Everyone is Welcome at our “Open” events

All of our events require advance registration. Event announcements are usually posted 7-10 days in advance of the event and include the registration link and deadline. Registration usually opens at that time. If you cannot find registration information for an event, check the announcement for that event on our home page.

BOK has some events for everyone and some just for advanced orienteers.

• Open Events: Everyone is welcome.  Check the schedule for start and end times and to see if there is a beginner class.  Most classes have been canceled, but there may be a virtual class, so check the event announcement article on our website.  If you’re new to orienteering be sure to check out our newcomer information page.
  • Fees:
  • BOK Annual Pass Holders  (Membership Information)
    • Your entry fee is included for regularly priced events
    • You will get a discount for specially priced events
  • No Annual Pass entry fee information
    • $7 for each entry and includes one map. People going out together as a group can register as one entry.
  • $2 for each additional map so everyone in your group can have a map.
  • $5 for rental of “finger stick”.  Each entry must have a “finger stick”  for safety and timing.  The finger stick is used to “punch in” at each “control” (a “control” is the checkpoint flag you are looking for.)  You can purchase your own finger stick to avoid this expense at our events.
• Advanced and Expert Events:  Check the calendar for start times and course closing times. Confirm the difficulty level.  (Advanced events have a course at the Orange level and Expert events are for Brown and longer.   It’s best if you have your own Finger Stick. You must pre-register at least two days before the event.

BOK has different types of events at various difficulty levels.

Check below the schedule for explanations of the different events and difficulty levels.

To access our calendar from other applications, copy and paste this URL into any calendar product that supports the iCal format.
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/tvdtq21i5a08i3mvqj8ocnvi5g%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

Types of Events

Here are some of the different types of events that are offered as either Open or Advanced events.  Be sure to check the Difficulty level on the schedule, because you must have completed a course at or above that level to attend the event.

• Classic Events: These are our premier Open events where we offer all of the Difficulty levels and have beginners instruction.  Each course has an assigned route and the controls must be taken in order.  You must visit all the controls on your course and the shortest time wins.  Unless otherwise stated, courses open at noon and close at 3pm.  Pre-registration is required at all our events. (Check the article for registration deadlines.)
• Sprint Events: These are short courses at with lots of controls and direction changes.  Usually there are two courses and you can do both.  Other courses may also be available.
• Score Events: In Score events you may take the controls in any order and there is a strict time limit with penalties for returning overtime.  Controls have a point value depending on their difficulty, and the high score wins. The Difficulty level will be specified in the schedule. There may be other rules as well.
• Night Events: Usually a score course with a mass start, where everyone starts at the same time.  the event starts after dark, so check the calendar for start times. Be sure to check the Difficulty level on the schedule.
• Relay Event: Similar to a Sprint with short complex courses.  There is a mass start with one person starting from each team.  When a team member finishes the next team member starts.  Check the difficulty level, usually at the Advanced level.
• Radio Orienteering: Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) is the sport of finding radio transmitters on foot, using radio receiver, map, and compass in diverse, wooded terrain.  We have a limited amount of equipment to loan out so please register if you are planning to attend an ARDF event.  ARDF information

Course Difficulty Levels

When a Difficulty for an event is mentioned in the schedule then you must have already succeeded on a course of at least that difficulty to attend the event.

Finishing a course should take about an hour, but can range from 20 minutes to 3 hours.  Typical time on white is 40 minutes, yellow, an hour, and on the more advanced courses about 90 minutes.  When you finish in less time, that’s the signal to move up to a more difficult course.  We usually start at noon and close the course at 3pm, but you should check the course closing time at each event.  We pick the controls up promptly at the closing time – you could volunteer to help if you want to collect some controls.

The stated length of the courses is a target for the course designer and may differ at an event.  Here is a detailed description of the courses.

  Difficulty Levels:

• Beginner: White course (1.6-2 km) – Follows trails or other linear map features.  Controls are easily visible from the trail.  Controls are frequently at decision points.
• Intermediate: Yellow course (2.5-3 km) – Mostly can be done by trails with options to take off-trail shortcuts.  Controls are usually visible within 10 meters from a trail.
• Advanced: Orange course (3.3-3.5 km) – Off-trail navigation is necessary.  Usually a “catch feature”  or an “attack point” within 100m of a control.  Trails can frequently be used as a route choice but usually are not the best way to go.
• Expert: Brown (3.6-3.8 km), Green (5.4-5.7 km), Red (6.4-7 km), and Blue (>7.5 km) courses – These courses are all as complex as the terrain allows with minimal use of trails and differ only in length.

The Carolina Orienteering Klubb (COK) has events throughout the year. Check their schedule for additional orienteering events in North Carolina.

You can also track the schedule using .