The most common questions that your teammates will ask, if you are the navigator, are "How far to the the next checkpoint?", "Are we almost there?", or "Which way do we go?". Navigation and routefinding are the most important skills to have for an adventure race. It is good to have at least one navigator on your team, but it is even better to have more. Some events list orienteering as an activity, when they actually mean navigation and routefinding.

Orienteering is a sport of the compass and map. The maps used for orienteering are very exact, and small in detail. This sport is very popular in the Scandinavian countries, and is doing well in a few place in the US. These events, though shorter in distance, can greatly improve your navigation skills. I recommend seeking an orienteering club in your area.

Most adventure races use topographic maps, which don't have the detail that an orienteering map has. You will use navigation skills to know your location, and find the location of the next objective. You will then use your route-finding skills to determine the best route for your teams ability. Sometimes the best route may be the easiest one,something like following a ridge line. However you need to compare that with a route that may be more direct, and possibly saving time. It all depends on you, your skills, and your team's ability. So you need to practice to know these things.

Practice using a compass and map whenever you go hiking. The more practice you have converting contour lines of a map to the topography of the terrain, the better. Know how to navigate at night, or in low visibility conditions.