Skills and Techniques

  1. Orient your map – ESSENTIAL SKILL
  2. Fold and thumb – ESSENTIAL SKILL
  3. C.A.R – intermediate skill
  4. First Compass Lesson
  5. Taking a Safety Bearing with a compass
  6. How to use SPORTident electronic timing
  7. FREE Reference Guides including Control Descriptions, Legends etc. courtesy of the Canadian O-Store (bottom of page)

Orient your map

Turn your map so that it matches the terrain. Illustration

Fold and thumb

Fold your (oriented) map parallel with the direction of travel, about 4-5 cm away. Move your thumb to where you have gotten to Keep moving your thumb as you reach each other known place. This way, you can look around you and then instantly return to your place on the map. Illustration

C.A.R  This stands for Control, Attack point, Route.

First, identify the control you are going to (eg knoll, control code #324)
Then find an attack point. This is a larger, easier to find feature fairly close to the control – perhaps a spur or a large depression.
Then decide on your route to the attack point – in a straight line? a longer route using some trails?
Once you have found the attack point it should be easy to find the control.

work in progress – more to come.

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