Click a letter below to jump to certain terms.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
- A
- Abseil
- To travel down a fixed rope under control. A synonym for rappel.
- ACP
- Acronym for "Assisted Checkpoint". See Assisted Checkpoint.
- Assisted Checkpoint:
- A checkpoint where you are allowed to see your support crew. Identical to a transition area but you do not change disciplines.
- B
- Bikewhack
- Taking your bike off trail and traveling cross country.
- Bonk
- To run out of energy.
- Bushwhack
- To travel off trail and create you own route. This usually involves brushing back branches and brush as you go.
- C
- Checkpoint
- A place on the course that you must visit to officially finish the race. Here you will get a signature or punch in your passport for proof of your visit.
- CP
- Acronym for "Checkpoint". See Checkpoint.
- Cutoff
- A stated time which you must arrive prior to its passing to continue on the current course. Typically you must be at or beyond a certain checkpoint at the time stated in the rules. If you fail to arrive prior to the cutoff you will be asked to stop or continue on a alternate course.
- D
- Dark Zone
- A section of the race which cannot be traveled upon during darkness. This is typically due to safety concerns by race management. Paddling sections often have dark zones.
- E
- Endo
- Flying over your handlebars unexpectedly. Short for "end over end".
- Equipment Drop
- A point where you receive more equipment from your Support Crew or race management. Your support crew is not allowed to be there while you are present however. Basically a unmanned transition area.
- Expedition Race
- Adventure Race lasting from 3 days to 2 weeks.
- F
- Forest Service Road
- Usually a dirt or gravel road wide enough for 1-2 cars to travel. Generally located in National Forest Land, but often used to describe any dirt or gravel road.
- FS
- Acronym for "Forest Service".
- FSR
- Acronym for "Forest Service Road". See Forest Service Road.
- Full Suspension
- A bike with both front and rear suspension.
- G
- H
- Hardtail
- A bike with only a front suspension.
- Hike-a-Bike
- Hiking with your bike. Often you must walk your bike up hills when the grade is too steep or conditions render the bike unrideable.
- I
- J
- Jug
- A synonym for Jumar. See Jumar.
- Jumar
- To travel up a fixed rope. A synonym for ascend.
- K
- L
- Lock Out
- A device which can enable you to "turn off" any one of the suspensions on your bike.
- M
- Mandatory Gear
- Gear which must be carried by the team during the entire race or certain legs. Often a time penalty is given if you are found to not have the mandatory gear.
- Mandatory Route
- A route you must take while racing. This is often done for safety purposes.
- Manned Checkpoint
- A checkpoint with race staff or volunteers.
- N
- O
- P
- Passport
- A card or paper booklet used to prove you visited the checkpoints. The passport is most often signed at manned checkpoints and punched at unmanned checkpoints.
- Passport Control
- A synonym for Checkpoint. See Checkpoint.
- PC
- Acronym for "Passport Control", which is a synonym for Checkpoint. See Checkpoint.
- Portage
- Process of carrying your boat over land.
- Puppy Pile
- When sleeping, the team lies down together side by side and each curls up into an "S" shape, holding the teammate in front of them. Body heat is shared.
- Q
- R
- Restricted Route
- A route you are forbidden to take while racing. Often this is done for the safety of the racer, or to avoid trespassing on private property.
- Route
- The path you take while traveling between checkpoints.
- S
- Singletrack
- Trail just wide enough to fit one bike or person.
- Sleepmonsters
- Those little voices in the back of your head telling you to sleep. Often used by telling someone you are "fighting the sleepmonsters" after racing for several days with little or no sleep.
- Sprint Race
- Adventure race lasting anywhere from 1-8 hours.
- Support Crew
- Members of your team who transport your gear from TA to TA. They must also abide by certain race rules such as no littering. They can prepare meals and also provide assistance with map work.
- T
- TA
- Acronym for "Transition Area". See Transition Area.
- Tow
- To pull a teammate who is slower or hurting to increase the overall speed of the team. This can be done on bike, foot, or water.
- Transition Area
- An area where you transition from one discipline to another. You can also receive aid/food from your support crew.
- U
- Unmanned Checkpoint
- A checkpoint with no one present. Usually a special hole punch is located at the checkpoint.
- UTM
- Acronym for "Universal Transverse Mercator". This is a special way of assigning a location to anywhere in the world. Developed by the US military, the earth was sectioned into 60 north-south zones. In each zone, coordinates are measured north and east in meters. Checkpoint locations are usually given in UTM coordinates. e.g. 23456789E 09787489N.
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z