July 31, 2022 – USA: The eighth Weekly Challenge of the Nomad Overland Virtual Adventure Rally takes a look at the process of planning and managing a complex Overland journey in remote backcountry locations. This Challenge presents competitors with a scenario that involves making choices based on ever changing information, and incorporates potential complications that force the Teams to adjust their plans as they go.
The Expedition Management Challenge starts off with some simple facts about a multi-day journey into a very remote area that requires the teams to make calculations about necessary fuel and supplies, determine the best convoy order for the group, and make decisions about what to include or exclude from the route. Then, as the Challenge continues, the competitors are faced with unexpected weather situations, navigational errors and blocked trails.
There can be more than one correct answer to many of the questions posed as the scenario evolves, and teams have to explain their reasoning and justify their choices. This Challenge is less about testing knowledge than it is about pushing competitors through the decision-making process as they have to respond to each new piece of information, making good choices in trying circumstances. Of course, it is a simplified simulation that cannot replicate the stress of the “real world,” but the Challenge raises issues and gets competitors thinking about the implications of different decisions.
The Weekly Challenges are one of the four pillars of the Nomad Overland Virtual Adventure Rally and competitors can earn up to 100 points each week for completing the Challenge questions online. The Challenges also provide a way for all the teams to stay engaged over the whole ten weeks, even when they are not out exploring on Overland Stages. Each Week’s Challenge focuses on a different aspect of overland travel or outdoor skills — sometimes the competitors will have to do something offline in order to answer the questions and other times they just need to respond to multiple choice knowledge-checks. The teams are always free to research answers or find tutorials to help them complete the tasks prior to submitting their Challenges and once each Challenge “closes” they can consult the “correct” answers and explanations — turning it into a defacto learning opportunity.