Rogaine 101: What is a Rogaine? And Rogaine Maps.

This is a three-part blog series all about Rogaining. In this first part, we'll go over what a Rogaine actually is and everything to do with Rogaine Maps. In the second part, we'll talk about compasses and basic navigation and in part three we'll talk about route choice, calculating distance and getting lost. 

Rogaining is becoming very popular. It's a relatively new sport having only started in 1947 (Orienteering was first recorded in the late 1800s!) across the ditch in Melbourne, Australia. It can be family-friendly and social or a real challenge, and it's a great navigation practice for adventure racers. It's very much, what you put in is what you get out, so there's something for everyone. 

But, what actually is Roganing? 

The way I describe it to people is that it's similar to Orienteering but with Orienteering you have to navigate a set path, collecting checkpoints as you go, the fastest wins, but in a Rogaine, you get to choose your path through the checkpoints aiming to get the most points (the checkpoints are worth different points) in the time limit you have (The shorter end is 1 or 2 hours and can be upwards from 24!). And if you return after the time limit, you lose 20 (this number can vary too but it's a lot!) points per minute late! 

You use navigation skills to get through the course, knowing how to use a compass or at least orient yourself to the north, reading map symbols and understanding the distance between points are important things to know but can be learnt over time, with practise or learning from someone else as you go! 

When you head to your first Rogaine, you will receive a map that should look something a little like this:

The chart with numbers and descriptions at the bottom of the map will correspond to the pink numbered circles over the map - these are your checkpoints, the points you have to navigate to. The number of the checkpoint corresponds to the number of points it gives. Number 43 on the map will give 40 points, number 22 is 20 points etc. 

The descriptions next to the number give you a (sometimes very vague) clue as to where you can find the checkpoint. Number 38 on this map is 'boulder' so the checkpoint is near a boulder and 58 is 'west side dry pond' so the checkpoint is on the west side of a dry pond. You get the drill! 

The checkpoint should be right in the center of the pink circle on the map, but sometimes, that's not always the case. 

Rogaine and Orienteering Legends

The Legend (or key) is a colour/symbol description of the terrain you will find, points of interest, fences, out-of-bounds areas etc to help you interpret the map, even if you haven't been to a location before. 

Some symbols to pay special attention to are, the out-of-bounds area, dangerous areas, water that's ok to cross and that you aren't allowed to cross, uncrossable marshes, cliffs - which are passable and impassable and which direction they face, the symbol for fences not to cross and where you can cross. Orienteering and Rogaine maps have similar legends, but they do vary a little. So, make sure you know what you're looking at, and if you aren't sure there are always people around to ask. 

Some landscapes and corresponding symbols

Something that I've noticed catches a lot of new people out is the contour lines. The closer the lines are together the steeper the slope and something to consider when getting to a checkpoint and then back up to the next one - you don't want to be late back!

How close do you think these contour lines were?

There's an arrow that tells you what direction north is. This is helpful if you don't already know, for understanding some handrails (west side of dry pond) and can help you orient your compass and map (but more about orienting maps and compasses in blog #2). 

There is one more important thing to mention, and that is scale. 

You can't be hefting around a 1:1 map of the space you're rogaining in, coz that would be huge! Instead, we get maps shrunk down to a particular scale. In this case, the map is 1:11,500. That means that for every 1cm on the map you're holding, that's 11,500cm (or 115m) of real-world distance. There's also a scale that shows what 250m and 500m will look like on your map, as well. Your compass has ruler lines on the side to help with these measurements - or you can use your fingers to help you tell the distance too, but a compass will be more accurate. 

Contours: 5m? That means the contours are 5m apart, which really puts into perspective how steep some of those hills are! 

Rocky planning his route for the Mt Pleasant Rogaine

And that's part one done! Keep your eyes peeled for the second blog, where we talk all things compasses and navigation to set you up right for rogaining!

All Images by Hayden McCoy @haydenmccoyphotography

Top 5 tips for Rogaine map reading:

1. Understand what the symbols in the legend are and how they relate to the landscape around you. 
2. Note any symbols in the legend that will relate to your safety - cliffs, out of bounds areas and areas of water that can and can't be crossed!
3. Pay attention to the contour lines - the closer they are together the steeper the slope will be!
4. Scale: 1:11,500 means that 1cm on the map, is 11,500cm (or 115m) in the real world. 
5. Figure out which way north is as this will help you navigate the course. 

And if you liked this blog, make sure you check out this one too: 5 tips to keep your feet blister free when trail running. – Further Faster