Features

- 7 days, 6 nights: 5 days on the course (2 days travel)
- 91 miles: 51 mi. hiking (7 mi. cross-country, map/compass/GPS navigation)
- 30 miles of challenging single-track mountain biking
- 14,000 feet of elevation gain,
- Team size: 5 (4 Challengers , 1 Staff Coach)
- Minimum age: 17
- Cost: $350 + $100 Bike Rental (+ $50 SeaTac shuttle)
- Aug. 16 - 22
- Monday starts available


OVER VIEW
The Ranger Challenge is an exciting and demanding High Adventure contest. It will test the challengers physical and mental abilities while working together as a team to finish the challenge course within the time limit. Teams are told only the disciplines and skill requirements they must possess in order to compete. With our staff coach, each team will work together to arrive at passport control points using Ranger skills such as map and compass, paced distance, GPS, backpacking, mountain biking, camping, swimming, cooking and Leave No Trace. Teams will receive map and compass plus paced distance instruction, gear and swim check before they are sent out on the course. While on the course, challengers will receive only skill and safety instruction when needed from their coach.

THE COURSE
The contest is staged in the rugged mountains surrounding our beautiful chalet style High Adventure
Base at Camp Sheppard, on the threshold of magnificent Mt Rainier. In the event of stormy weather,
teams must be prepared to travel in difficult conditions.
They will only be shown the hike or bike sections once they arrive at the Start Point and Transition Points. They are asked not to share the details of the course with potential challengers. The challengers will be responsible for their own course decisions and route finding thereby increasing opportunities for leadership and confidence building of all team members. Several different routes can be taken; the teams choose their own course as each passport control is passed in order. Therefore, strategy and intelligence are as important as physical endurance and skill. If the team completes the course within the allowed time, they will be presented the rarely achieved Ranger Challenge Award and be recorded in the Contest Record Book. Additional Ranger skill instruction offered during the trek will be wilderness survival, emergency preparedness and communications. It will be the contestant’s task to apply those skills as they work together to conquer the Ranger Challenge. Notice -The Ranger Challenge should not be attempted unless the challengers are in good physical condition and have some experience in wilderness backpacking and mountain biking. This trek is one of the most challenging available in Scouting.

Warning - The Ranger Challenge is extremely difficult and could be the most challenging High Adventure trek available in Scouting. This trek should not be attempted unless the challengers are in very good physical and mental condition plus have some experience in wilderness backpacking and mountain biking. Sustained physical endurance is required. Important physical conditioning before the contest: Cardio-vascular exercise such as hiking with a loaded pack, biking, running, swimming and weight training. See Fitness Requirements.


Ranger Challenge Rules and Regulations
The rules and regulations are modified for each year's contest as they are adapted to changes in the course and reflect the safety measures, disciplines of the contest, performance and abilities of the challengers. The following are the key components of the Ranger Challenge Rules.

ENVIRONMENTAL RULES
We require these rules be followed on the entire course. The following guidelines reflect Ranger-Challenge's minimum impact philosophy. The requirements apply to all persons associated with the event including the challengers, friends, family and High Adventure Staff.

Environmental Service Project: All challengers will be required to participate in an environmental service project, which will take place before the start of the contest.

Hiking
Wherever a trail exists, use it. No switchback cutting. Some of the areas we travel through do not have any trails; it is your obligation to find the safest and best route and not to leave a trail.

Garbage
All waste must be removed from the course! That means- you pack it in, you pack it out. Failure to comply with this easy requirement will result in disqualification from the event.

Campsites
Basic camping techniques should be used. Select an area where you will cause little or no soil disruption. Avoid placing tents on top of vegetation. Camp at least 200 feet from isolated water sources. Leave No Trace at your campsite.

Mountain Biking
TREAD LIGHTLY! It's a simple message that says it all. There may be some road sections that you may be required to bike paved roads or active dirt roads. During these sections follow road biking rules: use hand signals and travel in single file with traffic on the side of the road or shoulder.

COMPETITION TIMING
The High Adventure Base will keep the official time clock for the competition. The contest clock is real time; it begins when the contest starts and stops when the last team crosses the finish line. To be officially counted, all team members must cross the finish line together.

Cut-off times will be established. If teams fail to reach and depart designated points by a certain time, they may not be allowed to continue. Initial cut-offs will be provided in the official Ranger Challenge Challenger Guidebook. Additional cut-offs may be added during the contest at the sole discretion of the contest director.

Teams must cross the finish line by 9 PM Friday of the contest week.

PASSPORT CONTROL POINTS
A Ranger Challenge Passport will be issued to each team. The Passport should be signed by a team coach with the date and time of arrival at the passport control (or "PC"). Teams must follow the instructions of team coaches. Failure to do so may result in time penalties or disqualification from the competition.

-Passport control points must be completed in the designated sequence.
-All members must enter and leave the PC together.
-Missing a passport control point will result in the team being disqualified unless they backtrack to the missed PC(s) via the passport control points already visited. The team must then proceed from the first missed PC back through all PC points as per the mandatory sequence (even if the team will have passed through that PC before)

TRANSITION POINTS
The Contest Support Staff will meet teams at transition points with a support trailer equipped with personal gear bags, group gear and good food to re-supply the challengers with appropriate gear and provisions for the next section of the course.

DARK ZONES
The contest director may deem certain portions of the course closed during the night. Progression through these zones may be allowed with specified conditions stated in the Competitor Guidebook.

CHANGES IN THE COURSE
The contest director reserves the right to add, modify, cancel or change the course at any time.

TEAMS
Every competitor is responsible for his or her involvement in the competition. Furthermore, the panel of judges reserves the right to bar a competitor from starting or continuing the contest.

A team will have at least 4 members. The maximum team size is a total of 6. At least one challenger should be at least 18 year old. The high adventure staff will provide a 21 year old team coach. Two coaches may be placed on a team with only 2 challengers at the discretion of the contest director. At the discretion of the high adventure staff, trek applicants registering with less than a full team of 5 challengers may be joined with other applicants to make up a full team of 5 challengers and one staff coach.

All team members must be at least 16 years of age

The challengers will select one of their own members as the team leader.

The team will select their team name.

Teams must plot their route on a trek map for approval by their coaches before leaving the starting point and transition PC’s.

100 Yard Rule
Team members must never be out of sight of each other (or have a distance of more then 100 yards between the first and last team member) once the contest begins (except in situations specified by the contest director).

Teams may receive equipment support and re-supply by the contest staff at designated PC transition points and points chosen by the contest staff.

Ranger Challenge staff members will support and encourage all challengers to finish the course.

We trust challengers to not share course information with potential challengers thereby giving them an advantage.

Friends of challengers are invited to a BBQ dinner and awards ceremony held on Friday after the conclusion of the contest.

Penalties

1. If a challenger drops out for any reason such as lack of strength or injury the contest director will disqualify that challenger only. A disqualified member will be recovered from the team by the contest staff ASAP and administered
appropriate treatment.

2. A team in which one or more members have withdrawn for any reason causing the team to consist of less then 4 members will be disqualified and must follow the withdrawal procedure.

3. If a team quits the course before locating all PCs with time still remaining to complete the course, they will be disqualified from the contest at the discretion of the contest director.

4. Teams with fewer then the minimum members may combine with other teams on the course if available to continue the trek.

5. Disqualified teams may elect to continue to finish the course if it appears they can do so within the contest cut-off times and still they still have 4 members. This will be determined the coaches and course director.

6. Failure to adhere to the Dark Zone rules at night or failure to follow the staff instructions on safety will result in immediate disqualification of the team.

7. Contest staff may check team and personal mandatory equipment at any time. Random checks are likely.

8. Any piece of personal or team mandatory safety equipment not being worn or found missing from the competitor or team will be result in the team being held at the passport control point where the deficiency was discovered until the piece of missing equipment has been replaced (if replacement is possible). If the piece of equipment cannot be replaced, the team will be disqualified. The minimum penalty will be 6 hours.

9. Absolute compliance with the environmental rules is required. Any breach will result in a penalty ranging from a minimum two-hour time penalty to disqualification. Proof of even one food wrapper left behind equal’s disqualification.