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Winter Skills Course

Winter Skills Course

Regular price $749.99 USD
Regular price Sale price $749.99 USD
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6 total reviews

Date and Venue

Course Topics

• Winter Gear Recommendation
• Cold Weather Clothing Choices
• Winter Tinder Resources
• Fire Lays to Maximize Efficiency
• Fire Craft
• Building Effective Winter Shelters
• Procuring and Disinfecting Water in the Cold
• Food Processing and the Importance of Fat in Winter
• Cold Weather Environmental Risks of Exposure
• Regaining Mobility in Deep Snow
• Navigating Across Ice and Snow-Covered Terrain
• Emergency Signaling
• Axe Selection, Safety, and Use
• Saw Selection, Safety, and Use

Experience an unforgettable journey in the cold weather with our Winter Skills Course. Over 4 days and 3 nights, you will learn essential skills for surviving in a cold-weather environment. These skills can be applied not only in the Northeast but also in other cold-weather locations. Plus, many of the skills are transferrable to fair-weather outings.

In order to successfully survive in the winter wilderness, it is crucial to address various challenges such as maintaining core temperature, staying hydrated, consuming enough calories, resting, administering first aid, navigating, signaling, and utilizing tools. This course will prepare you to meet these needs in a winter environment.

Gain valuable skills and confidence in handling challenging winter environments through our Northeast Winter Skills Course. The experience and expertise gained here will prepare you for any difficult situations you may encounter. Real-world, cold weather experience is crucial and often more important than fair weather practice.

This winter skills course is designed for individuals to learn from an experienced instructor in a controlled environment, ensuring safety while mastering these essential skills. By the end, students will gain newfound confidence to navigate the winter wilderness independently. This course goes beyond basic survival skills and focuses on a comprehensive set of techniques to enhance your experience in the wilderness, all while prioritizing your safety.

The Winter Skills Course is designed for intermediate-level students. To ensure success, applicants must have completed either the Wilderness Skills Course or Master Navigator Course before enrolling. Please be advised that our instructors will not have time to provide remedial instruction for those who lack the foundational skills taught in one of these prerequisite courses. However, if you have read this course description in its entirety, along with the course cancellation and refund policy, and would like to request an exception, please contact training@graybeardedgreenberet.com to discuss.

This course employs a progressive method of instruction, moving from "crawl" to "walk" and finally to "run." Initially, students will be guided by an experienced cadre but will eventually be expected to showcase their mastery autonomously through Practical Applications. Ultimately, students will be tested under varying degrees of pressure to confirm their competence.

Please see the Course Packing List for required and optional gear along with recommendations for the best gear for the course.

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Important Notes

This course is a field course that requires students to fully immerse themselves in a remote and primitive setting. There will be no access to electricity or running water, and restrooms will likely be limited to portable toilets on-site. Additionally, students will be responsible for constructing their own shelters and will not have access to their vehicles during the course. It is important to be prepared for harsh weather conditions and embrace the challenging field conditions, including cold, rain, wind, and snow. Safety will be a top priority maintained by the course cadre and staff.

Safety is our top priority, and it is essential for students to remain dedicated and engaged throughout the course. We will not give up on you if you do not give up on yourself. However, if a student decides not to continue training or does not participate, they will be immediately escorted back to their vehicles and must leave the training venue. Please note that there will be no refunds or credits for the course, and students may not leave and come back at a later time (with some exceptions determined by the cadre).

Upon arrival, ensure that you are physically prepared for the course and have all the required equipment. Throughout the course, you will be walking several kilometers while carrying supplies and any resources you collect, which usually weigh between 15-35lbs. If you have a preexisting medical condition, please provide a physical from your doctor to GB2 staff for approval to attend the course. If you have any concerns, please contact training@graybeardedgreenberet.com for assistance. Additionally, please disclose any previous hot or cold weather-related injuries (such as heat exhaustion, heat stroke, hypothermia, frostbite, etc.) as they may increase your risk of re-injury.

To ensure an appropriate winter diet, food will be provided by cadre that you will prepare for the duration of the course. Please do not bring in your own food or snacks. However, it is highly recommended to bring electrolyte replacements, either commercial or homemade. The food that we provide will consist of meat, fat, and vegetables.

If you have ANY DIETARY restrictions whatsoever (religious, medical, etc.), you will be responsible for bringing your own food for the course. You must coordinate for this by messaging training@graybeardedgreenberet.com at least 14 days prior to the course start date.

Due to time constraints, there will not be a lunch break. Participants are advised to eat breakfast before the start of training, as it will be a long day before time to prepare dinner is provided.

Customer Reviews

Based on 6 reviews
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Philip Palmer

After flying from WY to Maine with my packing list items to become one of the frozen chosen at Josh’s course, where expert instruction from Josh and his entire teaching cadre covered so many topics that were carefully chosen to add life saving value to the knowledge I obtained from his foundational Wilderness Skills Course. I became confident in the extreme conditions that winter can throw at me. This course is a must for any out doors enthusiast that wants to learn.

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Derek Vail

Land Navigation is a critical and vastly overlooked skill. Even in military occupations where excellent fieldcraft is a core necessity, Navigation is a skill set that is grossly neglected. If you are going to fail selection based on skill and not heart, it is going to be one of two things, Range Estimation or Land Navigation.

Where this course stands out from the GB2 program is it works wonders even as a stand alone class. Particularly for Military or Search and Rescue personnel that may be working in extremely rural areas with no access to digital RF or satellites. A good compass, map, and this 4 day class is all you will ever need to get where you need to go and fast.

This is the class you need before going to selection, moving to the objective while dodging enemy ISR, or recovering those lost hikers because there is no “middle of nowhere” after this course.

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Douglas North

After four days and three nights out in the wilds of Maine, I am among the “Frozen Chosen” who have completed Joshua Enyart's Winter Skills Course. What an experience!

Like all of Josh's courses, there was expert instruction from Josh and his entire teaching cadre. They covered a huge array of topics that were carefully chosen to add value to the knowledge we obtained from his foundational Wilderness Skills Course.

We did two rounds of land navigation in snowshoes; learned about the environment and winter resources; made browse beds, leaf cribs, and super-shelters; created water from snow and turned beef into smoked jerky; learned to use axes and saws safely; learned effective traps for winter; built snowshoes and pack frames from saplings; and constructed signal fires that billowed columns of smoke. There were many smaller, invaluable skills within each one of those activities.

The difference between watching a video about this stuff and actually doing it is huge. If you want to truly learn these skills, while testing yourself and your gear, I recommend these courses.

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Daniel Edmonds

If you're serious about adding another season to your outdoor experience, look no further than this training. Right from the start you're immersed in a winter environment with snow, ice, and cold. But you aren't left to fend for yourself. High quality instructors walk you right through what you need to do to "make it" through and they make it truly fun. Regardless of your skill level, they create challenges that are doable and very rewarding. I left with understanding so many more skills than when I arrived. Don't hesitate on this course, you won't regret it. Money well spent.

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Chad

The winter environment can be surprisingly punishing and adds difficulty to every task. Every detail of that and how to deal with it or overcome it is covered here, and then some. There are times it is hard and cold, but the sheer beauty of Northeast winters and the confidence you gain here are unparalleled! When the last day arrived we were still learning many skills and as it was time to wrap up I honestly didn't want to leave! This is a "must do" course.