Confident Orienteering

The Road to JWOC 2026, #1 (Long Distance) The Junior World Orienteering Championships 2026 will be held in late June – early July in Karlskrona, Sweden. https://www.jwoc2026.se Here on the blog, I’m starting a series of posts focused on technical preparation for these championships. I’m sharing these analytical posts openly, in the hope that they will be useful to athletes preparing for the event. Let’s begin with the terrain: it features highly diverse vegetation and a great number of small details — both in terms of contours and vegetation features. An analysis of long distance courses held in this type of terrain shows that course planners often include a short first leg , sending athletes straight into detailed navigation right from the start. In the context of a peak-season competition like JWOC, such legs become even more challenging due to the psychological pressure to execute the beginning of the course as fast and as cleanly as possible. My advice to athletes is ...

 O-Puzzle: Relative Elevation of Controls    Which of the controls in the picture is located higher than the others in the terrain? map from a recent competition with a mass start in the city of Poznań (Poland). Organiser: OK Hades.  https://www.livelox.com/Viewer/GrandPrix-2025-08-Dziewicza-Gora/Srednia3?classId=1090956&live=false&tab=player Let’s break this task down step by step. To begin, let’s mark the index contours of different elevation levels using different colors. The lowest contour in this section will be light blue . The next higher contour will be blue . The highest one here will be red . Now, let’s start determining the relative elevation of each control , beginning with the lowest — in this case it is probably the easiest way to go. The lowest control is Control 7 — it is the only one located below the light blue contour. Then we have Control 4 , Control 3 , and Control 8 , which are positioned between the light blue a...

 New Feedback on the Confident Orienteering Series from a Nottinghamshire Orienteer A reader recently sent me a letter with feedback on my Confident Orienteering series. The person who sent it preferred to remain anonymous but kindly gave me permission to use their feedback in promoting the book. They also posted their reviews on the pages of the online store, where you can see them as well ( Book 1 and Book 2 ). If you’d also like to leave a review, you can do so by visiting the book’s page in the online store again. The system recognizes that you’ve already made a purchase and will allow you to leave a rating and write a review. Below is an excerpt from the reader’s letter, along with the reviews themselves. Thank you — it's truly inspiring! Hi Aleksandr, … I have drafted the following and am happy for you to use it, attributing it to "Nottinghamshire Orienteer" rather than my personal details...   ..I think you've made a great contribution to orienteering l...

  Left, Right, or Straight: Leg Analysis #21 Today we will take a look at Leg 5–6 from the M18 Long Distance course at the   Novembertävlingarna, lång event (23.11.2025) Organising club Tullinge SK (Sweden) In the M18 class, the most successful route choices used a less distinct path running between the hills. In general, the approach to the control could be planned either contouring around the hillside or crossing over the top . This decision largely influenced the entire route choice on this leg. Interestingly, both of these approaches were used by the fastest runners on this leg (Carl-Meijer Axelsson and Jonathan Enarsson) — and both produced very similar results . The athlete who placed 3rd on this leg - Ivar Nordberg (and eventually 3rd overall ) most likely made a mistake. After reaching the top of the hill , he deviated down toward the open field — a move that doesn't seem justified. Most likely, he lost direction while descending the slope. This leg also ...

  Case Study #4 Case: You ran onto a narrow ride slightly below its end and are unsure which of several similar rides you are on.   Solution: In this situation, the relief profile can assist us. Even if the rides themselves appear similar, the relief profile along each ride differs , providing valuable clues for accurate positioning. This approach is discussed in Chapter 3 ( Using All the Indicators for Confident Positioning ) of the book Planning Reliable Routes . It demonstrates that relief can be used not only when we are uncertain about our current location , but also proactively during route planning . By analysing the map in advance, we can identify segments where linear features intersect with relief forms , creating distinct and easily recognisable points. These can serve as reliable positioning features . Additionally, flat areas and transitions between slopes and level terrain can also support effective location verification. (Example taken from my book Plann...

O-Puzzle Series – November 26, 2025 Today’s task is based on the map used in my book Planning Reliable Routes , the second book in the Confident Orienteering series. This same map is featured in one of the examples and on the cover of the book. Task: Find 5 errors in the index contours. Note: When completing the task, keep in mind that index contour “A” is correct.   Explanation and Answers: An index contour is shown for every fifth contour line. Its function is very important — index contours (thicker lines) help us better understand the overall shape of the terrain and the height of slopes.  1. The contour of the hill is at the same level as contour "A" . 2. The contour of the depression is two intervals higher than the contours at level "B" . 3. The contour of the depression is at the same level as the contours at level "B" . 4. Same as case 3. 5. The contour of the hill is only two intervals above the contours at level "B" . *** Make the...