Orienteering Techniques Explained

Posted By Hannah Sherrard, 07 December 2023
Updated: 09 January 2024

Orienteering Techniques Explained

This next article from our Outdoor Adventure Navigation Group series sees Chris Sweetman FRIN provide a breakdown of five orienteering techniques. This article was first published in the Nov/Dec edition of Navigation News.

Chris is a qualified teacher and mountain leader who taught land navigation and expedition skills in a further education setting for over 25 years. Formally a British Orienteering Instructor and Club Coach, Chris is currently a walks leader for the Ramblers’ Association and the Long Distance Walkers Association. He is also a committee member of RIN’s Outdoor Adventure Navigation Group.

In my previous article: ‘What did orienteering ever do for land navigation?’ (Navigation News July/August 2023) I listed the following techniques along with a brief description:

☛ Attack points

☛ Aiming off

☛ Handrail features

☛ Collecting features

☛ Catching features

The objective for this article is to investigate and provide details of these five techniques which were developed by the sport of orienteering. All of these techniques have been in use by British Orienteering (BO) from at least the mid1970’s. Since this period these techniques have gradually gained acceptance in land-based navigation, where the participant has to navigate ‘off-piste’. Consequently, they are now embedded in UK mountain training schemes, included in the National Navigation Award Scheme (NNAS) and even feature in relevant units in some education qualifications. However, they are still virtually unknown in land-based navigation activities where the main route choice is using linear features. Alongside these five techniques, the orienteer will need a thorough navigator’s insight which will include the ability to work out distances, use compass bearings and interpret contours. Please note that the diagrams used here to illustrate the techniques are stylised and simplified to show an outline of each technique. There will be a mix of signs and symbols utilised, and they are not necessarily those used by the Ordnance Survey (OS), Harvey Maps or meet the standards of the International Orienteering Federation mapping specifications.

Orienteering Techniques in Orienteering British Orienteering currently use the Step System for coaching. This links to colour coded courses and the range of techniques required for each ability level. In the following passages each stage in the Step System will just include reference to the five techniques that are the focus of this article. The Step System starts at Level 1/White course and then gradually moves to advanced Level 5/Green/Blue/ Brown courses. At the start of competitive orienteering Level 1/White participants will orienteer along paths and tracks, so will need to understand how to use handrail features. At Level 2/Yellow they move on to understand and develop the catching features technique so they can leave a line feature. For Level 3/Orange/Red they develop aiming off at the base stage so they can cut corners, and advancing toward the top of Level 3 they will need to be able to use attack points to simplify legs. The base stage of Level 4/ Light Green includes collecting features to enable them to navigate over long legs. Finally, for Level 5 the participant will have the ability to use all these techniques, enabling them to compete in the top level colour coded courses: Green, Blue and Brown. With technical difficulty being similar, the differentiation between these top level colour coded courses is the stated distance and the greater variety in length between control points, including longer legs which will also test levels of concentration.

Orienteering Techniques in Mountain Navigation

These five techniques are also part of mountain training and come under the umbrella of micro-navigation techniques. The first mountain leader training guide: Mountain Leadership (1976) mentions aim-off (1976:8). That is all there was - just a mention, and no illustrations. In the second edition: Mountaincraft and Leadership (1984) the navigation section became more expansive and the following techniques were included, now with a description of the technique supported by illustrations. Two techniques: aiming off and attack points were named exactly as per terms used in orienteering. However, the author used the term tick-off features which are essentially identical to collecting features and guide-line features, which are also identical to handrail features. British Mountaineering Council/Montane: Hiking Essentials Navigation Resources published in 2022 include handrail and catching features. The latter is described as: “An obvious feature the (sic) informs us we are at a required or particular point.” This sounds more like the orienteering term collecting features....