Test Your Nettle 3hr Adventure Challenge

The Short Intro: The Test Your Nettle Adventure Challenge is an adventure race in which teams of 2-6 members will run and complete fun challenges around the rugged and beautiful green mountains of Vermont and Mt. Snow resort area. Participants will use only a map and compass to find their way for up to 3 hours! There will be secret hidden checkpoints to find, and an incredible adventure waiting to be had! Are you up for the challenge?! 

A Slightly Longer Intro: At GMARA, we try to design our races so new teams can participate, have fun, and make it to dinner. To be honest though, we realize our longer events can be intimidating. Most GMARA events are 10+ hours of competitive endurance racing, including trekking, biking, paddling, swimming, rock climbing, skiing and snowshoeing. It can be hard to know whether you’re up for a challenge like that! That’s why we launched the Test Your Nettle Adventure Challenge in 2017 – a shorter event that’ll give you a chance to test yourself, your navigation skills, and your team dynamics before you decide to get lost in the woods for a full day. This is a great event for new racers, friends and family, younger kids, and anyone who wants to experiment and see what this sport is all about. If you’re a regular, this is the perfect opportunity to bring someone new and help them get their feet wet.

FAQ Details:

Will I be biking or paddling? For the 2024 Test Your Nettle Adventure Challenge, we’re keeping things pretty simple – The course will be a trekking only event (both on and off trails).

When and where will the be happening? The event will take place Sunday August 18th 2024 at Mt. Snow Resort in Dover, VT.

How far might I be going? As far as you want! That’s the beauty of orienteering/adventure racing, there is no set course, so you can go as little or as far as you want! You will be starting and finishing from the same point. We anticipate there would be more than enough to keep even the speediest of racers busy for the full 3 hours, but also plenty of nearby options for those planning to move at a more casual pace.

What Categories/Divisions are there? No categories. This is low key – no prizes or champions to be crowned. Just a fun excuse to learn about adventure racing, practice your navigation and get some exercise. Show up, sign a waiver, head off in the mass start at 9AM and let us know when you’re back! We’ll collect passports and post results, but that’s about it!

I’ve never done something like this, how hard is it? You’ll have to decide how much training and physical preparation is required for 3 hours of adventure, but if you’re comfortable with a hike of the same duration you should feel ready to join in the fun. A team of new racers can expect to be out there for the full time, and likely won’t have enough time to find all the secret checkpoints. 3 hours may seem like a long time but ask any adventure racer and they’ll tell you it flies by a lot faster than you want or expect!

I’ve done other GMARA races like the Bitter Pill, how does this compare?

Some things stay the same as other GMARA events:

• Navigation with map & compass
• Great terrain
• Team-based adventure — groups of at least 2 people, staying together for the whole event

Other things will be adjusted:

• No prizes or post race feast
• Shorter race length (3 hours)
• No mountain bikes required. Trek only
• Significantly lower price
• More flexible team size (2-6 people)
• Later start time (no waking up for a 4:30 a.m. start!)
• Reduced gear list