Discussion: impassable fence symbol

is there a special map symbol for an impassable fence?

Symbol 524 High Fence

I'd use #524 - High Fence...but I've climbed a few of these in my prime. So perhaps there's a better symbol that means absolutely impassable...not just high.

You know, a fence with concertina coils, razors, electrification...

In classic (ISOM) orienteering, Symbol 524 is supposed to be uncrossable to the average orienteer, but some folks might try their luck. To unambiguously forbid a fence crossing, you can use symbol 707 Uncrossable Boundary.

On sprint maps (ISSOM) Symbol 524 means an uncrossable fence, and it is forbidden to cross. Even if you can physically get over, it would be breaking the rules of the game.

For all the details, you can read the mapping standards of the IOF mapping commission. http://lazarus.elte.hu/mc/

You could also defer to an earlier cartographic standard and put some cool drawings of dragons behind that fence.

This says the latin for "Here be lions" is traditional in ancient Roman cartography for unknown territories.

Knowing what orienteers are like, someone would:
- jump the fence
- navigate to the dragon
- manage to make the map fit the ground
- spend 20 minutes trying to find the saw-tooth pattern of rocks
- blunder back to the fence and cross it again
- work out where they are and continue their course
- finish, swear blind they never crossed the fence and complain that the map is shockingly inaccurate.

Is this an example of what you mean chitownclark?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3346/3640955952_45e...

....that's an impressive definition of "impassable"...but if a WOC championship depended on getting over that, I still might attempt it.

What is missing is the snarling junk-yard dog patrolling on the other side.

It should also be noted that the ISSOM standard for uncrossable is much lower than that for ISOM. From section 2.3: "Running and navigational skills should be the success factors for competitors in a race, rather than luck
when it comes to climbing or jumping barriers or violating public law."

Therefore, if there is any doubt about whether the fence is passible, it should be mapped as uncrossable for sprints.

...and, in fact, at the WOC sprint in Denmark, things like spectator barriers and chute boundaries (easily crossable physically) were mapped as uncorssable fences.

Undoubtedly the most uncrossable fence I have ever seen on an orienteering map was the Berlin Wall. The 1991 JWOC long-distance map was on both sides of the former wall and we saw the former edition (naturally, west side only), which featured two parallel uncrossable fences and out-of-bounds beyond marked 'DDR'.

small tip: if the folks on the other side of a really high fence all have the same black and white striped or vivid orange pyjama O suits on they probably are not part of the O meet .... not a good idea to cross that fence to join them.

The fence does not necessarily need to be unpassable. It might be dangerous to pass or very fragile. If it is marked as unpassable it's not ok to pass it even if you think you can!

you might like this story :)
http://news.worldofo.com/2009/06/11/dsq-of-weltzie...