The Rebelle Rally is the first all-women’s off-highway navigation rally raid in North America and the longest competition of its kind in the 48 states. Now in its fifth year it is described as “the ultimate road trip,” the 2020 Rebelle Rally runs October 7-18, starting on the slopes of Lake Tahoe and ending in the Imperial Dunes of Glamis, east of San Diego.
All the participants have to race using just an old-fashioned paper map, a compass, and their ability which means no GPS, no cell phones, no digital devices of any kind during the race.
Only a few manufacturers are actually taking part in this rally. Nissan USA has been part of this since day one and this year they are using a powerful year 2020 Nissan truck.
Also racing this year is a Rivian EV truck which is the world first battery powered truck. Mitsubishi Motors are also racing with the plug-in hybrid SUV alongside Kia Motors with a 2020 Telluride SX. Jeep is also making a big showing at this all women rally event.
PRESS RELEASE: Blending the love of driving with the ultimate challenge of precise navigation, the Rebelle is the first women’s off-road navigational rally raid event in the United States. Crafted to test a variety of skills over eight days of competition, it is not a race for speed, but rather a unique and demanding event based on the elements of headings, hidden checkpoints, time, and distance using maps, compass, and road-book. No GPS, cell phones, or other electronic devices are allowed as teams navigate to the checkpoints.
Note that we called the Rebelle Rally a competition, not a race. While a race is a type of competition, not every competition is a race. Success at the Rebelle Rally is determined by navigational accuracy, driving prowess, and time management.
Having a successful Rebelle Rally or challenging adventure is all about preparation and choosing the right gear that you can trust, and Big Agnes has been a proud support of the rally from Day One. What’s critical for a success at a grueling off-road rally spanning 1,500 miles over ten days? A good night’s sleep! So we don’t go anywhere without our Big Agnes Mountain Glo tents, Q-Core Deluxe sleeping pads and Women’s Torchlight sleeping bags.
Named for the peak outside their backdoor in Steamboat Springs, Big Agnes is comprised of real life adventurers dedicated to the outdoors. They put their gear through the paces and continually innovate to provide the lightest, most comfortable, technically advanced gear in the industry.
What Are CPs?
Rebelle checkpoints (CPs) follow the same color scheme as downhill ski runs, with green, blue, and black CPs. The green checkpoints are the easiest, marked by a staff member and a large green flag. The green CPs are worth the most points and are mandatory for all teams, with cut off times that they must be reached by in the order they are provided. Blue CPs are optional and more difficult to find, marked only by a small stake or flag in the ground. Most difficult to locate are black CPs, which have no visible marker on the ground. The closer teams are to black CPs when they signal their tracker, the more points they receive. While it may seem counter intuitive to make the easiest checkpoints worth the most points, this ensures that the scores stay tight throughout the week of competition. “The format rewards those who take risks,” Rebelle founder Emily Miller explained.
Race Start
36 teams left the line in two-minute intervals from the remote base camp located outside Tonopah, Nevada and climbed to Emigrant Pass, where they were rewarded with an expansive view of the White Mountains. These views are not only breath-taking; they also serve as useful visual markers when navigating on a heading. There were 10 Control Points (CPs) along the prologue over 182 kilometers; Day 1 will offer 18 CPs over 218 kilometers.
