Ski orienteering (SkiO) is a

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreatio ...

endurance

winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultur ...

racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific go ...

sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

and one of the four

orienteering Orienteering is a group of sports that require navigational skills 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 ...

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. Standard

orienteering map 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. These maps are much more detailed than general-purpose to ...

s are commonly used, but since 2019, a separate mapping standard ISSkiOM 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. 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. International competitions
The

World Ski Orienteering Championships The World Ski Orienteering Championships (Ski-WOC) 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 compe ...

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 A relay Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off A relay is an electrically operated switch ...

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. 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.

World Rankings

', the highest ranked male ski-orienteerers are: {, class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" , - !Rank !Name !Country !Points , - , 1 , align="left", Erik Rost , align="left", , 6995 , - , 2 , align="left", Sergey Gorlanov , align="left", , 6967 , - , 3 , align="left", Lars Moholdt , align="left", , 6963 , - , 4 , align="left", Vladislav Kiselev , align="left", , 6818 , - , 5 , align="left",

Eduard Khrennikov Eduard Alexandrovich Khrennikov (russian: Эдуард Александрович Хренников; born 19 May 1973 in Usolye-Sibirskoye) is a Russian ski-orienteering competitor and world champion, and three ti ...

, align="left", , 6746 , - , 6 , align="left", Stanimir Belomazhev , align="left", , 6706 , - , 7 , align="left", Gion Schnyder , align="left", , 6641 , - , 8 , align="left", Erik Blomgren , align="left", , 6631 , - , 9 , align="left", Tuomas Kotro , align="left", , 6552 , - , 10 , align="left", Tero Linnainmaa , align="left", , 6544 , - , 11 , align="left", Jyri Uusitalo , align="left", , 6506 , - , 12 , align="left", Andrey Lamov , align="left", , 6501 , - , 13 , align="left", Jorgen Madslien , align="left", , 6481 , - , 14 , align="left", Bjornar Kvale , align="left", , 6445 , - , 15 , align="left", Petr Horvat , align="left", , 6372 , - , 16 , align="left", Martin Hammarberg , align="left", , 6356 , - , 17 , align="left", Janne Hakkinen , align="left", , 6345 , - , 18 , align="left", Oyvind Wiggen , align="left", , 6226 , - , 19 , align="left", Jorgen Baklid , align="left", , 6224 , - , 20 , align="left", Jakub Skoda , align="left", , 6221 , - , 21 , align="left",

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Equipment

A person taking part in

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, ind ...

s in ski orienteering is equipped with: *Clothing adequate for

, boots and skis and ski poles. Lob-fran-crop

*An

provided by the organizer, showing the control points which must be visited in order. The map is designed to give all the information the competitor needs to decide which route is the fastest, such as the quality of the tracks, gradient and distance. Green lines on the map show a trail suited to race on skis. Depending on the thickness and continuity of the lines, the competitor makes decisions about which route is the fastest between control points. *Map holder: a map holder attached to the chest makes it possible to view the map while skiing at full speed. * Optionally lighter type of

compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

is attached to the map holder or to the skier's arm. * An electronic punching chip (see orienteering control point).

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. However this was unsuccessful. 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.

References

External links

International Orienteering Federation

Ski orienteering presentation (Background material to the Press Release: Ski orienteering bids for inclusion in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games)
(August 31, 2010) *(June 11, 2008) {{Racing Orienteering

Orienteering Orienteering is a group of sports that require navigational skills 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 ...

Multisports

Snow sports