If you’re interested in learning how to live, work and play in the boreal forest in the bitter cold of winter, we created the Winter Woodsman course just for you. Part survival course, part bushcraft, part winter guide training, the goal is make you feel comfortable and at home in the winter wilderness with a solid array of knowledge, experience and core skills under your belt.

But this isn’t a camp in the backyard, go through the motions experience. We’ll be snowshoeing into the field school, hauling our gear on toboggans. We’ll be setting up winter tents outfitted with wood stoves to stay in during the week. This program falls in line with our philosophy of learning by doing, not by talking.

One skill participants can expect to practice daily is axe and saw use; we’ll be cutting a lot of firewood. This includes locating, felling, limbing and splitting with an axe and sectioning with a saw.  It will definitely take your axemanship to the next level.

We’ll spend the week at the field school, with the possibility of a day out on Scopan Lake going ice fishing.

Participants will need warm winter clothing, an appropriately rated sleeping bag (-20), footwear with removable liners, snowshoes and a few basic tools. We provide the tents, wood stoves, toboggans, and other group gear. (More about required gear)

Thanks to recent upgrades at the field school, we’ll also have the insulated, woodstove-outfited library as a retreat to read and study.

For those who want to push themselves, our hardcore winter survival experience, The Frozen 48, follows immediately after the Winter Woodsman, and consists of a 48 hour survival challenge with limited gear.

For more information about the course, visit the Winter Woodsman page.  Currently there are 4 spots still open.  The 2015 course runs January 4-10.  If you have questions about the course post them on our newly revamped forum or get in touch with us.

Join us for a week in the cold to increase your skill, knowledge, experience and confidence.