Rogaines

[Kainas]

Are there any rogainers out there? I just got into the sport last year and am looking forward to the upcoming season.

[johnw]

Are there any rogainers out there? I just got into the sport last year and am looking forward to the upcoming season.

Yes. I've done two Paddy Pallin winter 6 hour rogaines. One last year and one in 2006. Good fun and helps your navigation skills, along with some interesting bushwalking . Like to do more in the future including some longer ones. I'd compete more regularly but the events are often too far from home to be practical for day/weekend excursions. Unfortunately work commitments tend to dictate what's possible for me .

[Taurë-rana]

I'd like to start but there aren't many rogaines in Tassie.

[johnw]

I'd like to start but there aren't many rogaines in Tassie.

True, but there are a couple. See Rogaining Tasmania http://www.rt.asn.au/. Looks like you can subscribe to their periodic email newsletter for info on upcoming events. Which is what I do with their NSW sister organisation.

[red tag]

back in 1985..I did a outdoor ed course at a secondary school . We parcipitated in a 24 hour rogaine , in teams of 2 . I wouldn't recomend it if your not fit ... before doing any rogaining ... do a fitness regime that will get you in shape .. I was physically stuffed after it..my knee joints gave out and I was literally crippled for a few days after the event . My knees gave more trouble during the end of course bushwalk at Wilsons Prom ... result of the rogaine a few weeks before .

The navigating part of it was fun.. one marker at a stream crossing had everyone bamboozled ... my fishing skills came to the fore and I worked out where the *&%$#! marker thing was hidden ...a large crowd of rogainers was standing around in confusion and after locating the marker , I sneaked back and told my running partner i had found it and we carefully snuck off .. trying not to look too smug.
Mike

[Kainas]

The navigating part of it was fun.. one marker at a stream crossing had everyone bamboozled ... my fishing skills came to the fore and I worked out where the *&%$#@! marker thing was hidden ...a large crowd of rogainers was standing around in confusion and after locating the marker , I sneaked back and told my running partner i had found it and we carefully snuck off .. trying not to look too smug.
Mike

I had an experience a bit like that. Three teams had converged on a hill and where looking for a marker. My husband and I looked and looked and eventually gave it up. I know that I saw another team whisper a hint to each other, but couldn't get close enough to see. We lost to them by about 180 points...but then we were just novices at the time. It all makes for good conversation at the Hash house that night.

Oh...I think the hash house is why rogainers do what they do.

[Whos_asking99]

What is "Rogaine"? Is it an extended form of orienteering?

[red tag]

:roll: What is "Rogaine"? Is it an extended form of orienteering?

Yes , basically its a longer version of orienteering , in both time and miles . The 24 hour rogaines are very hard on a novice. Physically, it is better to start of with the shorter events and build up to the longer ones.
Mike

[Son of a Beach]

I've not been involved in either, so please correct me if I'm wrong...

I think one difference between the two is that with orienteering, you need to get to each check point in sequence (ie, effectively forming a set course), whereas with rogaining there is no set sequence and you pick which order to visit each check point. Is this correct?

[Kainas]

:roll: What is "Rogaine"? Is it an extended form of orienteering?

They are similiar in the sense that you are going through the bush in search of check points.

However Orienteering is a solo 'race' event, where rogaining is a team sport.

Rogaining is done in teams of 2 - 5 (with categories for novice, mixed, veterans etc). About an hour before the race starts contestants are given a map with lots of checkpoints on it. Each checkpoint is worth a certain amount of points depending on difficulty. The team must then plan the route that suits them best. The course is taken at a fast walking pace rather then a run. There are water points in various places along the course.
Contestants camp at the starting point, and a hash house is included in the entry fee which provides ample dinner and breakfast.

[Whos_asking99]

Thanks for the answers, appreciate it.
Doesn't sound to bad actually....well, the shorter events anyway.

[Taurë-rana]

I've done 4WD navigational challenges using a GPS which work the same way - each checkpoint has a certain amount of points so you have to decide which order to look for them will be the best. It is a lot of fun, but I'd like to have a go on foot. johnw, I subscribe to the Rogaining Tas newsletter but there are very few events, which means something always clashes, and unfortunately none near where I live so they require a greater time commitment because of the travelling.

[johnw]

I've done 4WD navigational challenges using a GPS which work the same way - each checkpoint has a certain amount of points so you have to decide which order to look for them will be the best. It is a lot of fun, but I'd like to have a go on foot. johnw, I subscribe to the Rogaining Tas newsletter but there are very few events, which means something always clashes, and unfortunately none near where I live so they require a greater time commitment because of the travelling.

I hear your frustration DA. I guess Rogaining Tas are based in Hobart which probably dictates locations to a degree. Maybe you could try suggesting more events in the north? As long as they don't propose that you organise them (I've seen the logistics that goes into that and it's all run by volunteers).

Building on what Kainas said, the rules are quite stringent. You can't use any navigation tools except compass, watch and the provided topo map. GPS, pedometers, altimeters etc are banned. Although most teams do seem to prefer to walk quickly, we've been overtaken several times by serious adventure racing teams running single file dressed in skins/bike shorts and carrying hydration packs (a related sport, and they usually win). The main thing with Rogaining is that it's a fixed time limit. You accumulate as many checkpoints as possible and must return to the start/hash house by the deadline. You are penalised for every minute late and after a certain time effectively disqualified. There are also a number of safety/minimum equipment rules as well as others related to MIB, etiquette and cheating. You can choose to be very competitive or just have a bit of fun and take it easy.

[johnw]

As a three man team with my youngest son and a mate of his, last Saturday we competed in the "Joadja Ghost" Rogaine run by the NSW Rogaining Association. It was a great day, well organised (as usual) in a very interesting location, being centred around the old abandoned oil shale mining/processing "ghost town" of Joadja in the NSW Southern Highlands, which is now a privately owned historic site.

There were 6 hour and 12 hour rogaines on offer. We competed in the 6 hour event, and did quite well finishing well inside the first half of the field of about 93 teams that started. It rained fairly heavily for a while which forced us to don wet weather gear, so I spent a good part of the day bashing through wet scrub in my Paddy Pallin Vista jacket, which gave it its first decent outing.

On the downside I tripped over a fallen log at one point and twisted my right leg, which seems to have triggered a recurrence of some very painful sciatica.

A highlight was the assault on our final checkpoint of the day, scrambling several hundred metres up and down and old rope hauled railway incline that seemed nearly vertical (but my research indicates the grade is 1 in 2), to grab an extra 50 points before the 5pm deadline. Some great views from the top followed by a somewhat hair-raising descent with loose rocks and scree being dislodged by teams above us with similar objectives.

http://www.nswrogaining.org/AboutEvents/Events/10JG/10JG.htm

[Paul]

The Australian Rogaine Champs ( Jan 22nd / 23rd - 2011 ) will be held in the Northern Midlands / Conara area. The terrain will be a mixture of some open farmland, semi open farmland, bush, hills, steep gullies and magnificient views to Stacks Bluff / Ben Lomond from higher plateau's.
The event will be open to, and suitable for, people with either very little experience or vast experience of rogaining.
These events are invaluable for practicing one's navigation skills, during both the daylight and nightime hours It will be a 24 hr event / 8 hr event.
So now there are no excuses of not knowing about it - check the website ( Rogaine Tas ) - get the entries in - participate and enjoy.

Paul.

[johnw]

The Australian Rogaine Champs ( Jan 22nd / 23rd - 2011 ) will be held in the Northern Midlands / Conara area. The terrain will be a mixture of some open farmland, semi open farmland, bush, hills, steep gullies and magnificient views to Stacks Bluff / Ben Lomond from higher plateau's.
The event will be open to, and suitable for, people with either very little experience or vast experience of rogaining.
These events are invaluable for practicing one's navigation skills, during both the daylight and nightime hours It will be a 24 hr event / 8 hr event.
So now there are no excuses of not knowing about it - check the website ( Rogaine Tas ) - get the entries in - participate and enjoy.

Paul.

I'd like to enter this myself but already spending 2 weeks in Hobart after Xmas and need to return to Sydney before then. Here are the relevant links though:

http://www.rt.asn.au/

http://arc2011.rt.asn.au/

[flatfoot]

Just got back from my first Rogaining experience. I was in a mixed team that competed in the Lake Macquarie 6hr held this weekend. It was the best fun I've had in ages ... particularly heading down through a steep jungley bit. I was in an mixed team that was walking and amazed by the teams running from checkpoint to checkpoint.

I was very happy that we finished on time. A great sport! Lots of family teams as well.

[johnw]

Just got back from my first Rogaining experience. I was in a mixed team that competed in the Lake Macquarie 6hr held this weekend. It was the best fun I've had in ages ... particularly heading down through a steep jungley bit. I was in an mixed team that was walking and amazed by the teams running from checkpoint to checkpoint.

I was very happy that we finished on time. A great sport! Lots of family teams as well.

Great fun aren't they? I was hoping to do the Lake Macquarie event but my usual team mate (son) wasn't keen this time. We did the Paddy Pallin 6 hour in June and the Joadja event earlier in the year with mates of his. Both were enjoyable days. Yeah, the most competitive teams will be running but you can be as laid back as you like. I wouldn't worry about it as most teams would be walking and you see/appreciate things more anyway. Puts a different perpective on bushwalking and helps with the off track nav skills too. Sorry I missed this one as the Watagan Mountains is a spot yet to be visited.

[flatfoot]

They gave out fridge magnets so I have a list of dates for 2011. I'm definitely going to participate in others. I'm hooked now! Apparently the Navshields are more challenging. A 12hr event would be particularly challenging. It was certainly useful for developing basic navigation skills. I'm a bit of a novice with Navigation.

BTW ... I purchased this book recently and found it to be a great learning aid:

Wilderness Navigation: Finding Your Way Using Map, Compass, Altimeter & Gps (Mountaineers Outdoor Basics)

[johnw]

They gave out fridge magnets so I have a list of dates for 2011. I'm definitely going to participate in others. I'm hooked now! Apparently the Navshields are more challenging. A 12hr event would be particularly challenging. It was certainly useful for developing basic navigation skills. I'm a bit of a novice with Navigation.

BTW ... I purchased this book recently and found it to be a great learning aid:

Just noticed I'm still using their 2009 fridge magnet . If you haven't already, it's worth signing up to their email list so you get advance notice of the upcoming events.

Agreed, a good book on navigation is useful. I have the Map Reading Handbook by SES Tasmania.
https://www.tasmap.tas.gov.au/do/product/MAPHABO.
Also, a good freebie resource to download is the Map Reading Guide - How to use Topographic Maps, from Geoscience Australia:
https://www.ga.gov.au/image_cache/GA7194.pdf

I haven't done a Navshield event (yet ) but yes they're known to be more challenging. Run by the Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad for emergency services crews, bushwalking clubs, rogainers etc.

[flatfoot]

Is anyone from here planning to enter the 6 hour ACT Paddy Pallin on Sunday 6 March?

I'm hoping to team up with another member from my bushwalking club for this event. It looks like it will just be a team of 2. Hopefully that means we can move quite quickly. I'm not a runner but I'm a reasonably fast walker.

I've only been in one official rogaine so far. That was the Lake Macquarie event last year. I also managed to do the NSW RA Navigation Course last year. That was lots of 2-4 hr rogaines in one weekend. That was loads of fun ... particularly the nightime navigation in steep gullies. We did get confused heading out of one gully onto a saddle at night. We then spent about 15 - 20 minutes wandering up and down this quite long and gently curved saddle trying to find a control point Earlier in the weekend I had found out that my new compass was 10 degrees out so another participant kindly loaned me their spare compass.

[johnw]

Anyone else doing the Paddy Pallin 6 Hour at Belanglo SF tomorrow?
Think we'll need to leave home by 0630 to get there in time to submit a course plan and so on.
Early night I guess.