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10 Top Orienteering Destinations in Spain for 2027
Discover 10 top orienteering camp options for winter 2027, from Spain’s pine forests and coastal dunes to challenging urban sprints and an extension to Morocco. Explore new maps, international events and fresh destinations with Maximus and Sun-O, and find the right setting for your next training adventure.
Continue reading…Unleashing Your Potential: 🧩 Developing Orienteering Skills That Transfer to Competition
A clean technical session is encouraging, but does the skill last and work on a new map? Explore a practical ACE-based progression to develop orienteering skills that transfer to competition.
Continue reading…⭕ WORK WITH ME
Applications are now open for the RF-COACH Individual Coaching Service 2026/27. A limited number of spots are available for ambitious orienteers who want to take their training and performance to the next level. Individual planning. Physical and technical development. Race analysis. Strategy. Regular feedback. And a coaching process built around your goals, your needs, and your season. Online coaching worldwide Individual and fully adapted Focused on long-term development Limited spots available If you are motivated, committed, and ready to work, I would be happy to hear from you. Applications now open. All the information and the application form are at:…
Continue reading…Route to JWOC 2026 🇸🇪 Karlskrona: Speed, Compass and the Next Step
JWOC 2026 will take the world’s best young orienteers to Karlskrona, Sweden, for a championship week where speed, compass discipline and decision-making under pressure will be tested in a unique Baltic setting. From the sprint puzzle of Trossö to the fast, flat Scandinavian forests, this edition promises to be a decisive step for juniors ready to move closer to world elite orienteering.
Continue reading…Route to EYOC 2026 🇸🇮: The Karst Test of Lokve
Lokve will not reward the fastest runner only. In the karst forests of EYOC 2026, every climb, depression and route choice will test the athletes’ ability to stay calm, read clearly and make brave decisions without losing control.
Continue reading…🇸🇪 World Cup #2 2026 Sweden: The Sprint Puzzle Moves to Skara
At the end of May, the 2026 Orienteering World Cup continues in Sweden, with Skara and Lidköping hosting the second round of the season from 28 to 31 May. After the opening sprint weekend in Locarno and Ascona, the World Cup now moves into another pure sprint block: Knock-Out Sprint in Lidköping, followed by Individual Sprint and Sprint Relay in Skara. The format is familiar. The challenge will not be. Locarno offered a very visible sprint identity. The city immediately suggested rhythm changes, old town passages, open urban spaces, slope, route choice and technical pressure. Skara and Lidköping may ask…
Continue reading…Unleashing Your Potential: 🪫 The Hidden Load in Orienteering Performance
In orienteering, fatigue does not always appear first in the legs. Sometimes it appears as late reading, poor choices, fragile execution and loss of technical clarity. This article explores the hidden load behind orienteering performance and explains why coaches and athletes must look beyond visible training load.
Continue reading…🇨🇭 World Cup #1 2026 Switzerland: Sprint Season Starts in Locarno
The 2026 Orienteering World Cup begins in Locarno and Ascona with a pure sprint programme that promises speed, pressure, and demanding decision-making from the very first race. In this article, we analyse the urban character of the Swiss venue and present a simulated leg where route choice is shaped not only by distance, but also by flow, cognitive load, and the ability to read ahead under pressure.
Continue reading…The ACE System for Orienteering, Part 2: Building a Technical Process You Can Trust
In Part 2 of the ACE system, we move from theory to application. This article explores how Analysis, Choice and Execution should be trained, diagnosed, and protected under pressure so that technical performance becomes more reliable in real competition.
Continue reading…Inside the Runner’s Mind: Technical Breakdown with H. Lilleström
Technical execution is one of the key factors behind performance in orienteering. For both athletes and coaches, analysing execution in detail is essential to identify recurring patterns under competition pressure. Some of these patterns reflect solid routines that support performance. Others reveal habits that need adjustment. The better we understand them, the better we can refine training, correct what is not working well enough, and reinforce what consistently works. The difficulty is that technical analysis is often incomplete when based on a single source. A route may show where time was lost, but not fully explain why. An athlete’s explanation…
Continue reading…Maximus O Meeting 2026
Four Days. Four Terrains. One Identity. Some events fill a weekend. And some events build something much bigger. The Maximus O Meeting 2026 was not just four races in four days. It was a statement of intent. A confirmation that when vision, passion, and professional standards meet, something special happens in the forest. This is the story of four stages. But above all, it is the story of a project. Stage 1 – Setting the Standard Stage 1 delivered everything you could ask for in an opening day, and probably a bit more. Spectacular terrain, fast but demanding in equal…
Continue reading…MOM 2026 Preview: New Maps, Pure Orienteering
Maximus O Meeting 2026 is getting closer, and everything points towards a memorable edition built on one clear idea: pure orienteering. Four competition days, four very different challenges, and a carefully selected collection of new and mostly unused terrains will test every athlete’s ability to adapt, decide, and execute under pressure. From the first contact with the terrain in the model event to the final decisive meters of the chase start, MOM 2026 has been designed to reward smart navigation, technical discipline, and mental resilience. Whether you are a young athlete taking your first international steps or an elite runner…
Continue reading…Unleashing Your Potential: 🔍 Summarizing the series.
Following your helpful feedback, and with the aim of making the Unleashing Your Potential articles easier to explore, I’ve put together this clear and comprehensive overview. It’s designed to help you quickly find the topics that matter most to you and navigate the series with ease. The Unleashing Your Potential series offers runners, orienteers, coaches, and athletes at every level practical, science-based insights to improve performance. It brings together key training principles, mental preparation strategies, and essential performance concepts, bridging the gap between physiology, mindset, and smart decision-making in competition. Here’s an overview of all the articles in the series:…
Continue reading…Unleashing Your Potential: Are You Training Hard or Just Training Tired?
There is a moment many endurance athletes recognize instantly. You are halfway through a session that, on paper, should be manageable. You know the pace. You have done it before. Yet today everything feels heavier. Not dramatic. Not painful. Just dull. The legs respond slowly, the mind feels flat, and the effort seems strangely high for the speed you are producing. You finish the workout anyway. You always do. And later, looking at the data, everything seems acceptable. Distance completed. Session checked. Another brick added to the wall. But something is missing. I have seen this pattern again and again…
Continue reading…Vote now for the “Course of the Year 2025” at WorldOfO!
Last year, the Maximus O Meeting Middle Distance was crowned “Course of the Year 2024” (read the article here) and to celebrate that anniversary, we decided to go big this season… Event sponsor: Maximus O Meeting, February 20th – 24th 2026 (Spain) Prize offered: Package for two people including entries to Maximus O Meeting 2026, full-board accommodation for 4 nights at Hotel Maximus in Las Navas del Marqués, and Maximus promotional gifts. Valued at 1,000 EUR. Transferable to another person. More information: The 7th edition of Maximus O Meeting is ready to deliver another unforgettable orienteering experience in the heart of Spain. From February 20…
Continue reading…💥 The Best Winter Camps and Events in Spain 2026
Your complete guide to world class orienteering training this winter Spain has become one of the most reliable destinations for winter orienteering in Europe. With high quality terrains, excellent weather, a long tradition of professional course setting, and a growing community of international teams choosing Spain for their preseason, the upcoming winter offers an exceptional list of opportunities for athletes and clubs. For 2026, the country offers an impressive selection of training camps and competitions. Below is a clear and complete overview of the top options. All of them are guided or supported by leading professionals in the field, including…
Continue reading…🎓 Halden SK Academy keeps rolling forward
… and we have just completed our 9th webinar Winter is finally showing its face, which means long sessions in the forest, cold hands, and that unbeatable feeling of coming back home, warming up, and learning something new from the comfort of your sofa. Perfect timing for our HSK Academy online sessions. This week, we had the pleasure of welcoming psychology coach Rachel Collins as our guest speaker. She delivered a very insightful presentation on psychological preparation and the power of the right mindset. After her talk, our athletes (and coaches!) jumped into a very dynamic Q&A where they could…
Continue reading…🍂 25-Manna: The spirit of a true club
When autumn paints the forests around Stockholm in gold and red, every orienteer knows what time it is. The season is coming to an end, and that can only mean one thing: 25-Manna. The 25-Manna is not just another relay. It is a celebration of what club orienteering truly means. It brings together youth, veterans, men, women, elites, and beginners. It is the one day of the year when the strength of a club is not measured by one star runner, but by the collective power of 25 hearts beating for the same goal. This year, once again, Halden SK…
Continue reading…Route to JEC25: 🌲 Brave Routes in Loch Ard
The Junior European Championships mark the final international battle of the 2025 season. A last chance for the best juniors in Europe to measure themselves against each other before the long winter of preparation begins again. The program is a classic trilogy: Sprint, Long Distance, and Relay. And if one discipline truly embodies the grit, heart, and spirit of junior orienteering, it is the long distance. This year’s long distance unfolds in the mythical Loch Ard Forest, a name that already sparks imagination. Think mist-covered hills, dense spruce stands, hidden marshes, and the echoes of bagpipes in the wind. It…
Continue reading…⚖️ Riding the Contour Line
This week, our UFO (youngsters) group faced a special task: a 4k course designed to follow one single contour line, with controls placed along the way. The goal was to complete the course having climbed 0 meters and descended 0 meters Contour training at an early stage is one of the most important foundations for the development of orienteers. It allows athletes to truly understand the shapes of the terrain, strengthens their spatial vision, and builds a deeper awareness of how the map represents the landscape Together with systematic compass work, these skills form the two essential pillars of a…
Continue reading…🥇 A Gold Worth Waiting For
This weekend in Ås, our Halden Skiklubb junior girls wrote a golden story at the Norwegian Relay Championships. With a little drama in the final leg (because what’s a championship without some suspense?), the dream team of Marie Scheele, Minna Wingsted, and Sigrid Schmitt Gran brought home the victory! And this medal tastes extra sweet. Why? Because watching Minna and Sigrid’s journey has been nothing short of inspiring. When I first met them six years ago, they were two shy little girls just starting their adventure in orienteering. Fast forward to today: they are among the very best junior runners…
Continue reading…☀️ Barbate is the perfect place this Winter 2026!
Looking for the perfect Winter Camp? Barbate should be at the top of your list this season. It simply has it all. ✔️ Sprint Camp: high-quality sessions on updated maps, with direct relevance for WOC 2026 in Genova.✔️ Forest Camp: technical challenges that mirror the EOC terrain in Lithuania, with a brand-new 6 km² map in Punta Paloma and major updates in the 32 km² of La Breña.✔️ Top teams and clubs already confirmed.✔️ Great accommodation deals and the unique advantage of combining sprint & forest sessions in the same place. Training under the Spanish sun, with world-class maps and…
Continue reading…💙🤍 MAXIMUS O MEETING 2026 IS ON!
We’re back — bigger, bolder, and wilder than ever. Mark your calendars and get ready for 5 days of 5-STAR ORIENTEERING in the iconic terrains of central Spain. 📍 NEW MAPS. FRESH CHALLENGES. ELITE COURSE DESIGN. 📅 FEBRUARY 20–24, 2026 🔥 Here’s the plan: ✨ 20/2 – Model Event“Pinar de Raúl” – Santa Cruz de Pinares (NEW MAP)🏔️ 21/2 – Long Distance“El Atizadero” – Santa Cruz de Pinares (NEW MAP)🌳 22/2 – Middle Distance“Dehesa de Navaluenga II” – an epic extension of our 2024 Course of the Year map (NEW AREA)🏙️ 23/2 – Sprint DistanceNavatalgordo town (NEW MAP)🎯 24/2 –…
Continue reading…🇫🇮 Route to WOC25 Kuopio – Episode 3: Mastering long navigation in Neulaniemi (feat. Aebersold, Fosser, and Weckman
The WOC Long Distance takes us again to Neulaniemi, where orienteering turns into a game of strategic navigation, endurance, and constant decision-making. In this third episode of our Road to WOC series, we focus on the key demands of this year’s long distance, with insights from the reigning world champions in the discipline, Simona Aebersold (SUI) and Kasper Fosser (NOR), and a special contribution from the mapmaker Janne Weckman (FIN), one of the two men behind the cartographic work in Kuopio. Let’s dive into what it takes to master the challenge. 🗺️ The Terrain: Familiar, but More Demanding Than It…
Continue reading…🇫🇮 Route to WOC25 Kuopio – Episode 2: Neulaniemi Insights (feat. Thierry Gueorgiou)
After the steep dilemmas of Puijo in Episode 1, we now turn our attention to what is arguably the most iconic stage of WOC 2025: the Middle distance final. This decisive race will take place in Neulaniemi, a strikingly wild peninsula of rocky hills, mature spruce forests, and intricate contour shapes just a few kilometers from downtown Kuopio. For this episode, we’ve been fortunate to count on the insights of someone uniquely qualified to guide us through the complexities of this challenge: Thierry Gueorgiou. One of the greatest orienteers in history, with eight World Championship golds in Middle distance, Thierry…
Continue reading…☀️🇳🇴 Halden SK Summer O-Package is ready!
Looking for the ultimate technical training this summer? Come to Halden and challenge yourself on 10 varied and demanding sessions set in some of the best orienteering terrains in the world.Whether you’re preparing for WOC, improving your skills, or just exploring epic forests – we’ve got you covered! 💪🌍 📦 How does it work? Super easy:1️⃣ Go to our webshop 👉 http://haldensk.omaps.io2️⃣ Order the trainings you want3️⃣ Pick up your printed maps at Alfheimveien 30 in Halden – your personalized package will be waiting for you 24/7 in our map box! 🗺️4️⃣ Drive to the designated parking and train whenever…
Continue reading…🎯 Mastering Slope Controls: Lessons from Idre Fjäll
As the Orienteering World Cup kicks off this week in Idre Fjäll (June 18–22, 2025), athletes will be tested not just physically, but technically—perhaps more than anywhere else this season. One of the most demanding skills in this type of terrain is the art of attacking controls on sloping ground, especially on diagonal downhill approaches. If you’ve ever felt your compass betray you while sliding sideways down a hill at speed, you’re not alone. But those who handle it well? They win. 🏔 Why Slope Controls Matter in Idre Idre Fjäll’s forest is fast, open, and breathtaking—literally and technically. Sitting…
Continue reading…🇫🇮 Route to WOC25 Kuopio – Episode 1: Steep Decisions in Puijo
This Saturday, one of the most crucial steps in the journey to the World Orienteering Championships 2025 will take place: the WOC test races in Kuopio. As part of our new series, Route to WOC25 Kuopio, we’ll be diving into some of the terrain’s most demanding route choice challenges. Let’s kick things off with a forest leg simulation inspired by what the athletes will face in Puijo. This is your chance to draw your route, reflect on the strategic demands, and prepare like the elite. 🗺️ The Terrain: Puijo in Focus Puijo is a distinctive hill in the heart of…
Continue reading…Proactive vs Reactive Map Reading in Orienteering: 🧠 Mastering the Mental Game
Physical fitness is only half the battle in the complex and beautiful sport of orienteering. The real game is played in the mind. At the heart of orienteering technique lies a critical distinction that separates elite performers from the rest: proactive versus reactive map reading. While both approaches have a role to play in modern orienteering, understanding their differences —and knowing when to use each— is a decisive factor in performance. Let’s explore these two styles, their strengths and limitations, and how to train to master both. What is Proactive Map Reading? Proactive map reading is the gold standard of…
Continue reading…Unleashing Your Potential: 🧠 Mastering the Mental Game in Orienteering
In orienteering, physical preparation is essential — but when it comes to race day, it’s often the mental side that makes the real difference. Being physically ready means you can perform; being mentally ready ensures you will. Here’s how you can set yourself up for success by mastering your mindset before your most important competitions. 1. Trust Your Preparation Confidence starts long before the start line. It’s built through months of consistent training, technical work, and smart planning. In the final days before a key competition, remind yourself of everything you have done to prepare. Trust your process. Avoid the…
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