Standard Ski-O Courses
Until specific course statistics are published for an event, consider these guidelines for BAOC Ski-O courses when thinking about the course you want to do.
| Course | Length1 | Climb2 | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 2-4 km | 0-50 m | Beginner ski trails and navigation ideal for someone who takes one of our free beginner clinics. |
| Yellow | 4-6 km | 0-75 m | Relatively easy ski trails with moderate climbs and some interesting route choices. This is a great course for novice ski orienteers and children with some skiing experience. |
| Orange | 6-10 km | 50-100 m | Intermediate ski trails with lots of interesting route choices. This is great for intermediate skiers who can use maps. |
| Green | 10-15 km | 75-200 m | Intermediate and expert trails with significant route choices and lots of advanced conditions to master (like stopping at a control part way down a steep hill). This is a course for very experienced skiers who have orienteering experience and can do long treks. |
| Blue | 15-25 km | 100-400 m | Everything you could expect on a green course only much tougher. This course differentiates expert ski orienteers from the rest of the crowd. This course is for the top ski orienteers who are ready for a very challenging skiing. |
1 Lengths are measured for the distance travelled on the optimal trails.
2 Climbs are measured as the total climb encountered on the optimal trails.
Typically, resorts have rules that require skiers to stay on marked trails but the official USOF Ski-Orienteering rules say nothing about staying on trails. We stick with the resort rules, which means that we stay on trails at Royal Gorge and Bear Valley but are permitted to go off trail (at the skier's risk) at Burton Creek (Tahoe XC).
