At TrackMe360, we believe a SPOT should be “mandatory gear” for adventure racers and others spending lots of time in the rugged outdoors, often solo.  Big Blue Adventure recognizes this and is helping its newsletter subscribers get their hands on one for less cash.  Right now, you can buy a SPOT from TrackMe360 by the end of September, 2008, and get free shipping and $10 off the already low price of $149.95 – this is $30 less than if you buy it directly from SPOT, Inc. (subscription service, starting at $99.99 not included)

Learn more about this revolutionary device and to take advantage of this special offer NOW! When ordering, enter “BIGBLUE” in the order comments when placing the order. Discount and shipping is refunded after placing the order. Offer expires September 30, 2008.

Registration is open! To register your team, click here.

Event Sponsors: TrackMe360 and SleepMonsters

August 1, 2008 – Folsom, California. TrackMe360 today announced the fourth Mountain-O event in its quasi-series of “virtual races”. Previous events have taken us from Mount Diablo into the Sierra. In the fourth installment, we are taking you to a magnificent, alpine area – Mokelumne Wilderness and El Dorado National Forest, near Silver Lake. The elevations are not quite as dramatic as Desolation, but it is all pretty high altitude (between 7,200 and 8,800). The terrain is pristine, on and off the trail – very easy to travel off trail – very little bush whack. “It’s like butta”.

What is a TrackMe360 Training Race anyway?

Consider it an opportunity for a fun and challenging work-out in an amazingly scenic place – a place where you’d normally never get a permit approved for a race. The course will bring out the best this area has to offer. It’s a race, but not in the traditional sense. The main difference is teams don’t race simultaneously, and that’s what allows us to race without permits, but a nice side benefit is that people can decide when they want to race (within the race month), to fit their busy schedules. CP markers will be minimal, just a small piece of flagging. No pre-race meeting, no finish banner – just you and the mountain. Could it be any more authentic?

How it works

• -Register for the “race” online at TrackMe360.com
• -Receive the map and a GPS recording device before your chosen “race day”. For safety and redundancy in CP marking, you also get a SPOT satellite tracker.
• -Receive CP coordinates by 5 PM the day before “race day” via e-mail – plot your map.
• -On race day, go race, and the GPS device records your route.
• -Next day, mail back the GPS device and SPOT to TrackMe360.com
• -As soon as the GPS device is received, your results will be posted on the SleepMonsters leader board, “ladder style”, meaning as other people race, the leader board will reflect the order from fastest to slowest teams.
• -After the last day the race is “active”, the winning team is crowned, and all teams’ routes will be posted online in Google Maps, for “post race analysis”.
• -This is all done under the “honor system”, and is considered a training race “with benefits”.

Race #4: Silver Lake Mountain-O

Our fourth TrackMe360 Training Race takes place in the Mokelumne Wilderness and El Dorado National Forest, near Silver Lake, off Hwy 88 just West of Kirkwood. Three courses of varying degrees of challenge (Recreational, Sport, and Pro) have been designed to showcase the best the area has to offer, with moderate vertical gain, a lot of trail choices, and fairly easy cross country terrain. We are introducing a third course option this time – “Recreational”. This shorter course will have CPs very close to trail, and teams can choose to do 90%+ of the course by using trails. This is a great introduction to Mountain-O. No one should feel intimidated by this course. We are extremely excited about this venue – it will definitely put a smile on your face. The courses takes you through coniferous forest lands, through sparsely tree covered granite slab slopes and also along spectacular ridge lines with weird volcanic features and volcanic gravel. On the long course, an optional ascent of Thimble Peak offers amazing views into the more alpine area to the East. The area is somewhat dry at this time of year, and a few lakes is the only replenishment option, and treating the water essential.

• General Location: Plasse’s Camping Resort at Silver Lake, off Hwy 88 just West of Kirkwood, CA
• Race is active: Months of August and September, 2008
• Disciplines: Foot only. Some trail (90%+ on the Rec. course), some cross country, some exposed rock scrambling at optional CP on the long course
• Topo navigation on tear and water proof MyTopo maps – 1:24,000
• Rec Course: 8 mi. with 1,650 ft gain
• Sport Course: 12 mi. with 2,900 ft gain (plus optional CP)
  
• Pro Course: 17 mi with 3,200 ft gain (plus optional CP)
  
• Courses designed and pre-run by: Mats Jansson (Aquan/RWG)
• Divisions: Mixed open (any combination of gender and age), team size 1-4
• Registration: $49/team ($39/team if you have your own SPOT)

A couple of pictures from the course:

To register your team, click here. If you have any questions, please e-mail mats@trackme360.com