Navigation Clinics
Advanced Land Navigation Clinic
Date TBA · Roanoke, VA
A fun, information-packed day with minimum classroom study and more emphasis on day and night field work — 3 hours of instruction, then 7-9 hours finding plotted points across 8-10 miles of off-trail terrain.
Overview
The Odyssey Advanced Land Navigation Clinic will be an information-packed day of compass, topographical map study and orienteering in Roanoke. This will be a fun day consisting of minimum classroom study with more emphasis on day and night field work.
You will learn from knowledgeable instructors with years of adventure racing, hiking and backcountry experience. You will learn techniques that are proven to work and, more importantly, how to work together with a team to navigate successfully.
There will be 3 hours of classroom instruction and 7-9 hours of field work finding plotted points using the skills you have learned. We will cover between 8-10 miles, on foot at a slow and learning pace, mostly off trail through thick brush, open forest and steep hillsides.
The Odyssey Advanced Navigation Clinic will explain:
- Techniques to use to know where you are on your map at all times
- What to do if you have lost contact with your map
- How to transition from one map to another and keep all the information flowing
- How to use terrain features, compass, and altimeter to figure out your location
- Advanced route selection techniques
- When to use pace count versus time versus terrain features — or all at the same time
- How to use land features to your advantage during the day and night
- Nighttime navigation techniques
- How and when to use intentional offset and triangulation
- Navigation on the bike — "must have" tools and how to use them
- Navigation on the water
“I highly recommend Ronny Angell's Advanced Land Navigation Clinic. I am a weekend warrior adventure racer, doing mostly 12-24 hour races as a soloist. I took Ronny's basic Land Navigation Clinic several years ago. I had somewhat plateaued with my navigation skills and wanted to get to the next level. Ronny certainly did not disappoint. He has a rare combination of skills: successful adventure racer, teacher, and patience. Not everyone that can do, can teach. Ronny's the exception. After a brief classroom session assessing my strengths and weaknesses, we headed out to the Virginia mountains to work on my skills. He constantly challenged me, asking me where exactly we were on the map, where we were headed, and what was the next land feature I was looking for. He allowed me enough "rope" to get off course, to then let me figure out how to re-orient myself. I had never truly appreciated the finer details of map skills until this outing. He also shared numerous training and racing tips. I can't wait for my next race!”
Prerequisites
It is HIGHLY recommended that you have completed an Odyssey Land Navigation Clinic or some other navigation course before registering for this clinic.
You will need to know and have practiced the following skills. We will spend little, if any, time teaching the skills below:
- Know the different types of maps
- Know different types of map scales
- Know how to use all the information on a topographical map
- Identify land features on a map
- Know how to identify land features in the field
- Know how to use a compass and its different features
- Understand and use declination
- Know how to measure and plot a bearing on the map
- Know how to take and follow a bearing in the field
- Know how to plot UTMs (Universal Transverse Mercator)
- Know how to make and use a plotting tool for a map of any scale
Details
Schedule
10:00 am
Check in and paperwork
10:15 am - 1:00 pm
Land Navigation Clinic starts. This will be the classroom part of the clinic.
1:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Land Day/Night Navigation (finding points in the woods) — 3-4 hrs day / 4-5 hrs night
- Location/Venue
- Next Level Fitness and Healing
4523 Brambleton Ave Roanoke, VA 24018 - Lodging
- Salem, VA hotels and motels
- Disciplines
- Trekking, Orienteering
- Fees
- $250 per person
- Included
- Dynamic instruction, field work with instructor
- Important Dates
- Registration closes 3 days before the event date.
Gear
The clinic will be held both inside and outside, rain or shine. Plan and dress accordingly.
- Compass with adjustable declination (Suunto M-3)
- Map case
- Pen and pencil
- Highlighter pens
- Colored pencils (optional)
- Hydration system (50-70 oz bladder — CamelBak) or (2 x 20 oz water bottles)
- A pack (to carry hydration system and gear)
- Long pants
- Long-sleeve shirt
- Lightweight jacket
- Running shoes or boots
- Food for the field work
- Headlamp
Register
Thank you for your interest in the Odyssey Advanced Navigation Clinic presented by Next Level Coaching and Fitness. Ronny Angell will be the instructor for this event.
The cost is $250/person + processing fee. A minimum of 4 people will be required to hold the clinic. No refunds will be allowed unless the clinic is canceled. Payments can be rolled over to another navigation clinic if this clinic is canceled.
The next Advanced Clinic date has not been set yet. Call or send a message and we'll let you know as soon as it's on the calendar.
Questions before you register? Call Ronny at 540-444-4422 or send a message.
Ready to take your navigation to the next level?
Class size is small and dates fill on a first-come, first-served basis. Call or send a message to get on the list for the next Advanced Clinic.