Ski-orienteering is a cross-country endurance winter sport. Similar to the foot-orienteering disciplines practised in the summer season, ski orienteering requires an extremely high level of both physical and mental fitness.[1]
ski orienteering
History
The World Ski Orienteering Championships is the official event to award the titles of World Champions in Ski Orienteering. The World Championships is organized every odd year. The programme includes Sprint, Middle and Long Distance competitions, and a Relay for both men and women.
The World Cup is the official series of events to find the world's best ski orienteers over a season. The World Cup is organized every even year[1].
Equipment
A person taking part in competitions in ski-orienteering is equipped with:
adequate clothing for cross-country skiing, boots and skis and ski poles.
map holder: a specially designed map holder attached to the chest makes it possible to view the map at competition speed while skiing at full speed.
map: the map provided by the organizer shows the control points which must be visited. The map is designed to give all the information the competitor needs in order to decide which route is the fastest, such as the quality of the tracks, gradient and distance.Ski orienteering map Green lines on the map show a trail suited to race on skis. Depending on the thickness and continuity of the lines competitor makes decisions about which route is the fastest between control points.[2]
compass: the compass is attached to the map holder or to the skier's arm.
control card: a control car is attached to the competitor's arm. At each control, the competitor punches the card as proof of having visited that control.
