Rogaining is an

orienteering Orienteering is a group of sports that involve using a map and compass to navigation, navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specia ...

sport of long distance cross-country

navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the motion, movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navig ...

, involving both route planning and navigation between checkpoints using a variety of map types. In a rogaine, teams of two to five people choose which checkpoints to visit within a time limit with the intent of maximising their score. Teamwork, endurance, competition and an appreciation for the natural environment are features of the sport. Championship rogaines are 24 hours long, but rogaines can be as short as two hours.

History

Rogaining can trace its roots back to 1947 when the first of many events with some of the features of rogaines was organised by the

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state of Victoria. Its ...

Mountaineering Club. The events from the 1940s eventually led to the birth of the sport of rogaining in April 1976, in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The sport was named, rules were adopted and the world’s first rogaining association was formed (the Victorian Rogaining Association). Growth of the association and the sport occurred rapidly over the next decade. The word rogaining is derived from the names of three of the founders, Rod Phillips, Gail Davis (née Phillips) and Neil Phillips (RoGaiNe, hence "rogaining", "rogainer" etc.) who were all members of the Surrey-Thomas Rover Crew which organised the world's first rogaine. The name was formally adopted by the Victorian Rogaining Association at its inaugural annual general meeting in August 1976 and accepted by Scouts Australia and University

bushwalking A hike is a long, vigorous walking, walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer tim ...

groups to give the new sport an identity in its own right. World Rogaining Championships were first held in 1992, and then every two years from 1996 to 2012. Between 2012 and 2017 they were held every year, but changed back to every two years in 2017.The country arranging the World Championships is chosen two years in advance by the International Rogaining Federation. * 1st World Rogaining Championship (1992): Beechworth, Australia, about 200 teams * 2nd World Rogaining Championship (1996): Mt Singleton, Western Australia, 640 participants in 271 teams * 3rd World Rogaining Championship (1998): Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada * 4th World Rogaining Championship (2000): Christchurch, New Zealand * 5th World Rogaining Championship (2002): Lesna, Czech Republic, 202 teams * 6th World Rogaining Championship (2004): Arizona, USA, 380 participants from 15 countries and 33 U.S. states. * 7th World Rogaining Championship (2006): New South Wales, Australia; 691 participants (311 teams), 125 from overseas * 8th World Rogaining Championship (2008): Karula National Park, Estonia; 748 participants (339 teams) from 22 countries. * 9th World Rogaining Championship (2010): Cheviot, New Zealand; 522 participants (251 teams) * 10th World Rogaining Championship (2012): Přebuz, Czech Republic * 11th World Rogaining Championship (2013): Alol, Russian Federation * 12th World Rogaining Championship (2014): Black Hills, South Dakota, USA * 13th World Rogaining Championship (2015): Kiilopää, Lapland, Finland * 14th World Rogaining Championship (2016): Alice Springs, Australia * 15th World Rogaining Championship (2017): Rāzna National Park, Latvia * 16th World Rogaining Championship (2019): La Molina,

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, Spain
17th World Rogaining Championship (2022)

Králický Sněžník Králický Sněžník () or Śnieżnik () is a mountain on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland. With , it is the highest mountain of the Králický Sněžník Mountains. Etymology The name ''Sněžník'' or ''Śnieżnik'' derives ...

, Czechia
18th World Rogaining Championship (2023)

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; Washo language, Washo: ''dáʔaw'') is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest a ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, USA
19th World Rogaining Championship (2025)

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

, Spain
20th World Rogaining Championship (2027)

Wilpena Pound Wilpena Pound ("Ikara" in the Adnyamathanha language) is a major natural amphitheatre of mountains located north of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia in the heart of the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park. Its fringe is accessible by a sea ...

, Australia

Basic play

Teams of two to five members visit as many checkpoints as possible in the time allowed. Shorter duration rogaines often allow solo competitors. Checkpoints are scored differently depending on level of difficulty in reaching them; therefore teams choose a strategy (for example, to visit many low score checkpoints). Teams travel entirely on foot, navigating by map and compass between checkpoints in terrain that varies from open farmland to hilly forest. A central base camp known as a "hash house" provides hot meals throughout the event and teams may return at any time to eat, rest or sleep. Teams travel at their own pace and participants can practise cross-country navigation at their own level of competition and comfort. Team members stay within earshot of each other. The duration of a championship rogaine is 24 hours, but shorter variations such as 3-, 6-, 8-, 12- and 15-hour events are also held (sometimes concurrently with a 24-hour event). Depending on the terrain, experienced rogaining teams can cover more than over the 24-hour period. There have also been longer events (dubbed "Endurogaines") lasting 48 and 50 hours. In their native Australia, rogaines are usually held every month during weekends near full moons, with annual state championships and an annual national championship. They require dozens of volunteers to run, including course setters and caterers and are often attended by hundreds of participants. A competitive 24-hour rogaine requires a map area of around , for relatively flat terrain; terrain with significant climbs may require far less or far more area, depending on the placement of checkpoints.

Variants

Other forms of rogaining are popular, particularly in Australia during the months when normal rogaines are not held because of the weather. Popular variations include: * Bouldergaine: A combination of rogaining and

bouldering Bouldering is a form of rock climbing that is performed on small rock formations or Climbing wall, artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or Climbing harness, harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers ...

. * Metrogaine: An event of usually around six hours and held in predominantly urban areas. * Cyclegaine/Cyclogaine/Velogaine: Usually run for six hours in areas with trails suitable for mountainbiking. * Snogaine: Held in areas that are snowbound and participants may either

snowshoe Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footw ...

or ski to reach checkpoints. * Paddlogaine: A rogaine on a water covered area, such as a set of interconnected lakes. Participants can generally use any human-powered

watercraft A watercraft or waterborne vessel is any vehicle designed for travel across or through water bodies, such as a boat, ship, hovercraft, submersible or submarine. Types Historically, watercraft have been divided into two main categories. *Raf ...

. * Motorienteering: A rogaine with

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

s. Event lasts 6h. Control points are located both in urban and rural areas

References

External links

History

Basic play

Variants

See also

References

External links