COURSE PLANNER’S STATEMENT
In 2026, the Youth Super Weekend will be held in scenery familiar from international biathlon competitions, as young orienteers take over the Kontiolahti Biathlon Stadium. The terrain is highly varied and offers suitable orienteering challenges for all classes. For the most part, competitors will run on very fast and well-drained pine heath, but following a rainy summer, the vegetation is exceptionally lush in places, reducing visibility. The only notably stony terrain that slows running is found near the shores of Lake Höytiäinen, in an area exposed when the lake level was lowered in 1859.
The competition area was once part of the main training grounds of the Kontioranta garrison. The garrison was closed in 2013, but the terrain still contains a considerable number of different paths, human-made pits and structures. Nature is already reclaiming the area, however, and several wide cart tracks and other tracks are gradually becoming overgrown due to limited recent use. Human-made pits and excavations, on the other hand, disappear much more slowly from the terrain. Due to their large number, only the most clearly distinguishable features have been mapped. The largest human-made pit used as a control feature measures 9 × 9 meters, giving a good indication of the nature of these features. As a local special feature, orienteers should be aware of tar pits, which are shown on the map with a black circle. An example photograph of a tar pit can be found in the competition instructions.
On both days, the courses will pass through some slightly unusual orienteering terrain. One example is a disused shooting range area. Competitors may encounter warning signs indicating a shooting area or other similar signs prohibiting access. There is no need to be alarmed by these, however, as the entire area covered by the competition map is safe for orienteering. Movement is prohibited only in areas specifically marked forbidden on the map.
I have aimed to design courses that I would enjoy competing on myself. The courses offer varied rhythm and route choices even on shorter legs, not forgetting challenging control approaches. In Sunday’s competition, every class will have at least some terrain that was not used on Saturday. Classes H/D14, H/D16 and H/D18, as well as H21, will use a map flip, adding the atmosphere of an international championship event.
Welcome to Kontiolahti!
Santeri Silvennoinen
Course Planner