Ski orienteering

Last updated
Ski orienteering
Lob-fran.jpg
Ski orienteering
Highest governing body IOF
Characteristics
Equipmentskis, skipoles, map
Venuesnow
Presence
Olympic no
World Championships yes
Paralympic no

Ski orienteering (SkiO) is a cross-country skiing endurance winter racing sport and one of the four orienteering disciplines recognized by the IOF. A successful ski orienteer combines high physical endurance, strength and excellent technical skiing skills with the ability to navigate and make the best route choices while skiing at a high speed.

Contents

Standard orienteering maps are commonly used, but since 2019, a separate mapping standard ISSkiOM [1] has been produced which recommends a subset of the symbols used in other disciplines. Ski-orienteering maps uses green symbols to indicate trails and tracks and different symbols to indicate their navigability in snow; other symbols indicate whether any roads are snow-covered or clear. Navigation tactics is similar to mountain bike orienteering. Standard skate-skiing equipment is used, along with a map holder attached to the chest. [2] Compared to cross-country skiing, upper body strength is more important because of double-poling needed along narrow snow trails.

Events

Ski orienteering events are designed to test both physical strength and navigation skills of the athletes. Ski orienteers use the map to navigate a dense ski track network in order to visit a number of control points in the shortest possible time. The track network is printed on the map, and there is no marked route in the terrain. The control points must be visited in the right order. The map gives all information the athlete needs in order to decide which route is the fastest, including the quality and width of the tracks. The athlete has to take hundreds of route choice decisions at high speed during every race: a slight lack of concentration for just a hundredth of a second may cost the medal. Ski orienteering is time-measured and objective. The clock is the judge: fastest time wins. The electronic card verifies that the athlete has visited all control points in the right order. [3]

International competitions
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. [4]

Junior World Ski Orienteering Championships and World Masters Ski Orienteering Championships are organized annually.

World-wide sport
Ski orienteering is practiced on four continents. The events take place in the natural environment, over a variety of outdoor terrains, from city parks to countryside fields, forests and mountain sides - wherever there is snow. The leading ski orienteering regions are Asia, Europe and North America.

National teams from 35 countries are expected to participate in the next World Ski Orienteering Championships to be held in Sweden in March 2011. Ski orienteering is on the programme of the Asian Winter Games and the CISM World Military Winter Games. The IOF has applied for inclusion of ski orienteering in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games and will also apply to FISU for inclusion in the 2013 Winter Universiades. [5]

World Rankings

As of 1 June 2019, the highest ranked male ski-orienteerers are:

RankNameCountryPoints
1 Erik Rost Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 6995
2 Sergey Gorlanov Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 6967
3 Lars Moholdt Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 6963
4 Vladislav Kiselev Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 6818
5 Eduard Khrennikov Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 6746
6 Stanimir Belomazhev Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria 6706
7 Gion Schnyder Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland 6641
8 Erik Blomgren Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 6631
9 Tuomas Kotro Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 6552
10 Tero Linnainmaa Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 6544
11 Jyri Uusitalo Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 6506
12 Andrey Lamov Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 6501
13 Jorgen Madslien Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 6481
14 Bjornar Kvale Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 6445
15 Petr Horvat Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 6372
16 Martin Hammarberg Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 6356
17 Janne Hakkinen Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 6345
18 Oyvind Wiggen Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 6226
19 Jorgen Baklid Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 6224
20 Jakub Skoda Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 6221
21 Mattis Jaama Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia 5959
22 Radek Laciga Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 5930
23 Audun Heimdal Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 5910
24 Martin Penchev Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria 5712
25 Rasmus Wickbom Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 5642

Last updated: June 2019
Source: [6]

Equipment

Ski orienteering map Skionm2005.png
Ski orienteering map

A person taking part in competitions in ski orienteering is equipped with:

Map holder worn on chest Lob-fran-crop.jpg
Map holder worn on chest

Bid for inclusion in 2018 Winter Olympic Games

The International Orienteering Federation (IOF) had applied for ski orienteering to be included in the programme of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. [8] [9] However this was unsuccessful. [10] In the past few years, ski orienteering has grown considerably in terms of global spread. The growth has been boosted by the inclusion of ski orienteering into the Asian Winter Games and the CISM World Military Winter Games. [11]

Related Research Articles

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Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a means of travel. Variants of cross-country skiing are adapted to a range of terrain which spans unimproved, sometimes mountainous terrain to groomed courses that are specifically designed for the sport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orienteering</span> Group of sports that requires navigational skills

Orienteering is a group of sports that involve using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they use to find control points. Originally a training exercise in land navigation for military officers, orienteering has developed many variations. Among these, the oldest and the most popular is foot orienteering. For the purposes of this article, foot orienteering serves as a point of departure for discussion of all other variations, but almost any sport that involves racing against a clock and requires navigation with a map is a type of orienteering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winter sports</span> Sports or recreational activities which are played on snow or ice

Winter sports or winter activities are competitive sports or non-competitive recreational activities which are played on snow or ice. Most are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally, such games were only played in cold areas during winter, but artificial snow and artificial ice allow more flexibility. Playing areas and fields consist of either snow or ice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1992 Winter Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in Albertville, France

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Orienteering Federation</span> International sports governing body organizing orienteering

The International Orienteering Federation (IOF) is the international governing body of the sport of orienteering. The IOF head office is located in Karlstad, Sweden. The IOF governs four orienteering disciplines: foot orienteering, mountain bike orienteering, ski orienteering, and trail orienteering.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orienteering map</span>

An orienteering map is a map specially prepared for use in orienteering events. It is a large-scale topographic map with extra markings to help the participant navigate through the course.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Cup in Ski Orienteering</span>

The World Cup in Ski Orienteering is a series of ski-orienteering competitions organized by the International Orienteering Federation. The first official World Cup was held in 1989, then every second year up to 1999, and then in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, and 2007–2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eduard Khrennikov</span> Russian ski orienteer

Eduard Alexandrovich Khrennikov is a Russian ski-orienteering competitor and world champion, and three times winner of the overall World cup. He received a gold medal in the long course at the 2004, 2005 and 2007 World Ski Orienteering Championships, in the middle distance in 2002 and 2007, and in sprint in 2004 and 2007. He won the overall World Cup in Ski Orienteering in 2000, 2003 and 2006, and finished 3rd in 2001. Khrennikov by winning the middle distance at the 2017 Winter Military World Games in Sochi, Russia won his fifth medal in this competition. He continued winning three more gold medals there.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Control point (orienteering)</span> Waypoint in adventure sports

A control point is a marked waypoint used in orienteering and related sports such as rogaining and adventure racing. It is located in the competition area; marked both on an orienteering map and in the terrain, and described on a control description sheet. The control point must be identifiable on the map and on the ground. A control point has three components: a high visibility item, known as a flag or kite; an identifier, known as a control code; and a recording mechanism for contestants to record proof that they visited the control point. The control point is usually temporary, except on a permanent orienteering course.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain bike orienteering</span>

Mountain bike orienteering is an orienteering endurance racing sport on a mountain bike where navigation is done along trails and tracks. Compared with foot orienteering, competitors usually are not permitted to leave the trail and track network. Navigation tactics are similar to ski-orienteering, where the major focus is route choice while navigating. The main difference compared to ski-orienteering is that navigation is done at a higher pace, because the bike can reach higher speeds. As the biker reaches higher speeds, map reading becomes more challenging.

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Matthias Kyburz is a Swiss competitor in orienteering and athletics. In orienteering, Kyburz has attained gold medals in the Junior World Orienteering Championships, European Orienteering Championships and the World Orienteering Championships. In athletics, Kyburz is a long-distance specialist; Kyburz attained the world record in 50km on a treadmill of 2:56:35 on 16 April 2020, breaking a record held by Florian Neuschwander. On 7 April 2024 Kyburz ran 2:07:44 in his Marathon debut, becoming the third fastest Swiss athlete of all time over the distance after Tadesse Abraham and his coach Viktor Röthlin, and achieving the qualifying standard for the 2024 Olympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross-country skiing (sport)</span> Competitive winter sport

Competitive cross-country skiing encompasses a variety of race formats and course lengths. Rules of cross-country skiing are sanctioned by the International Ski Federation and by various national organizations. International competitions include the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, the FIS Cross-Country World Cup, and at the Winter Olympic Games. Such races occur over homologated, groomed courses designed to support classic (in-track) and freestyle events, where the skiers may employ skate skiing. It also encompasses cross-country ski marathon events, sanctioned by the Worldloppet Ski Federation, and cross-country ski orienteering events, sanctioned by the International Orienteering Federation. Related forms of competition are biathlon, where competitors race on cross-country skis and stop to shoot at targets with rifles, and paralympic cross-country skiing that allows athletes with disabilities to compete at cross-country skiing with adaptive equipment.

References

  1. "International Orienteering Federation Mapping Specifications". The International Orienteering Federation Mapping Committee. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  2. "Ski Orienteering". The Canadian Orienteering Federation. Archived from the original on 2008-05-29. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
  3. "Background material to the Press Release: Ski orienteering bids for inclusion in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games / News / Top - International Orienteering Federation". Archived from the original on 2010-09-25. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  4. "Home | International Orienteering Federation".
  5. "Background material to the Press Release: Ski orienteering bids for inclusion in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games / News / Top - International Orienteering Federation". Archived from the original on 2010-09-25. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  6. "IOF Ski-Orienteering World Rankings". International Orienteering Federation. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  7. "International Specification for Orienteering Maps 2000" (PDF). International Orienteering Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 8, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
  8. "Ski orienteering launches campaign to be included in 2018 Winter Olympics". www.insidethegames.biz. 2010-09-01. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  9. "Ski-O Bids for Spot in 2018 Olympics – FasterSkier.com". fasterskier.com. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  10. "Ski Orienteering: Possible Future Winter Olympic Sport". www.topendsports.com. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  11. "Ski Orienteering Makes Successful Debut Thanks to GPS Technology". sportsfeatures.com. Retrieved 30 October 2023.

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