Cache Elevation as Challenge Criteria

[+TheLimeCat]

Hey all, I have worked on a couple challenges regarding finding caches in specific elevation brackets, and because I enjoy the mountains, I have always enjoyed these challenges. Until recently, I thought they were grandfathered because cache elevation is not an official statistic on the geocaching site. However, I have seen a couple elevation-based challenges publish since the moratorium and of course elevation statistics are widely available through project-gc. I wondered what the rules are regarding elevation and how elevation might be combined with other restrictions, such as X number of caches above X feet in X state? I've been thinking of publishing a challenge in this vein for Washington state but wondered about the rules, and if other geocachers would find this enjoyable in their own home state/province/region. The only elevation challenges I have logged have allowed caches from any region. I wonder if anyone has completed a fun elevation-based challenge they might share.

[+GerandKat]

3 hours ago, TheLimeCat said:

I wondered what the rules are regarding elevation

Elevation is allowed as an exeption.

 

3 hours ago, TheLimeCat said:

and how elevation might be combined with other restrictions, such as X number of caches above X feet in X state?

 

Best practise: ask your local reviewer of the slightest distrust !

[+JL_HSTRE]

I'm surprised elevation would still be allowed considering how difficult it is to determine qualifying caches. Basically impossible without partner software.

 

Also, elevation stats often get wonky if do Mystery caches. Fake coords are sometimes offshore or in a lake or atop an inaccessible mountain. 

[+arisoft]

I made a new elevation challenge some time ago. The reviewer questioned the rationality of using elevation because it is difficult to finders to find required caches based on elevation.

 

After I told that HQ has allowed using elevation as a exception even knowing that it has some difficulties, the reviewer published the cache withtout hesitation.

 

Elevation is a polygon type challenge. It is using contour lines to define areas. The good thing is that CO can not define those lines and the bad thing is that there is no official source for elevation data. Results are partly random. For example, some caches are actually above 1000 meters but not accepted for above 1000 meter challenges. Many caches are far below the sea level without having a scuba attribute

Edited October 26, 2023 by arisoft

[+MNTA]

Topological contour lines are clearly visible from the default maps. Obviously you cannot do a database query to determine qualifying elevations but you can manually search.

 

7 hours ago, JL_HSTRE said:

Also, elevation stats often get wonky if do Mystery caches. Fake coords are sometimes offshore or in a lake or atop an inaccessible mountain. 

 

This really annoys me. IRK IRK IRK, My lowest elevation cache is an unknown over water. Next three were found in Death Valley and the Salton Sea areas.

[+fizzymagic]

4 hours ago, MNTA said:

Topological contour lines are clearly visible from the default maps. Obviously you cannot do a database query to determine qualifying elevations but you can manually search.

 

 

This really annoys me. IRK IRK IRK, My lowest elevation cache is an unknown over water. Next three were found in Death Valley and the Salton Sea areas.

 

Which is why elevation is tricky for non-traditional cache types.  I personally store the final locations of all my finds but gc.com does not.  I would prefer it if Project GC used the final coordinates for the elevation instead of the posted coordinates, but I understand there might be Technical Difficulties with that.

[+TheLimeCat]

I could see mystery caches being a problem for a challenge like this, although I was thinking of setting the bar at 5000ft, which would rule out every mystery cache in the state based on posted coordinates. It would unfairly rule out possibly one mystery that I can think of with posted coordinates below 5000 and a final above that.

[+garretslarrity]

On 10/25/2023 at 11:07 PM, GerandKat said:

Elevation is allowed as an exeption.

 

Appreciate the clarification as I don't believe it's stated in the guidelines!

[+arisoft]

13 hours ago, garretslarrity said:

 

Appreciate the clarification as I don't believe it's stated in the guidelines!

 

That's why it is called exception. It is in the book of secret guidelines for reviewers. I have been given to understand that the headquarters' opinion on the matter would be as follows:

 

Quote

Indeed, elevation is not on Geocaching.com. However, neither are
DeLorme or county data. We think elevation falls into the bucket
with DeLorme and counties. It's fairly standard to determine
elevation based on lat/lon, just as it's standard to determine
counties or Delorme data with lat/lon inforomation.

 

 

[hsiale]

On 10/26/2023 at 8:35 PM, arisoft said:

it is difficult to finders to find required caches based on elevation

Is it due to finders using GPS so much that they forgot how to read a map?

[+thebruce0]

Challenge: Traditional finds below sea level, eg.

A challenge that doesn't include posted coordinates that aren't for physical cache types.

[+MNTA]

16 hours ago, hsiale said:

Is it due to finders using GPS so much that they forgot how to read a map?

 

This made me chuckle. So true! My iPhone will tell me turn by turn instructions on how to get there. My kids are doomed for sure but fortunately I take them to places with no cell service and we have to pull out the DeLorme Gazetteer. The more remote the better.

 

[+baer2006]

3 hours ago, MNTA said:

My iPhone will tell me turn by turn instructions on how to get there. My kids are doomed for sure but fortunately I take them to places with no cell service and we have to pull out the DeLorme Gazetteer.

So your kids haven't yet discovered apps with offline maps?

[+MNTA]

11 hours ago, baer2006 said:

So your kids haven't yet discovered apps with offline maps?

 

They have as have I. There are definitely many advantages to other mapping apps for sure. The disadvantage to most is you have to plan ahead and download and if for some reason you go off the map always good for a backup. Those apps though don't give you turn by turn directions lol.