Competition Day 3 – Itävaara. Course setters: Jari Oikarainen and Timo Ronkainen (children).
In Kuusamo, the competition will be opened on the slopes of Itävaara, located east of the competition center. It is a fairly clear terrain where curving slopes challenge movement in the direction. To the chagrin of the track master group, the postponement of the races for a year resulted in the area having time to undergo extensive thinning over the past year, and therefore the nature of the forest changed somewhat from the original. The forest is thus a thinned mixed forest with excellent visibility. As we get closer to the competition center, the drained swamp meadows enter the picture. The terrain is mainly well-trodden despite logging residues. Compass heading and good foresight allow you to find control points well.
Behind the morass swamp that spreads in the northern part of the terrain, a network of cross-country riding trails at a nearby horse farm cruises. Some new paths to the area have been created even after the maps were completed, so it is not worth counting on one’s own navigation on them alone. Anticipating this, children’s trails do not go into that trail area. There are the edges of fields and meadows, as well as open and other vegetation boundaries in the children routes.
