Superstition Mountains Orienteering 2020
(Part of the 2020 Southwest Spring Week)

Saturday-Friday, February 15-20:	Tucson Events (see event website for details)
Saturday, February 22:	Needle Vista Score-O and Night-O
Sunday, February 23:	First Water Classics

Pre-register
(To ensure yourself a map, we strongly encourage you to pre-register)
(See who is registered)

Summary
Time	Event(s)	Location	Directions	Google Maps	Safety Plan
Sat, Feb 22 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM	Score-O	Needle Vista	Directions	Placemark	Needle Vista Safety Plan
Sat, Feb 22 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM	Night-O	Needle Vista	Directions	Placemark	Needle Vista Safety Plan
Sun, Feb 23 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM	Classics	First Water	Directions	Placemark	First Water Safety Plan

Needle Vista	First Water

Notes

The Needle Vista and First Water events are part of the much larger Southwest Spring Weekend. Events in and around Tucson start on Saturday, February 15. Events around Phoenix are on Saturday, February 22 and Sunday, February 23. See the SWSW website here for all the details.
Pre-register and pay online here. On-site registration is available. We will have some extra maps on-site, but we cannot guarantee you a map if you don't pre-register.
Parental Consent Now Required. Click here for more information.

Introduction

We're excited to offer three events at our Needle Vista and First Water event sites as part of the 2020 Southwest Spring Week orienteering festivities.

On Saturday, February 22, we'll start the weekend with a 2-hour Score-O at our Needle Vista site. In a Score-O, participants try to visit as many destinations as they can in the 2-hour time limit. Faster runners will be able to visit all of the destinations marked on the map. We'll have a pre-race briefing at 1:45 PM and a mass start at 2:00 PM. The course closes at 4:00 PM.

Later Saturday evening, we'll offer a 2-hour Night-O, again at Needle Vista, to further test your navigation skills. In a Night-O, participants search for control locations marked on a pre-printed map with one important twist - the event is held in the dark! Navigating at night requires an increased attention to map details. The Night-O is again a mass start with a pre-race briefing at 6:45 PM and the mass start at 7:00 PM (see details below). We hope you'll enjoy the challenge.

Finally, we cap off the weekend with Classic events at our First Water event site. We're offering 4 different course lengths to keep all our participants entertained: Blue and Red for our more experienced orienteers; Orange, and Yellow with easier control locations for less experienced participants.

Additional information about the Score-O format is found here.
Additional information about the Night-O format is found here.
Additional information about Classic events is found here.

The Needle Vista event site is located at a very scenic spot along the Apache Trail Highway. A short walk takes you to an overlook of Weaver's Needle, a very historic and prominent landmark in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix. We highly recommend you budget some extra time to take pictures of the area.

The First Water site, located next to the Superstition Wilderness, is even closer to Weaver's Needle and the rugged beauty of the Superstition Mountains.

The two event sites are a true showcase of the rugged terrain and beautiful desert landscapes in the Phoenix area. The events are part of a larger series of events offered for the 2020 Southwest Spring Week. The week starts on Saturday, February 15 with several events in the Tucson area. The schedule moves to Phoenix for Needle Vista on Saturday, February 22 and First Water on Sunday, February 23. Additional information about the 2020 Southwest Spring Week is found here.

Schedule:

Note: For events at Needle Vista, please allow enough time to walk up to 1300 meters to the start/finish. See Parking below for more information.

Saturday, February 22
Score-O
01:00 PM	Check-in/Registration Starts for the Score-O at Needle Vista.
01:45 PM	Score-O Pre-Race Briefing. We'll distribute maps at the briefing.
2:00 PM	Score-O Mass Start. (Everyone starts at the same time.)
4:00 PM	Score-O Course Closes. Penalty points are deducted for those who arrive after 1:00 PM. Those arriving after 1:30 PM are marked as DNF.
2-Hour Night-O
06:00 PM	Check-in/Registration Starts for the 2-Hour Night-O at Needle Vista.
06:45 AM	Mandatory Pre-Race Briefing. We'll distribute maps during the briefing.
7:00 PM	Mass Start. (Everyone starts at the same time.)
9:00 PM	Night-O Course Closes. All participants must be off the course at this time. Large penalties apply for those returning late. Those arriving after 9:15 PM will be marked as DNF.
Sunday, February 23
Classics
08:00 AM	Check-in/Registration Starts for the Classic Events at First Water.
08:00 AM	Classic Events Open. Participants can start anytime between 8:00 and 11:00 AM.
11:00 AM	Last time to start a Classic Course.
1:00 PM	Classic Courses Close. All participants must be off the courses at this time. Those arriving after 1:00 are marked as DNF.

Registration

Pre-registration for the Needle Vista and First Water events is provided at the 2020 Southwest Spring Week registration page. While we will offer some on-site registration, we highly recommend you pre-register through the official pre-registration page. We will print a limited number of maps for the event. We cannot guarantee you a map if you don't pre-register.

Parking

The Needle Vista events start from the paved parking lot about a half mile past milepost 203 on the Apache Trail ( Directions ). Please note that parking is limited at the event start/finish itself. We will send overflow parking to a gravel lot less than a mile southwest of the start/finish line. Those parking in the overflow lot may have up to 1300 meters to walk to the start/finish. We HIGHLY recommend that you carpool to the event. We will reserve spots at the start/finish for those who have multiple participants in a single vehicle. It goes without saying that we'll have simpler logistics if everyone is able to pack into a smaller number of vehicles, especially for the mass-start Night-O.

The First Water events start and finish at the First Water Horse Staging Area ( Directions). There is parking for 30-40 vehicles at this site. While some overflow parking is available 2.5 miles away, we recommend you car pool to ensure there are enough parking spots for everyone.

Cost

The cost of the events is detailed on the Southwest Sprint Week registration page. We stress that while on-site registration is available, we will print a limited number of maps. We cannot guarantee you a map if you don't pre-register.

Additional Information

Additional information concerning the Southwest Spring Week is found here.

What to Bring

Whistle	Mandatory for all. Available for purchase for $1
Compass	Mandatory for all. Available for purchase for $1
Illumination Device	For the Night-O, each participant is required to travel with a headlamp, flashlight, or other device that will illuminate their travel route.
Spare batteries/spare flashlight	It goes without saying that you won't be very happy if your headlamp or flashlight batteries fail while you're in the middle of the open desert. We strongly suggest you bring spare batteries that will fit your specific device.
Water	There will be water at the start/finish . We will not have water on the Needle Vista courses. Some water is available on the First Water courses. We strongly encourage you to bring water bottles or a camelback.
Sturdy hiking shoes and long pants	You will encounter cactus, cat claw, and loose terrain. Our particular favorite is the teddy bear cholla. If you haven't ever encountered a cholla, you should about the plant before you venture out.
Small comb	No, not for primping. You'll be glad you brought a comb if you have the fortune to get a pod from a teddy bear cholla stuck to your pants or skin.