I just heard from my friends Kevin and Polly at Mahoosuc Guide Service. They’ll be offering a winter guide training course December 14-17 in the Lake Umbagog area. It will be offered through the Maine Wilderness Guides Organization. From the MWGO website:

This workshop is designed to cover the skills needed to safely guide in the winter. Whether you are guiding snowmobile, dogsled, ski or snowshoe/toboggan trips there are a lot of skills required of a guide that are specific to the winter environment.
The following topics will be covered in depth:

• Hypothermia – recognition, prevention, treatment
• Frostbite – recognition, prevention, treatment
• Ice Reading – characteristics, formation, safe route selection
• White-out navigation – map & compass, GPS, traditional Inuit techniques
• Minimal Equipment – for any type of winter travel – human powered or snowmobiles
• Snow machine Travel – off trail, freighting loads with quamotiks & toboggans, dealing with slush, the “well outfitted” snow machine, tow ropes vs. tow bars
• Winter bivouac – Spending a night out with the clothes on your back, snow & bough shelters
• Client Concerns – Looking after your “sports” in the winter
• Winter Camping Techniques – Setting up a safe, dry, warm traditional winter camp, fire building with and without matches
• Dog & Human Powered Travel – Depending on snow/ice conditions we will also cover the basics of snowshoe and dog team use.

The cost of the workshop is $300 for MWGO members and $475 for non-members. For more information contact Mahoosuc Guide Service at (207) 824-2073.