Terrain rating

[+M 5]

Just wondering if it is possible to have a cache with a legitimately rated 5 star terrain, that you never have to leave the car to complete.

[+9Key]

I suppose so. What is the idea?

[GOF and Bacall]

I'd think it would be possible.

 

[+rawkhopper]

I'd think it would be possible.

 

Exactly the kind of thing I was thinking

Edited October 14, 2010 by jameyp

[+J the Goat]

I'd think it would be possible.

 

 

Is that not a hikable 3.5 or 4?

[GOF and Bacall]

I'd think it would be possible.

 

 

Is that not a hikable 3.5 or 4?

 

Not necessarily. Some motorsports areas are off limits to hiking.

[+Avernar]

Not necessarily. Some motorsports areas are off limits to hiking.

At least on the way in.

[+M 5]

I just don't think it's possible and wanted opinions since I know where one is. It is owned by a prominent member of these forums. I've been hunting down the D/T matrix and only have one left. A friend recently did the one I need and it is a Virtual that you drive on a street to and read some info from your car. I was giving him grief over getting such a cheap 4.5/5. I know ratings are subjective, but that one and several liars caches I've seen are just ridiculous. I only semi care that others in the geocaching world get cheap ones, mainly in my circle of friends for our own personal competitive reasons, trash talking, etc. I also actively seek out harder caches and don't want to waste my time with caches so far off, but to be honest, reading logs normally gives you a good idea if the ratings are off. It still sort of bugs me in a way. For other reasons in the geocaching world in general. Enough to start a discussion up in the forums, but not enough to lose any sleep over.

[+briansnat]

I'd think it would be possible.

 

Exactly the kind of thing I was thinking

 

You probably could walk that fairly easily however, so I wouldn't call that 5 star terrain.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Many Fizzy Challenge caches do not permit grossly exaggerated D/T ratings.

[+Avernar]

I just don't think it's possible and wanted opinions since I know where one is.

Now that the special equipment attribute is available, the only thing making a 5 terrain in the rating system is an overnight stay.

 

So how about a long drive in a desert that requires overnight camping?

[+Mr. Wilson & a Mt. Goat]

Many Fizzy Challenge caches do not permit grossly exaggerated D/T ratings.

 

How can the Challenge Cache CO know if every cache has a legit rating?

[+dfx]

Now that the special equipment attribute is available, the only thing making a 5 terrain in the rating system is an overnight stay.

special equipment attribute? all i can see is a "special tool required" attribute. tool != equipment in my book.

[+mountainman38]

I'd think it would be possible.

 

Beautiful Land Cruiser. Looks stock, too!

[GOF and Bacall]

I'd think it would be possible.

 

Beautiful Land Cruiser. Looks stock, too!

 

Yeah, that was why I picked that picture when I was looking for a rock crawler shot. It seems I should have chose one on a difficult climb.

[+succotash]

Not necessarily. Some motorsports areas are off limits to hiking.

At least on the way in.

 

[Andronicus]

I just don't think it's possible and wanted opinions since I know where one is. It is owned by a prominent member of these forums. I've been hunting down the D/T matrix and only have one left. A friend recently did the one I need and it is a Virtual that you drive on a street to and read some info from your car. I was giving him grief over getting such a cheap 4.5/5. I know ratings are subjective, but that one and several liars caches I've seen are just ridiculous. I only semi care that others in the geocaching world get cheap ones, mainly in my circle of friends for our own personal competitive reasons, trash talking, etc. I also actively seek out harder caches and don't want to waste my time with caches so far off, but to be honest, reading logs normally gives you a good idea if the ratings are off. It still sort of bugs me in a way. For other reasons in the geocaching world in general. Enough to start a discussion up in the forums, but not enough to lose any sleep over.

Sounds like the CO decided "special equipment" was needed (a car), so 5* terrain. I think that is boggus. A car is not special equipment. Not to mention that the whole 5* terrain for special equipment required is kind of boggus in itself. Try one like this if you want a true 5* terrian http://coord.info/GC2AWKV.

[+M 5]

Here is the cache GC1BE4. Form your own opinion. Supposed to be difficult to find the right road. My friend said the only thing difficult was paying the $40 to the taxi driver he used to grab it.

[+Avernar]

Now that the special equipment attribute is available, the only thing making a 5 terrain in the rating system is an overnight stay.

special equipment attribute? all i can see is a "special tool required" attribute. tool != equipment in my book.

Doesn't matter about what the attribute says. The special equipment question is no longer on the ratings tool.

[+briansnat]

Now that the special equipment attribute is available, the only thing making a 5 terrain in the rating system is an overnight stay.

special equipment attribute? all i can see is a "special tool required" attribute. tool != equipment in my book.

Doesn't matter about what the attribute says. The special equipment question is no longer on the ratings tool.

 

It's still in the definition:

 

***** Requires specialized equipment and knowledge or experience, (boat, 4WD, rock climbing, SCUBA, etc) or is otherwise extremely difficult.

Edited October 15, 2010 by briansnat

[+Avernar]

It's still in the definition:

 

***** Requires specialized equipment and knowledge or experience, (boat, 4WD, rock climbing, SCUBA, etc) or is otherwise extremely difficult.

Maybe they forgot to change that? They don't have the overnight stay in that definition.

[+redsox_mark]

Specific to cache GC1BE4, I don't think it is a matter of special equipment. I think it is the navigational challenge - which is something I've been wondering about for some time.

 

Terrain is generally used to describe how physically difficult is is to get to GZ. But what if the challenge is not physical, but is navigational? One example would be a maze. It could have paved paths, be flat and wheelchair accessible... but difficult to navigate your way through. GC1BE4 is like that, but you do it in a car.

 

One could argue that the navigational challenge is more difficulty than terrain; though I've often seen people say Terrain is about getting to GZ and Difficulty is about finding the cache once there... and this is about getting to GZ.

 

Not having done it, I don't know if Terrain 5 is correct or not for this cache, but I can see in theory how a cache can be difficult to get to, even if you can drive there. Whether that should be reflected in the Terrain, Difficulty, or both I'm not sure about.

[+M 5]

Navigational challenges can definitely be a challenge. I think more in the woods, mountains, lakes or oceans. Not roadways. I would agree that it could up the difficulty from a cache that a handicap person can do very easy physically, but not all the way up to a 5 star. I will concede that when this was published in 2001, that GPS's would probably had a lot harder time, but a 5. Also, the difficulty is a 4.5. So did the CO add the stars for navigation to both. Which could get us into a whole new discussion in its own thread about D/T ratings. I think they should be completely separate, instead of terrain weighing in on the Difficulty as it is currently. A large number of CO's do separate them now, but that is not how it is written. The way it is now, I think it is impossible to have a 1/5, since terrain weighs in on the overall difficulty factor, but like I said. that is a whole thread on its own.

[+M 5]

I may have to adjust my thinking, because I can no longer find the definition for D/T that I originally read several years ago. It may have changed. Now it looks like they are separate entities. Terrain for the way to the cache and the difficulty for the difficulty of the hide. Retrieval could still fit either I guess.

[+Team Dromomania]

Sounds like the CO decided "special equipment" was needed (a car), so 5* terrain. I think that is boggus. A car is not special equipment. Not to mention that the whole 5* terrain for special equipment required is kind of boggus in itself. Try one like this if you want a true 5* terrian http://coord.info/GC2AWKV.

 

I don't see the "5"? Were ropes required to reach the summit? To me just a long, hard, steep climb without special gear is still a 4 or 4 1/2.

[+Method81]

How about this ?

 

[+TerraViators]

How about this ?

 

definitley a terrain rating of 5.