Course of the Year 2022: Last chance to add suggestions!

Jan Kocbach December 12, 2022 Orienteering News Comments Off on Course of the Year 2022: Last chance to add suggestions!

[See all nominations here] Tuesday December 13th is the last chance to add suggestions to “Course of the Year 2022″. We already got 45 nominations in the comments to the intro article – most of these are high quality courses which will be part of the voting in “Course of the Year 2022″. Based on all the selected courses, WorldofO’s readers will be asked to set up their personal Top 5 lists.

Did you add your suggested course to “Course of the Year 2022″ yet? This is your chance to win great prizes from our sponsors worth a total of more than 4000 Euro!

Head over to the intro-article and add your suggestion in the comments.

Add your suggested course here (Please do not add in the comments to the current article as only suggestions on the original article will be included in the drawing for sponsor prizes)
Take a look at the 45+ courses which have already been suggested:
- In large thumbnail or list mode, sorted on most “thumbs-up” by WorldofO’s readers
- In a slideshow- mode where you can see all the full maps (please be patient if you are on a slow line you might rather look at the it in list mode)
Please add a comment below if you have access to better map quality for any of the nominated courses or if your suggestion from the intro-article is missing. Also add a comment if any of the suggested courses should definitely not be part of the voting for “Course of the Year 2022″
Some of the courses lack location information – I’d be grateful it you know the location and have the possibility to use the link given on the map page to update the position (click in the yellow “Missing location”-box to update position). Then the map with positions of the top 2022 orienteering courses can be updated.

And do remember to check out our sponsors before voting, as you should include which sponsor prize you want to win!

Rules

The following rules are given for “The course of the Year 2022″.

The course must have been run in competition or training in 2022 (an exception for courses in December 2021 as they were not covered in last year’s contest)
Suggestions are submitted as a comment to the intro post – including link to the map (this is important!) with course in a quality which is good enough for the readers to understand the course and the challenges involved. Please add information about location/date if that is not clear from the link provided. Also include which sponsor prize you are interested in if you win (please do check out the sponsor prizes and choose one, it is much nicer to win something you really want!).
You must give a reason for why you think this course deserves to be named “The course of the Year 2022″ (or why it is the best course you run/set this year). All reasons are valid. Examples can for example be “varied orienteering challenges”, “extremely technical orienteering”, “high fun-factor”, “fantastic map”, “spectacular orienteering”, “fantastic nature” – a combination of these – or a totally different reason. To get all the way to the top you should probably have a combination of reasons…
The course may be any foot-orienteering discipline – e.g. a long distance, a middle distance, a sprint distance. It may also be a technical training course – like e.g. a corridor orienteering exercise.
There will be a voting process among the readers of “World of O” in order to name “The course of the year 2022″. This is your second chance to win sponsor prizes!

Prizes from our Sponsors

Prizes from our Sponsors always makes it more fun! There will be a prize for the first one suggesting the course which ends up becoming “The course of the Year 2022″, and prizes drawn among the ones suggesting and voting. All prizes are transferable to other persons (you don’t have to travel yourself). Note that in those cases where prizes are race entries, the race organizers may decide to withdraw prizes or transfer prizes to another competition/year if races are canceled due to COVID-19.

Event sponsor: 55th Kainuu Orienteering Week (KOW), July 2nd-7th 2023 (Finland)

Prize offered: 4 packages, each consisting of 2 free participations for the whole week in any class (competition classes or open courses) at Kainuu Orienteering Week 2023. Total value up to 850 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
Open and International Orienteering Week in Finland, city of Kuhmo and Jämäsvaara competition terrain (one of the best orienteering terrains in Kainuu)
More information: Kainuu Orienteering Week is the Finland’s biggest orienteering week and the world’s second oldest orienteering week, as it has been held annually since the year 1966. Kainuu O Week is held in the Kainuu region of Finland and traditionally the event is held in the beginning of July (week 27). In 2023, the event will be held in the Kuhmo and Jämäsvaara competition area. Jämäsvaara is one of the most legendary and finest orienteering and nature destinations in Kuhmo and Kainuu. The magnificent terrain and landscapes of the area attracts the eyes (and shoes) and offers orienteers a memorable orienteering experience! Note also the 2nd official Kainuu MTBO Week 2.-7.7.2023 in Kuhmo – come and enjoy the best MTBO terrains and great landscapes of Kainuu. The following entry steps are: 28th Feb 2023 / 31st May 2023 / 12th June 2023. For more information see www.rastiviikko.fi.

Event sponsor: O’France 2023 Cerdagne Capcir July 29th – August 4th (France)

Prize offered: 2 packages, each for 2 persons, consisting of full entry fee for O’France 2023 (1 training, 5 forest stages, 1 urban race, 1 o-top). Value about 500 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
Have you ever heard about Font Romeu ? French Orienteering Federation (FFCO) and local clubs are pleased to welcome you for a new O’France edition there, in the magnificent and wild terrains of the Pyrénées-Orientales. “It’s a dream terrain for orienteering ! With the landscapes and the sun, it’s the best place for a 5 days of races. I used to go there every year when I was young. The region of Font-Romeu for sure helped me to improve my skills”, said Thierry Gueorgiou, sponsor of O’France 2023. More information at the webpage: O’France 2023 (o-france.fr) – see a small tast of what awaits you in France here.

Event sponsor: Swiss O Week 2023, July 15th – 22nd 2023 (Switzerland)

Prize offered: Competition package for two persons: Entry for two persons at the Swiss O Week 2023 in Flims Laax, including all mountain railway tickets for the week and free entries to all WOC 2023 finals. Value 500 CHF.
You are welcome to Swiss O Week 2023 in Flims Laax, from July 15 – July 22. The SOW 2023 will be overlapping with the World Orienteering Championships 2023 Flims Laax. It is therefore possible to combine the two events as a spectator and as a runner at the Swiss O Week! Read more at the website https://swiss-o-week.ch/en and on Facebook www.facebook.com/SwissOWeek

Training camp/event sponsor: Madeira O-Camp 2023 + Madeira O-Festival 2023 (optional), (Portugal)

Prize offered: A package for 2 people – consisting of all packages of the Madeira O-Camp (11 different orienteering trainings), 3 nights accommodation in Hotel do Centro in Funchal (with breakfast, individual rooms). In addition optionally 2 entries to the Madeira O-Festival 2023 competitions January 13th – 15th 2023 (3 stages, all included) if this fits your travel arrangements. Total value up to 440 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
More information: For about two decades, orienteering events have been organized on a regular basis all over the island of Madeira, and there are already close to 100 orienteering maps. This island has a great wealth of natural heritage. We emphasize its epic forests, with special emphasis on the largest patch of Laurissilva forest in the world. The Madeira Orienteering Festival will be the 4th edition, after two years without organizing. Our club (CMoF) has experience in the organization of many outdoor events, the most popular is the Madeira Island Ultra Trail (MIUT). To help develop the sport and take advantage of all this potential, we decided to create a training camp with around 15 different orienteering courses, not only for the many tourists who visit us, but also for those who live in the region and enjoy orienteering. Many of the forest maps cover areas at an altitude of around 1400m, being the highest at 1800m, a consequence of the island’s orography. Our urban maps cover very different villages, some are found in beautiful fajãs such as Seixal, Porto Moniz and Jardim do Mar, cut by intricate paths along banana plantations (Jardim do Mar) or vineyards (Estreito de Câmara de Lobos), which are crossed by endless levadas that blend in between the paths (Machico; Arco da Calheta; Seixal). Ready to embark on this O-adventure through the beautiful island of Madeira?

Software sponsor: OCAD Orienteering 3-year license

Prize offered: One 3-year licence for the software “OCAD Orienteering”. Value about 400 EUR. Transferable to other person (before activation).
More information: OCAD 2018 Orienteering – Perfect to Produce Orienteering Maps. This edition is dedicated for orienteering map making with the OCAD Sketch App Data Exchange tool, legibility check tools, a step-by-step wizard for analyzing of LiDAR data and much more. Also, it contains the Course Setting Module with which you can use the new Canvas function or upload courses directly to Livlox and SPORTident Center. Read more at https://www.ocad.com.

Event sponsor: OOCup – July 26th – 30th 2023 (Slovenia)

Prize offered: 2 packages, each for 2 people – consisting of: Entry for the complete 5 days OOCup competition. Total value around 400 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
In 2023 we are going back to karst forests, to the beautiful forests of Trnovo plateau. 8 years have passed since the last OOcup in these areas and it is time to revisit them! All maps will be updated to new standard and we will also add some new terrain which has never before been used for orienteering. It is going to be GREAT! More at oocup.com

Event sponsor: Czech Orienteering Tour, August 3rd—6th 2023 (Czech Republic)

Prize offered: 2 packages, each consisting of 4 free participations for the Czech O-Tour 4 days in Kokořínsko. Total value up to 400 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
Why to come: some of the most difficult sandstone terrains, a great vacation in the middle of summer, venue of the Orienteering World Cup 2023.
More information: The summer part of Czech O-Tour 2023 will go on at the beginning of August in Kokořínsko region: 1 amazing sprint and 3 races in rocky sandstone terrain. But that’s still not all. In addition to your own racing, you can be in the scene of an elite orienteering event. On the same days and in the same location, the 2nd round of the Orienteering World Cup will take place. This part of the Czech O-Tour will thus be the largest even with numerous international participation. For more information see o-tour.cz, Facebook, Instagram

Event sponsor: Lipica Open 2023. March 11th – 15th 2023 (Slovenia)

Prize offered: 2 packages, each for 2 people – consisting of entry to complete 5 Day Lipica Open competition. Value up to about 330 euro. Transferable to other persons.
Lipica Open is a popular season starter in the Kras region of Slovenia. Enjoy Slovenian karst terrain already in March. Please note that there are good training camp possibilities in SW part of Slovenia and feel free to contact us regarding that at any time. More at www.lipicaopen.com

Event sponsor: Kapa 2023 – June 30th to July 2nd (Latvia)

Prize offered: Two family entry packages to Kapa 3days, where each package includes an entry for two adults and one child, space for a tent at the event camping and a car parking voucher. Total value is around 250 EUR. Transferable to other person.
More information: Kapa 3-days is the largest orienteering event in the Baltics. We have hosted participants from around 20 countries. It is a long o-weekend for families – from Friday to Sunday. This year we are entering an unused terrain next to the Baltic Sea around the town Roja. Kindergarten will be available at the event centre, great atmosphere guaranteed, including live music in the evening and a sprint relay at the event centre. Just come with your family and enjoy the Baltic summer and the beautiful beaches of the Baltic Sea! Check out the best connection to Riga (RIX) airport or come by your car! This year’s event page: 2023.kapa.lv. Facebook page: facebook.com/Kapa3days.