2023-24 Winter League #7 – Lord Hill Park
WINTER LEAGUE
Saturday, February 3 at Lord Hill Regional Park – South Entrance in Monroe, WA
- Pre-registration is required for ALL Winter League Events. There is NO day-of-event registration.
- Public Reg will close 11/29 at 11:59 pm for this meet.
- PUBLIC start time sign-ups are here, they are open from Jan. 20th at 3 pm to Jan. 31st at 11:59 pm.
- ALL runners will be called to enter the start procedure line 8 minutes prior to their assigned/picked start time. Please be race-ready when your name is called.
- 2023-24 Start Procedures are here.
- Read the 2023-24 WIOL Rules here and the 2023-24 Public Rules here.
- Site map is here.
- Start list is here.
- NOTE that the Parking info has been updated. Shuttle bus: first pick up at parking area will be at 8:30am. There will be TWO shuttle buses running to and from Sky Meadows Parking and Lord Hill. Last pickup from Lord Hill at 2:45pm.
Winter League is the Pacific Northwest’s premier competitive orienteering series for all ages.
- Elementary, Middle School, High School and College students compete under the banner of the Washington Interscholastic Orienteering League (WIOL).
- Winter League public courses offer a range of categories from a competitive long advanced category to non-competitive beginner-friendly categories at every event!
COURSES
Course designer(s): Peter Golde
Public Courses:
| Course | Controls | Length | Climb |
| Beginner | 10 | 1.6 km | 60 m |
| Advanced Beginner | 12 | 2.3 km | 90 m |
| Intermediate | 15 | 2.7 km | 140 m |
| Short Advanced | 16 | 3.2 km | 180 m |
| Long Advanced | 19 | 4.1 km | 245 m |
WIOL Courses:
| Course | Controls | Length | Climb |
| Elementary | 10 | 1.6 km | 60 m |
| Middle School | 13 | 2.2 km | 100 m |
| Rookie Female | 12 | 2.3 km | 90 m |
| Rookie Male | 12 | 2.3 km | 95 m |
| JV Female | 15 | 2.7 km | 140 m |
| JV Male/Collegiate JV | 15 | 2.7 km | 135 m |
| Varsity | 16 | 3.2 km | 175 m |
| Collegiate Varsity | 19 | 4.1 km | 245 m |
How are courses measured?
Courses are measured as the crow flies, in a direct line from control to control. Unless you have wings, you will travel farther than this distance! Courses are measured in kilometers, so a good rule of thumb is to simply round up to miles to estimate how far you will go. So in a 5 kilometer race, you’ll likely travel up to 5 miles.
COURSE NOTES (Public)
Welcome to Lord Hill! Lord Hill has been used by Cascade for many years, including the annual Bog Slog, but I believe this is the first time it has been used for Winter League. Enjoy (or curse) the area!
If nothing else, Lord Hill is steep. Most parts of the country, it would be named Lord Mountain. If you aren’t going up, you will be going down. Due to the large amount of climb, I expect most courses to have longer times than usual. So don’t be fooled by the apparently short courses; check out those climb numbers!
There is lots of undergrowth, and a fair amount of blackberry, so long pants are strongly recommended, and long sleeves probably a good idea too.
Safety: Off trail, the terrain can be treacherous in areas. The biggest danger is underfoot; under the leaves and underbrush can be a mix of jumbled rocks and downed trees. Especially when descending (did I mention it was steep?), you can easily twist an ankle. There are some tall cliffs (some extremely high), so if you get extremely lost off trail, use common sense if the terrain seems to be getting steeper and steeper. Some of the most dangerous cliff areas are marked with purple cross hatching and should not be entered. Only Long Advanced will go close to the tops of cliffs on their course; runners on that course should avoid the cliffs by descending through the obvious large gap.
Intermediate and above will have a steep rocky descent down an embankment toward the end of their course. If you take it carefully, it is not too hard to negotiate, but be careful and watch that you don’t knock rocks onto someone below you. It is noted on your description sheet. Depending on route choice, there may be other steep descents. Please use care, and remember that sometimes descending on your butt is the safest alternative.
Rootstocks and Stumps: As usual, rootstocks and stumps can come and go. If a rootstock or stump is at or near your control, I have verified that it is still there. Elsewhere, there are likely additional rootstocks everywhere. Rootstocks are mapped as a brown triangle, and stumps are a green X.
Skills: Much like Summit Trails, once you go off trail, it can be quite tricky to maintain a straight line, with the steepness adding extra difficulty. Careful use of compass bearing and reading the terrain features will help keep you on track. If you had trouble with this at Summit Trails, use extra care this week, and keep a close eye on your compass.
SCHEDULE
This event is Pre-Registration Only.
Schedule:
9 am – Info Tent and Newcomer Instruction Opens
9:38 am – Start process begins
9:46 am – First start
12:30 pm – Last Start
2:30 pm – Course Closure
This event uses an interval start, meaning participants are started in waves instead of all at once. Winter League uses an expanded National Meet style start. You will be called to the first start tent 8 minutes prior to your assigned/picked start time. You will proceed through a series of start tents where you will verify your epunch and course, drop your coat, receive short essential course notes, get your control description sheets, clear and check, and receive your map. Please be race ready when your name is called.
PRICES
PRE-REGISTRATION PRICES
$22 base price
– subtract $5 for CascadeOC members
– subtract $5 for using your own e-punch
Participating as a group? Just $5 for each additional adult (16+) group
member, no cost for additional minors.
What’s an e-punch?
An e-punch records your race. At each control, you’ll dip the e-punch into an electronic box, which will beep and flash as confirmation. After you finish, you’ll download the e-punch at the download tent and get a receipt that show which controls you visited and how long you took between each; these are your “splits.”
Part of the fun of orienteering is comparing your splits with people who completed the same course, and discussing the routes you took!
SIGN UP
There is no Day-of-Event registration. Pre-registration will close Wednesday 1/31/2024 at 11:59:00 PM.
Remember to also sign up for a start time for public runners here. Start time sign-ups for WL #7 will be open from Jan. 20th at 3 pm to Jan. 31st at 11:59 pm.
LOCATION
PARKING
Will be at 18601 Sky Meadows Ln, Snohomish, WA 98290. A shuttle to Lord Hill will be provided.
This is a private property. Please respect the property and property owner. See site plan here.
There is not enough room for BUSES to drop off and turn around in the parking lot at Lord Hill. Buses must drop off and park at the offsite Sky Meadows parking and participants use the shuttle to Lord Hill.
ONLY carpools of 4 or more people will be allowed to park at Lord Hill South Parking Lot as space allows. Swing by the parking area to pick up folks if you need more people in your carpool. This will be strictly enforced.
CARPOOL
Looking for a carpool? Join the club email group and share your request to find a ride.
THE MAP
Covering 1,463 acres of forest, ponds, and open meadows, Lord Hill offers some of the best navigation west of the Cascade Mountains. It features rolling hills, a wide-ranging trail network, and enough navigable land to have back-to-back events on a 1:10,000-scale map with little to no overlap.
Though Lord Hill has north and south entrances, the club routinely uses the southern entrance for its ample parking and closer access to “the bowl,” an open, grassy area ideal for the arena-style finishes used in larger events.
Since 2014, Lord Hill has been the preferred location for the annual Bog Slog during the winter, and is often used for another event during the year as well.
Read more on the map pageSAFETY & ETIQUETTE
Return to the Finish
All participants MUST return to the finish and download their e-punch or turn in their punch card.
Even if you have not finished your course, you must still return to the the finish and confirm with event staff that you have returned safely.
Out of Bounds
Some areas may be marked out of bounds. It is imperative to respect these boundaries to maintain our relationships with land managers. Participants MUST NOT go out of bounds. Any participant caught going out of bounds will be disqualified.
Course Closure
All participants MUST return to the finish by course closure time. If a participant does not return by course closure, event volunteers will begin coordinating a search party.
If you need a long time on the course, start as early in the start window as possible, wear a watch, and be prepared to cut your course short to make it back by the course closure time.
Whistle
All participants MUST carry a whistle on the course. Complimentary whistles are available at the start tent (please only take one).
If you are injured on the course and need assistance, blow three long blasts to call for help.
If you hear a call for help, abandon your course to find the person in distress.
Voices
Part of the fun and fairness of orienteering is navigating your own course, so please be polite when you find a checkpoint and don’t holler that you’ve found it.
