On 9 Mar 2004, Mitch Collinsworth wrote:


Hans is Swedish but he lives in the USA and has for quite a long time.
The book David mentioned is in English and I'm pretty certain was
written here. I can no longer find my copy to actually verify this.
Hans was, if memory serves, the or one of the principal driving forces
behind the creation of the New England Orienteering Club, which is now
one of the largest clubs in this country, even after having spawned off
a few other clubs over the years. Hans's daughter, Malin, skied in the
1992 ski-O world championships in Pontarlier, France, as part of the
United States team.

The book "Orienteering" by Hans Bengtsson and George Atkinson was
published in 1977 by Stephen Greene Press, Brattleboro Vermont. I found
the book in a used book store a few years ago.

An interesting comment in the book was that the first documented use of the
word "Orientering" was from Norway on the winners certificate from
sports club Tjalve in Oslo (Christiania), Oct 1900.


I don't know the intervening history all that well but again if memory
serves correctly, the Mar 4, 1900 Swedish ski-O event claimed as "first"
is supposed to have had 3 control points. It was certainly long-distance
but I _think_ it is supposed to have finished at or near the starting
point. If I could find my copy of the book I could look.

That event was a relay race between Bollnäs and Härnösand - 175 km.
It was held in a blizzard with the winning team finishing in 28 hours 27
min!

The book also mentions that ski-O started in North America in 1949
at Turin, NY

--

David Dermott , Wolfville Ridge, Nova Scotia, Canada
email:
WWW pages: http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/dermott/