Saturday January 8 the Hulbert Outdoor Center in Fairlee, Vermont hosts “Winter Skills Day” which is a chance to learn outdoor skills that will help you enjoy winter comfortably and safely. They offer two sessions, morning and afternoon, so you can take two different classes in one day. Price for each seminar is $27 per person, except for the Family Snowshoeing/Exploration seminar which has a per-family price. The price of the seminars includes lunch. All proceeds benefit the Aloha Foundation (which teaches outdoor skills at summer camps and the Hulbert Center), so you know that your money is going to a great cause!
Among the morning seminars offered will be:
- Building Snow Shelters (haven’t you always wanted to build a real igloo?!?)
- Axemanship and Fire building (essential skills for winter wilderness travel)
- Traditional Winter Camping (with toboggans, canvas tents, wood stoves and bough floors – very comfy!)
- Introduction to Back country Skiing (Explore beautiful places and save on lift tickets and trail passes)
- Ice fishing 101 (Family-friendly fun on ice)
- Exploration: Fun & Winter Skills for the Whole Family.
The afternoon offerings include:
- Basics of Dog sledding (They provide the dogs ans sleds)
- Winter Photography (Capturing the beauty in the cold and often difficult light of winter)
- Skate Skiing (Fast, fun, and fabulous exercise)
- Emergency Survival and Self Sufficiency.
- Lightweight Winter Camping. (Exploring the winter wilds with camp in a backpack). This particular offering is to be to be taught by our friends from EasternSlopes.com – David Shedd and Tim Jones.
The lightweight Winter Camping offering will be an active, hands-on tutorial. the group will be setting up both a “cold” (unheated) winter camp and two camps with wood-stove-heated tipis. They will assess the gear for winter suitability, and show the gear and techniques we use all winter to stay warm and happy on winter expeditions traveling on snowshoes or skis with a backpack and/or small pulk. After this course, you should be able to approach your first backyard or roadside winter camp out with confidence, knowing that you know how to keep yourself safe and comfortable.
All these Winter Skills Day seminars are by pre-registration only: visit their website, call 802-333-3405 or email deb_williams (at) alohafoundation (dot) org.
If you have any questions about the lightweight winter camping seminar, don’t hesitate to email timjones (at) easternslopes (dot) com or dshedd (at) easternslopes (dot) com.
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December 30th, 2010 | Category: Cold Weather Camping, Snow Hiking, Winter Camping, Winter Camping Skills