Enjoy scenic hill landscapes with reasonable climbs – A look at the older age categories of Kainuu Orienteering Week
Published: 09.05.2025
At their best, the views from the Vuokatti hill range during the 2025 Kainuu Orienteering Week could be just as stunning as those captured at the 2022 event in Puolanka (Photo: Kainuu Orienteering Week / Touho Häkkinen).
In the final part of our series presenting the courses of the Kainuu Orienteering Week, we focus on the older age categories, starting from classes H70AL and D60AL.
The competition centre for the 2025 Orienteering Week is located at the summit of Ohravaara in Vuokatti, which means even the shorter courses will enjoy the scenic Kainuu hill terrain. Ohravaara features gently rolling contours, allowing for the design of physically manageable courses—even for older orienteers.
On some competition days, certain age groups will briefly venture onto the slopes of neighboring hills, adding variety and new challenges to the courses. Despite this, the total elevation gain remains reasonable. Each stage of the competition features courses designed on different sides of the hill, with starting points located a sensible distance from the competition centre.
Ohravaara’s terrain consists mostly of pine forests with some spruce-covered slopes. Visibility is generally good in older forests and somewhat reduced in younger growth. The terrain is mostly runnable, except for a few logged areas marked with dense green on the map. There is a moderate number of paths of varying quality, but also some trackless sections.
For older orienteers, the gently sloping hillsides pose a technical challenge, as they offer few distinct features. This makes accurate direction and a clear plan for approaching each control especially important. However, control points themselves are clearly marked on the map and easy to identify.
Map sample: Kainuu Orienteering Week / Mapline Oy
As shown in the image, the map is easy to read and effectively illustrates the typical features of Ohravaara’s terrain: broad hill slopes, open areas, and varying runnability and terrain types. The area also serves as good training ground for the Fin5 Orienteering Week 2025, which will take place in similarly hilly terrain.
Orienteering scenery from the hills of Puolanka in 2022 (Photo: Kainuu Orienteering Week / Touho Häkkinen)
