Organizer: Finley B (Coach)

Map: Moose Creek

What?

The Forest Training Program provides club members with an opportunity to train in forest terrain on a regular basis. The training and terrain are more technical and give club orienteers a chance to hone their skills as well as run in the mountain parks on the weekend. Some of these sessions will be run in conjunction with SOGO L3 on Sunday mornings.

When and Where?

Time: 10:00 - Noon (Arrive earlier if you want to warm up before going on the map.)

The Forest Training Program will run for a total of 6 weeks - 4 weeks in the spring and 2 weeks in the summer. There will be several weeks where the session is NOT scheduled to allow participants to compete at different events.

Locations:

Forest Training 2019
April 28 Quarry Lake
May 5 Elbow Bluffs
May 12 Quarry Lake
May 24 - 26 near Edmonton Training Camp with EOOC
June 9 TBA
June 23 TBA
July 28 Moose Creek
August 25 TBA
All locations are tentative, pending approval from relevant authorities.

For whom?

These sessions are designed for intermediate to advanced orienteers. Participants should be comfortable in the forest. Orienteers from other clubs are welcome.

Cost

Drop-in fee of $15 per training session. You MUST be a member of FWOC or another orienteering club to participate.

Register

On-line registration is mandatory (as cancellations and changes to locations will be communicated by email from that list) but registration will accommodate pay in-person and drop-in options.

Safety Information

Orienteering is an outdoor activity that carries a risk of personal injury due to natural and man-made hazards and environmental conditions. In addition to this, for orienteers in the Bow Valley and other parks close to Calgary, there is the risk of an encounter with a bear or other large mammal. The participant acknowledges these risks and agrees to take responsibility by

  1. understanding the potential dangers (as described in the waiver on the registration page);
  2. knowing the safety bearing on the map;
  3. knowing the maximum allowed time AND returning on time;
  4. informing the coach when they are back; and
  5. acting responsibly in the forest to reduce risk, especially in the event of a large animal encounter. This may include carrying bear spray (and knowing how to use it appropriately).

The organizers of orienteering events prepare a Safety and Emergency Action Plan that covers how to reasonably minimize these risks and what to do in case of participant injury or if a participant is overdue. The Coach at these trainings is also the Safety Chief and has up-to-date First Aid certification.

Bear Spray

  • Carrying bear spray in trainings and races is recommended for all adults.
  • Most FWOC club members run with bear spray in the forest.
  • All coaches will carry bear spray.

Bear Spray Information

The Government of Alberta has several different documents to access to improve your knowledge of bears:

  1. Government of Alberta: Alberta BearSmart: http://aep.alberta.ca/recreation-public-use/albert...
  2. Government of Alberta SRD: Bear deterrents: http://aep.alberta.ca/recreation-public-use/albert...
  3. Government of Alberta: BearSmart Colouring & Activity Book: http://aep.alberta.ca/recreation-public-use/albert...
  4. Government of Canada: safety video regarding Bear Encounters and the Proper Use of Bear Spray:http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/mtn/ours-bears/securite-safety/gaz-spray.aspx

How to carry bear spray during your training:Bear Cozy – a bear spray holder that fits directly into the water bottle holder on your waist-belt.


Location

Photos

Photos are from Flickr. To add your photos to this section, tag your Flickr photos with: whyjustrun3784 (all one word)