Discussion: The Champs will NOT be canceled

... despite abysmal signups. There will be about 5 times as many checkpoints as there are teams, and we will be losing several thousand dollars on the event, putting us even deeper into our mid-five-digit debt, but the event will proceed. We think it is important to keep the show going.

I just keep wondering where all these people who were very vocal about the lack of rogaines, are. We have a decent map, very technical navigation, top-notch food, and hopefully prompt electronic results. There's no need to do "another" 24 hours, we also have 4- and 8-hour divisions, and we know we have a couple hundred rogainers within a 3-hour driving radius, I have their emails.

The event is scheduled when it is scheduled simply because there aren't other openings in the schedule. The local orienteering club is territorial about us "poaching" on the schedule, there are two other rogaines on the West Coast two and three weeks later, and October is chock-full of events. November has the World Masters Champs, and later on we have our Sprints.

So we'll proceed. If you show up, you get fed and you get medals. We'll be very happy setting out checkpoints and picking them up later, and if a few teams show up, that's a bonus. We'll be well prepared when (hah) we have to cater to a larger crowd.

Hey Vladimir, I am just about to sign up my 10 yr old son and me for the 8 hr foot rogaine. Where are the adventure racers?!

I'll put in some FB reminders to people. Your events are great and I will continue to support them as my life's schedule allows.

Thanks Afsheen, got your entry! I'm surprised as well given that the expedition AR the next weekend apparently got canceled (and that's when we made the 100% decision to proceed with our event).

Hey, any good ideas on car camping out the night before the event? Does it have to be one of the motel/hotels? I mean, can we park somewhere nearby and sleep in the car at a safe location, that you know of?

You can camp at the site starting Friday night, we have it reserved. There is room there for 100+ tents. There is a bathroom but no running water, for that you have to drive ~4 km to the freeway exit.

Great, we'll do that. But I thought the website said nothing like that was available Friday night. My mistake.

Yes, that's wrong. That was published before we had secured the site. Thanks! I will change the info shortly.

Need a teammate, probably any warm body will do. We can do it low-key, come in at night, and just enjoy it. "...a decent map, very technical navigation, top-notch food..." - sounds great.

I think you meant "sleep during the day and venture out during the night". I think the day is the worst time to be out, and night is the best, due to mid-90-degree high temps. I am setting the course exclusively during dark.

"there can be armed individuals discharging guns".

wow. this is exciting...

Yep. They are confined to the main thoroughfare, though; side roads are closed. I will broadcast the exact level of militancy; it varies by weekend. When I set the first rogaine at Panoche last winter, on the weekend that I set it, the level was about Oakland. The weekend of the event, it was more like Donetsk (our side took no casualties). I expect it to be tame in the coming weekends, too hot. And I didn't set any checkpoints within range of the main road.

Heads up open class rogainers, this is likely to be a key qualifier for the WRC2015 in Finland. Since that venue is within reasonable travel distance of aeveral thousand competitive rogainers, it may be difficult to get in. In line with previous WRC automatic and preferred pre qualification entry criteria, Vlad's event can qualify between 6 and 12+ individuals, depending on turnout. If you are not pre qualified from the last two NARCs or the last U.S. champs, this is your chance. Besides, the venue is really interesting, and there may be a new strategy parameter - heat.

Will heat come in handy when preparing for a WRC well north of the Arctic Circle?

Sounds great. Wish I could make it but timing didn't work. Vladimir, I hope you keep these going. Sooner or later it's got to take off. Sorry to hear that this one is not doing so well financially.

Obviously heat isn't relevant to the 2015 WRC. And there is no terrain in the U.S. that would be relevant to Saariselkä. What is the point of your comment?

I think he was referring to Buzzard's comment, when he was helping to spur community interest, "Besides, the venue is really interesting, and there may be a new strategy parameter - heat."
I though it was funny.

uh, I live near panoche. the heat may be a very potent factor. Vlad is setiing everything at night to make sure that if competitors have to limit movement during the day, the night hours can be primo competition.

The venue is great, and with luck temps will be workable. Might not be workable strategy for Finland, but WRC 2016 is in Alice Springs, Australia, hmmmm.

Our team's secret strategy is that we have booked a hotel room at the I-5 exit, we might just make it a night - o rogaine, relaxing in the pool while others wander dazed and confused in the hills during the day. oops, let the cat out of the bag.

I actually ran out of schedule time and was placing yesterday between 1 pm and 5 pm. I am still alive. I don't want to do much more of this, but it was tolerable and at times pleasant with the breeze.

The Australian Champs rogaine in Alice Springs a few years ago was a great event, remarkable terrain in the McDonnell ranges - and I distinctly remember being pleased that at night the temperature didn't drop as low as the desert night can do - it was cool without any need to add any more than one layer. The day temps - well, that could get warm, but unlikely to be hot at that time of year.

At the NARC in British Columbia a few years ago, it was 95 F at the start (in British Columbia!!). Our first control was a 700 ft. climb, changed our strategy half way up and contoured to an alternate control.

Panoche is likely to be really sweet in September, but competitors should keep an eye on the forecast, and keep in mind that ground temp and air temp can be quite different.

Very few bush flies, however :)

Yeah, no offense intended, I was just amused by buzzard's seeming superposition of the WRC15 bit with the heat comment. Very glad about this event happening, though I won't be able to fit it into my own schedule.

This January's Panoche Hills Get Lost 4 hr / 8 hr is my favorite event I have attended in 2014.

No offense taken. The WRC15 comment is to alert folks that USA has few slots and even fewer opportunities going forward to pre qualify for that event, so they will want to be thinking about the timing - WRC15 registration starts end of this year or so, which means that there are NO more prequalifying events after this one. For WRC16, a NARC and/or U.S. champs held before end of next year will count. WRC pre qualification rests on the previous two regional or national champs, so people who prequaled in one of those are still eligible (except for anyone who may be "bumped" by winners in Open class at Panoche).

A comprehensive text on the process is available through a link on the Peakassurance website (WRC2014)

yes, heat strategy was really just a joke - I had heard from some folks about how it would be too hot to compete there. We won't know the temp until we're there, so pool strategy may or may not apply. Might be better than getting snowed on, as happened to my team at one of the Dakota champs.

The hottest Rogaine I've ever done was in Canada. The coldest Rogaine I've ever done was in the US, but within sight of Mexico.

given that inverse relationship, perhaps snowshoes are good gear for Panoche.

on a more event specific note, the bare hillsides at Panoche make it all runnable, route choice is quite tricky because of the footing on loose soils at nearly angle of repose and a lot of hillsides are quite steep. althoiugh control placements may seem to be on obvious features such as saddles, technical areas of parallel features and choices between wash/ridgeline/contouring routes can create significant effects on splits. the pictures don't do justice to the area, it's great rogaining country.

Yes, if the place had trees, it would be the most technical rogaine area in North Anerica. The level of contour detail exceeds that for all Chanpionship rogaines I've been to. The open-ness makes it easier, but not easy. My misplaced CP count is 10% so far (eventually corrected).

TD - thanks so much in advance for bringing this event on line. our team missed one control in the january event there, and had to relocate to find it during control pickup the following day. how hard is it go find a single re entrant on a hill - that hard.