Wonderful to see everyone join us for Tahoe adventures, good times with good people. We would not be deterred by the weather and elements! Thanks to all who contributed and volunteered, see below for a comprehensive list! Save the dates for the 2026 Tahoe 4-Day, venues TBD, we’ll probably have them settled and announced by January for these dates: Friday, July 31, and Saturday, Sunday, Monday, August 1–3.
Friday: All Hail the Boreal Middle
By Rex Winterbottom, Event Director
Course setter Nik Weber came through with some demanding and challenging Middle courses in fantastic terrain. Mother nature came through with brooding clouds, dark skies, thunder, lightning, hail, but fortunately the rain was never super awful. Our participants came through with a spirit that would not be dampened even if their clothes would be dampened.
A big thanks to Casey at Woodward Tahoe for working out an event center location for us on the Woodward Tahoe campus.
Thanks to everyone who came out to brave the Tahoe slash and rocks of various sizes! Also thanks to Bill Cusworth for doing map corrections (and the original map), and to the control pickup crew for getting all of the controls in before dark/more rain/hail — many hands certainly made for fast work.
Saturday: Northstar Snow Stomp
By Göran Hellgren (LAOC), Event Director
A big thank you to all who helped out with Stage 2, and for the trust in me as event director. Thanks, Rex, for your support on everything from how BAOC operates to map printing and more. Thanks, Blake, for all your hard work on the courses and control setup. And huge thanks to Jay Hann and Sarah Williams — without you, things would have been way harder. You made it all run smoothly! I also want to give a big shout-out to all the volunteers who helped with setup, starts, control pickup, and everything else that needed doing.
Some reflections on how it all came together: After I agreed to take on the role as event director, we were told we couldn't hold the Sprint race in the Northstar Village. After a bunch of back-and-forth emails, we were eventually given access to the area northwest of the village — but with a condition: we had to avoid conflicts with mountain bikers. Amy Warren, Northstar's event manager, stepped in and helped us get everything sorted so we could go ahead with the event. Big thanks to her!
When Blake and I met up in early July, we realized the upper portion of the map hadn't been properly updated since 2006 (aside from a few sections). We spent two days doing some urgent map revisions, mainly focusing on trails and vegetation boundaries. After that, we worked out the courses.
After the final registration deadline, we saw that 79 people had signed up for the Long course, which would've made the forest pretty crowded. So we added a Middle-distance course, which turned out to be very popular, and helped spread folks out.
The day before the race, we set out the controls and SI units — not realizing it was going to snow overnight. (Cold weather is rough on batteries!) Three SI units died because of battery issues, but Blake was on standby at the Start, and fixed things pretty quickly once we found out.
Despite the snow, everyone finished their courses and seemed happy. Control pickup went smoothly. The next day, I went back out to collect some leftover flags and a forgotten sign.
Lessons learned:
- Cold weather drains batteries fast — so think carefully about when to set out SI units.
- If the route to the Start is complicated, hand out maps showing the way.
Sunday: Burton Creek Classic NRE
By Emily Ellsworth, Event Director
Finally a warm, sunny, dry day! Course setter Ian Smith designed an excellent selection of courses at Burton Creek amongst bountiful boulders and burn piles. This was our only NRE of the weekend, and many participants expressed how much they enjoyed the routes. Many thanks to Boris Granovskiy, OUSA course consultant, for his invaluable feedback on the courses.
A huge thank-you to all the volunteers who made the event a success. And a special shout out to the members of Carson High School Orienteering Club who prefilled maps in map cases and hauled equipment to and from the Start arena.
Monday: Donner Sprint
By Gavin Williams, Event Director
Perhaps the nicest weather of the four days, and definitely the smoothest terrain to run through. A fun romp. Course setter Steve Gregg had us playing a lot of boulder ping-pong with interesting leg designs to keep our minds engaged. Unfortunately, some campers decided to move control #41, affecting a few of the later runners.
The Carson High School Orienteering Club came through again with the map-stuffing and Start setup. Thank you!
Volunteers
Thanks to all our volunteers! Z-A (BAOC member if club not noted):
Daphne Zhang (SDO)
Gavin Wyatt-Mair
Rex Winterbottom
Sarah Williams
Gavin Williams
Dennis Wildfogel
Nik Weber (GCO)
Theo Verhoeven
Julie van Hoff
Deron van Hoff
Ing Uhlin (COC)
Blake Tresan (Truckee)
Alison Stone (CROC)
Dan Stoll-Hadayia
Chuck Spalding
Ronald Solbrig
Steve Smith (Truckee)
Ian Smith
Jerry Skirvin
Recinda Sherman (LAOC)
Mark Prior (SDO)
Taylor Pospisil
Kyle Poland (NAVX)
Marie-Josée Parayre
Jonathan Owens (Truckee)
Adrian Owens (GMOC)
Will Nguyen
Josh Munic
Stephanie Maclean
Derek Maclean
Ambrose Liu
Jonas Libell (GCO)
François Léonard
Jeff Lanam
Kat L.
Sue Kuestner (COC)
Misha Kreslavsky
Matthias Kohler
Greg Khanlarov
Tapio Karras
Göran Hellgren (LAOC)
Matteo Guareschi
Steve Gregg
Dan Greene
Emily Ellsworth
Tom De Vre
Evan Custer
Carson High School Orienteering Club cadets (CHSOC)
Ross Burnett (GVOC)
Mike Bruns (CROC)
Ann Bergstrom (LAOC)
Although not a volunteer, Jay Hann from Western Race Services provided his usual friendly E-punch service. Thank you, Jay!