CANCELLED - Balmoral Bluff Salmon Arm
October 25th 2020 9:30am - 1:00pm
Organizers: David Bakker (Event Director), David Bakker (Course Planner)
Map: Balmoral Bluff
CANCELLED (Oct 22nd Update): The weather forecast is such that we cannot hold the event safely. There is likely to be in excess of 4 inches of snow across the map and at very cold temperatures. Because of the remote nature of the event, and physically challenging terrain, this event has been cancelled. We hope to be able to make the Spion Kop event next weekend workout.
Update (October 19th): Weather is currently looking rather snowy for event day. We might decide on Friday to move the event to the much lower elevation Haines Creek, or to cancel the event outright if needed.
Tentatively scheduled in person (COVID guideline and regulation compliant) one day orienteering event on a new map above Blind Bay called Balmoral Bluff.
Schedule:
This is a one day only, in person event. There will not be assigned start times, please scatter yourselves out throughout the start window (although we encourage new orienteers to arrive during the first third of the start window).
9:30 - Check In Opens and First Starts10:45 - Last Start & Check In Closes12:45 - Courses Close - All Participants Must Report to the Finish by This Time
Courses and Classes
As this is solely a training event, no classes will be used, and all participants are free to pick the course of their choice to suit their desired technical and physical challenge. Please select a course that you can complete within 2 hours for the sake of our volunteers - thanks!
Beginner - 1.8km - Family friend hike on trails (although there are a few options for off trail shortcuts for the adventurous!). Actual distance (not measured in a straight line) around 3km to complete the course on trails.Intermediate - 3.6km - A mix of on trail and off trail navigation designed for people who have been doing some of the easier courses at training throughout the year and for individuals not wanting to endure the advanced course. Most legs have an option (not always the fastest routechoice) that is about 75% on trail, and only at the beginning and end of the leg do you need to navigate off trail. There is a good bailout option to walk back along a major forest service road to the parking about halfway through the course if you are having trouble.Advanced - 5.5km (shortcut to 4.5km available 2/3 through the course) - A physically demanding course with a lot of climb, some rugged terrain, and some rewarding views. The technical terrain is uphill and far away from the parking, so there are some hiking/running legs to start and end the course that have on trail options, only about 2.5-3km (if you execute your planning well) is off trail.
Location
This event will take place on the upper portion of the Balmoral Bluffs trail system and the hills above it. This is on the edge of interior rainforest, with an interest mix of vegetation types from wet cedar based forests, to drier south facing hillsides. Vegetation varies from very thick to fairly open.
In order to access the more interesting terrain, we are not using the main parking area, but instead are parking along a forest service road that accesses the area from White Lake (see map pin at bottom of the page for exact meeting location). The forest service road access is in good shape, such that it was an easy drive in the event organizer's 2000 Toyota Camry. There are a few potholes along the road that require slowing down for, but generally the road is in very good shape.
Directions: From Salmon Arm, turn off Highway 1 at Carlin onto White Lake Road. Follow White Lake Road until you can see White Lake itself, then start watching for the major junction of Parri Road with White Lake Road (right beside the White Lake Firehall). At this intersection, another dirt road, the White Lake Forest Service Road junctions off. We will be putting out the white and orange Sage O Club
direction signs at the access to the White Lake Forest service road, as well as at the
only FSR junction you will encounter once you are onto the logging roads (at the Bayview FSR junction).
If you are concerned about your vehicle being able to access the meeting location, you can park at the Balmoral Trailhead main parking lot and hike 3km one way up into the trails to get to the meeting point.
There are not outhouses or portapotties at the event site unfortunately, although there are lots of bushes around.
Registration
Pre-registration is mandatory for this event, and is capped at 45 participants (so that we stay under our 50 person COVID event maximum). Register by clicking on the green "+Register" button on the right hand
side of the page. Registration deadlines is at 12:00 (noon) on SaturdayOctober 24th. If you did not orienteer prior to this year and have yet to use this registration system, you may
need to make an account in order to register.
Maps will be printed by the event organizer and will be picked up at the event check in
All participants must be a member in good standing of an Orienteering Canada sanctioned Orienteering Club. If you are not currently part of an orienteering club, you can join the Sage Orienteering Club.
All participants must fill out the appropriate Sage waiver prior to attending the event as well. If you have attended a Sage training since the beginning of July, you have already signed this waiver and do not need to sign it again.
Cost
This is a free event for all Sage Orienteering Club members, but we are incurring costs of about $3.50 per participant from insurance costs, map printing, hand sanitizer, etc. We will have a cash only donation box on site (with no return change) which is strictly optional. You may also wish to note that we have been running the training events at a financial loss throughout the year as well.
COVID Precautions
To help with social distancing and minimize group size, Orienteering Canada guidelines also recommend not
socializing at the event site before or after you have done your course. Please review the linked documents for further guidance from Orienteering Canada and event details.
Declaration of Health here. You will need to print one off for each individual attending the event, whether they are participating or not (this includes young children). We will have some extra copies on hand, but please bring your own printed copy and writing implement.Guidelines from Orienteering Canada here. Please read through these before registering.Sage Orienteering Club's Return-to-Sport Guidelines here.
Timing
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not be using SI timing. The "Bakker GPS" system, used at all Sage trainings so far this year, will be used. Participants will record their GPS track using their own Sport Watch (Garmin, Suunto, Fitbit, etc.) or smart phone, and then upload a .gpx file of their track to the results website after the event. We will try and set up test events in locations where large numbers of registrants are coming from so that you can ensure that your GPS recording system works and you understand how to use the system. Participants will be allowed to attend without any sort of GPS tracking system, but participation in the timing system is strongly encouraged.Controls (checkpoints) will be marked in the terrain using full sized orienteering flags, along with large, laminated numbers hanging from the flags. Participants are asked to get close (within ~2m) to the flags, but not touch them.
New Orienteers
We are trying to make this event friendly to new orienteers. We are offering very beginner friendly courses, and will ensure we have someone available at registration to help you with getting started in the sport in a socially distanced manner. We encourage new orienteers to bring a mask to the event site if the would like to get some coaching instruction. Masks are not required during the event itself.
Map Details
This is a brand new LiDAR based map which has not been fieldchecked, but has computer generated vegetation. Roads, clearcuts, trails, and water features have been manually updated and drafted in the two weeks leading up to the event.
Volunteering
We need help with control pickup after this event. If you are able to help for even just half an hour picking up control flags from the event immediately after the event please let us know at registration. Thanks!
Contact
If you have any questions, please get in touch with the event director, David Bakker by email.