-registration for this and all the other days is required and  is handled centrally at the PNWOF homepage.

*Middle distance is a format of orienteering that emphasizes precise orienteering in technically complex terrain. Orienteering USA guidelines for middle distance course call for winning times of 30–40min for M/F-21+, 25–35 min for other age/gender classes.

Pacific Northwest Orienteering Festival (PNWOF)

PNWOF 2022 is a collaboration among three orienteering clubs - Grizzly Orienteering, Eastern Washington Orienteering Club, and Cascade  Orienteering Club - to bring a full week of orienteering events to the  Pacific Northwest. The first three days are centered around Missoula,  MT, while the remainder are closer to Spokane, WA. For full schedule,  details, and registration, see the PNWOF 2022 webpage.

Western States Orienteering Championships

The first two days of PNWOF 2022 - the Lubrecht portion - have been designated the 2022 Western States Orienteering Championships. Western  States Championship prizes will be awarded to first place finishers  among eligible participants in all competitive age and gender  categories, according to the scoring system described below.

To be eligible, as of May 1, 2022 you must have a primary membership in a western OUSA club or have your primary residence in a western state  (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada,  New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming).

Overall standings in each age/gender class will be based on the sum of each competitor's placements in the two days of competition:  Lubrecht Day 1 and Lubrecht Day 2. The lowest sum wins. A tie will be broken by total time over two days. A competitor needs to finish the course both days in order to be eligible.

Schedule

The start window will be 12pm-2pm. The walk to the start is 400 meters from the parking/arena. Start times will be assigned ahead of time. Please arrive with plenty of time so you can  make it to your start time! The maximum time for Day 1 courses is 2 hours. Please check in at the finish by 4pm, even if you did not complete your course. You can see your start times here.

Location

Both days will run from the cabin camp at Lubrecht Experimental Forest. Each day will have a separate start location, but finish will be at the cabin camp both days. The way to the parking lot and arena will be signed from the main entrance to Lubrecht off Route 200.

Terrain and Map Notes

Lubrecht Experimental Forest is a 21,432 acre forest located 30 miles northeast of Missoula, Montana in the Blackfoot River drainage. The area is almost entirely forested, largely by coniferous forest with medium to very good runnability. Parts of the map feature intricate contour details, including negative relief, while other parts feature slopes of up to 50m. There is a well-developed trail network. For preview maps from past events, see the "Preview Maps" section below.

A lot of the contour features, especially in the area closest to the Lubrecht cabin camp and the start/finish, are quite subtle. 

This is a working forest, and thinning, cutting, and chopping work is constantly ongoing. We have attempted to depict the most recent effects of this work with green slash, but it is possible that some of this work will take place after the maps are printed, and will not be depicted. Similarly, the forest features numerous old logging rides and other smaller trails that may not be depicted on the map.  Additionally, one of the results of logging is the presence of many short, thin tree stumps that are easy to trip over or smash your shin on. Watch your footing!

Water levels in streams and marshes were fairly high in the middle of May, but have been drying quickly in recent weeks. It is possible that some of them will be dry by the time of the events. 

The Lubrecht map is based on Lidar contours and vegetation. We have done extensive field checking, especially in parts of the map where the courses go. However, some areas of the map have only been field checked lightly. 

Registration

Because these events are part of the 2022 Pacific Northwest Orienteering Festival, registration will be handled centrally for this event, even if you are attending just one or two of the festival days. Registration is now open at this link! You can also see the list of registered participants here.

Please note that as an environmentally friendly choice, we will not be handing out printed information packets. If you would like to have hard copies of the information on this website, please print it out at home. This information will also be posted at the arena.

Covid-19 Precautions We recommend wearing 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. 

Courses  A full range of courses will be offered, according to Orienteering USA's course setting guidelines. The course lengths indicate the shortest, straight-line distance for visiting all the controls and returning to the finish. You  will certainly cover more distance than that. 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. 

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.

Course Details

Saturday (Middle Distance - Lubrecht), assigned starts between 12pm-2pm

Blue (Advanced difficulty) 5.9km, 135m climb, 18controls 

Red (Advanced difficulty) 4.5km, 110m climb, 16 controls

Green (Advanced difficulty) 3.5km, 90m climb, 13 controls

Brown (Advanced difficulty) 3.1km, 70m climb, 12 controls

Orange (Intermediate difficulty) 3.4km, 70m climb, 10 controls

Yellow (Advanced Beginner difficulty) 3.1km, 70m climb, 11 controls

White (Beginner difficulty) 2.6km, 45m climb, 11 controls

The map scale is 1:10,000 for Blue, Red, Green, and Orange courses. The map scale is 1:7,500 for White, Yellow, and Brown courses.

The White course will have one leg that is streamered with orange flagging tape. This will be indicated on the map and in the control descriptions.

There will be no water on the courses. Please provide your own hydration.

Maps will be printed on waterproof paper. As an environmentally friendly choice, no map cases will be provided.

There are a lot of controls close together. Please check your control code numbers very carefully!

Classes and Awards

Awards will be given to the top three finishers for the weekend in the following age and gender classes, according to the  sum  of each competitor's placements in the two days of competition: Lubrecht Day 1 and Lubrecht Day 2. The lowest sum wins. A tie will be broken by total time over two days. A competitor needs to finish the course both days in order to be eligible. In addition to prizes for the top three finishers in each class, the top competitor in each class eligible for the Western States Championships will also receive a prize. The award ceremony will take place at Lubrecht after the finish of Day 2.

M/F -10, -12, -14, -16, -18, -20, 21-34, 35+, 40+, 45+, 50+, 55+, 60+, 65+, 70+, 75+, 80+, 85+, 90+

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 rental 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!

Accommodations

For those wishing to spend the night in the area, Grizzly Orienteering has reserved the Lubrecht Experimental Forest cabin camp and lodge for Friday and Saturday nights, with accommodations right next door to the event arena for the weekend. The available accommodations and prices are listed below. You can see a description of the accommodations on the Lubrecht lodging website. Please book accommodations by emailing grizorienteering@gmail.com. 

Lodge room (single occupancy) - Friday&Saturday - $65 per night (including tax)

Lodge room (double occupancy) - Friday&Saturday - $95 per night (including tax)

Boxcar - Friday&Saturday - $70 per night (including tax)

Cabin - Saturday only - $60 per night (including tax)

Tent or car camping (includes use of bathhouse) - Friday&Saturday - $10 per person per night (including tax)

Please note that none of the Lubrecht accommodations are available for Sunday night. Besides the cabin camp, plentiful accommodations are available in Missoula, MT, a 40-minute drive from Lubrecht Experimental Forest.

Also note that there are no real opportunities to purchase food or supplies near Lubrecht Forest. We recommend stocking up on essentials in Missoula if you are staying in Lubrecht for the weekend. 

Preview Maps

Lubrecht Forest has hosted several GrizO local events. Past course maps can be seen here.

Training Opportunities

Training maps for PNWOF are now up on the Usynligo app. (NOTE: there are no flags in the forest! Please use the Usynligo app if you want to verify your control visits.)  

Soft Rock 

Blue Mountain 

Silver Park

Blue Mountain (forest) - parking

Soft Rock (forest) - parking

Silver Park (sprint) - parking

Families with Small Children

We are happy to provide split start times to families who request them. Please let us know by May 31st. We anticipate that there will be a number of small children at the event. If you are interested in joining informal group childcare, let us know, and we'll see what we can do.

Safety

We strongly recommend that you carry a whistle on your courses. 

The safety bearing at Lubrecht is West to Route MT-200.

Saturday Dinner

We are offering a Saturday night dinner at Lubrecht Forest. You can register for the dinner through the main PNWOF registration portal. Assuming good weather, the dinner will take place in the covered outdoor pavilion next to the finish/arena for Days 1 and 2. The bad weather contingency is the Lubrecht dining hall.

Key Personnel

Event Director - Allison Brown

Course Setter - Boris Granovskiy

Mapper/vetter - Gregory Balter

Vetter - Eric Jones

Start Chief - Darrell Brown

Finish Chief - Randy Tanner

Competition Jury - Lisa Carr, Tom Carr, Will Enger, Rick Oliver