In 2022, onX Offroad was a critical tool for the organizers of the longest competitive off-road rally in the United States
Teams in this year’s Rebelle Rally will be tackling 8 days of competition, more than 1500 miles across remote areas of Nevada and California. This all-women off-road competition is the ultimate test of navigation, technical driving skills, on-the-spot decision making, and determination. Two-person teams travel to checkpoints along the course where they accrue points.
The competition is based on the teams’ ability to find these remote checkpoints, using analog navigations skill, while relying on only paper maps and a compass. The teams are not allowed to use the modern convenience of GPS or cell phones at any time during the rally, which means none of the teams will be using onX Offroad during those 8 stages. Instead, onX Offroad is the lynchpin behind the planning and execution of this truly unique event, and proud sponsor.
“We really use the onX Offroad app in every way possible, from planning out the course, laying out the course, and running the course—it’s a critical tool for us. Especially while pre-running and doing research, it’s very clear and very visible on the onX Offroad app where trails are, and we can quickly know if they are usable trails or not.” says Emily Miller, the Rebelle Rally founder and rally director.
Miller stresses that onX Offroad is an important part of setting the course, as each year’s routes are different and new. Miller explains: “As we go through the process filing for permits, I can easily see what’s public land and what’s not. Then, I can turn on the Private Land Layer to determine if we need to route around the area, or if I need to contact the landowner to get permission to access it.”
Once the rally starts, the app continues to be a critical tool for the entire staff of more than 130 people. The Base Camp, which functions as a small town during the event (food, shelter, communications, etc), picks up and moves for almost every stage. This year, Miller has set over 300 individual waypoints, along with the specific navigational routes to safely move everyone from one preplanned location to the next.
“The Rebelle Rally is such an incredible part of the offroad community, their team showcases just how versatile our app is and they provide a unique stress test to our features. The stakes are high when you are in the desert, so we know it needs to always be 100% perfect.” says Haley Fetzer, onX Offroad Head of Marketing
The Rebelle staff build custom maps and waypoints for the media teams each day, highlighting the best places for photos and drone flights. All of this is possible with the offline map functions. Staff and media can download detailed map information while they have a data connection, then head into the remote desert with everything they need to get to their preassigned locations and return back to the Base Camp safely.
All of that data is available at her fingertips, and she can customize and selectively share different pieces of information to staff. “Managing all of the data is incredibly challenging, but onX Offroad makes it easier.” She explained, “Even though we’re an analog event, this app is our technical backbone and the way we communicate the information.”
About onX Offroad
onX Offroad is the leader in off-road maps and GPS technology, empowering powersports and overlanding enthusiasts to explore 615,000+ miles of motorized trails and 852 million acres of public land. Built for off-roaders, by off-roaders, the company strives to create the most complete, current, and accurate mapping app available on the market. Because off-the-beaten path experiences are at the heart of what onX does, the company also leads initiatives to protect and expand access to public land and promote stewardship opportunities.
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