Winter Orientation
This combined classroom and field course provides opportunities to develop basic wilderness survival skills for a Yellowknife winter. The focus will be on short-term survival situations that could arise in our operating area. Due to variable weather conditions you may experience very cold temperatures.
Dates/Times: TBA
Classroom:
Field:
Class size: 12 maximum
Location: Classroom – Arctic Response 101, 349 Old Airport Rd
Field – Camp Connections (about 55 Km east on Ingraham Trail)
Instructors: Tom Girrior
Prerequisite Gear List:
Axe/Hatchet, Saw, knife (folding or fixed blade) – all 3 required
Tarpaulin (10′ x 12′) or larger and 8′ x 10′
Rope 20′ x 3/8″ (6M x 10mm), 1 roll snare wire, Cord 50′ x 3/16″ (15M x 4mm)
Fire making materials
Food and utensils
Sleeping Bag (winter bag rated to season)
Headlamp/Flashlight with spare batteries
Large garbage bags (2 x 50-75 liter)
Any other items you wish to bring
SIGN UP SHEET: Click here for sign up sheet
Detailed Course Outline:
Classroom Session
- Course Scope
- Common Scenarios
- Behavioral response to stress
- Stress and simple task performance
- Complex task performance
- Lost Person Behaviour
- Pre-deployment
- Winter clothing review (3 L’s)
- Minimum gear list
- Trip Plans
- Preliminary Tasks
- First Aid and casualties
- Material resources inventory
- Human resources inventory
- Leadership and roles
- Site selection
- Survival Priorities (Water, Shelter, Signals, Fire)
- Above or below the treeline
- Water
- Obtaining
- Making it safe to drink
- Storing and transporting
- Fire
- Cooking, drying, heating, signaling
- How to make
- Signals
- Night – Fire, flares, beacons, headlamps, audible
- Day – Smoke, conspicuity panels, audible
- Shelter
- Lean-To
- Tent
- Quinzhee
- Framed Quinzhee
- Gear Review and Recommendations
- Cutting Tools (saws, axes, hatchets, machetes, knives)
- Common cutting tool issues (misuse and condition)
- Balaclavas, mitt liners, boot liners, googles
- Classroom demonstration
- Framed Quinzhee
- Tripod smoke signal
Friday Evening
- 18:00 – tentative departure to Camp Connections
- 19:00 to next morning – Abandoned/unoccupied cabin scenario
- Review Preliminary Tasks
- Cabin access methods
- Spend the night
Saturday (all day to Sunday morning)
- Group briefing
- Camp Connections user expectations
- Bush Survival Scenario
- Solo, 2 person and group tasks
Sunday (to Sunday afternoon)
- Break camp
- Move all materials to signaling site
- Signaling
- smoke signals – Tripod, Ground
- Conspicuity Panels
- High contrast Signage
- Mirrors