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Winter Camping School - 2025

Snowshoeing, Backpacking & Camping Course

Winter Camping School

Winter Camping School 2025 session teaches participants how to prepare mentally and physically to spend a night out in winter and the basics for successful camping in freezing conditions.

Contacts

Placeholder Contact Profile
Gyorgy Kereszti
Instructor

School registration started on November 1st, 2024. 
Registration is a two step process:
- step 1 Paying tuition: click Registration button (right side of this page) and complete Registration page.
- step 2 There are questions for school participants under Required Equipment at the bottom at this page (you need to be signed in to see). Click on Required Equipment and copy the questions into an e-mail body. Reply ALL questions and then send the e-mail to Winter Camping School at WCSuli86@gmail.com address.
Winter Camping School registration is still experimental within the new CMC web site; if you see any errors, strange or confusing behavior, please send a note and possibly screen shot to WCSuli86@gmail.com as that would help me to improve the school's web site.

This is a non-survival school for those who want to enjoy the winter, snow and moonlight in comfort.

The Winter Camping School concentrates on the fundamental understanding, equipment and techniques to keep warm in cold environment on an overnight stay. Skills learned in this school are applicable for anyone who plans to spend time in the winter wilderness including hikers, snowshoers, campers, climbers and skiers. It does not teach high altitude glaciated techniques, but it provides solid foundation that can be expanded to camping over timberline.

The Winter Camping School is open to any member of the CMC regardless of group membership or classification. There are no prerequisites but prior completion of the CMC Wilderness Trekking School and/or some winter hiking experience are recommended.

In order to graduate, students have to attend all lectures (Q and A sessions are optional), watching all video modules and submit all quizzes with satisfactory grading.

Students also have to participate in three qualified CMC trips: one one-day snowshoe trip to learn basic techniques and two overnight field trips.  All trips will be on snowshoes, no skis allowed.

Dates:
In-person and online lectures all required to attend:
February 11 (in-person) lecture, February 18 and February 25 online at 6:20 PM
Online QandA sessions (optional):
March 4 and March 18, at 6:20 PM
In-person lectures will be held in the CMC clubhouse. Zoom id will be provided for online meetings.

Qualified Snowshoe Trips are not part of the school and will be posted in the CMC schedule on the following dates:
Day Trips: February 22 (required) and March 8 (optional snow structure building practice)
Overnight Trips: March 15-16 and March 29-30 (both required)
April 5-6 is reserved as a backup overnight date if qualified trips has to be cancelled. Note, that there are no make-up dates for missed field trips.

Topics covered

• Mechanisms of heat loss and staying warm
• How cold affects the body, cold weather ailments
• Dressing for the cold and snow
• Winter camping gear, stove
• Nutrition and cooking tips and techniques
• Techniques for sleeping warm
• Extending the temperature range of the equipment you may already have
• Site selection and campsite organization
• Tent organization
• Winter travel and using sleds

Badges you will earn:

Course Requirements

This course has no scheduled activities.

Roster
Required Equipment

See registration questions further down.

Required Equipment

This school consists only lecturing and preparation for winter activities and camping in snow. This school does not have field trips, HOWEVER:

There are regular CMC trips to practice what is taught in the Winter Camping School.

These CMC trips are day-trips and overnights (see dates in the description). All trips are snowshoe trips and require:
- appropriate winter hiking clothing and boots
- food and drink
- essentials
- snowshoes (skis not allowed)
- snow shovel
- backpacking stove with pot, fuel, lighter, etc.
- seat pad (closed cell foam about 11"x15" piece)
Hiking poles are highly recommended.

Overnight trips require:
- 3-season tent owned, rented, borrowed (can be shared by people from the same household)
- 2 sleeping pads
- sleeping bag
- 2 light source (headlamp/flashlight)
- personal hygiene items

During classes there will be discussions and suggestions about all gear to be used. Trips are not part of the Winter Camping School so the School does not supply any gear. Only limited number of snow saws will be available to use during trips. 

Registration Questions

Please copy these questions into an e-mail body, answer ALL questions and send them to WCSuli86@gmail.com address.

  1. What is your best phone number? (Preferably cell phone.)

best phone number:

  1. What is your best e-mail address?

e-mail address:

  1. Date of last Covid-19 vaccination or booster shot you received?

date:

  1. Do you have any medical condition that could affect your participation in the school or qualified trips (yes or no)?
    (If yes, please give relevant details and describe how instructors can help you. Any response here is highly confidential.)

medical conditions:

  1. Which CMC group you are a member of?

CMC group:

  1. What is your hiking classification? (If not sure, enter A.)

hiking classification:

  1. What is your snowshoe classification? (If not sure, enter none.)

snowshoe classification:

  1. Are you a summer or winter trip leader (yes or no)?

trip leader:

  1. Do you generally do any winter activities in the mountains at least 4-5 times a season (yes or no)?

winter activities:

  1. Which year did you camp last time in the summer (if ever)?

summer camping:

  1. Which year did you camp last time in snow (if ever)?

snow camping:

  1. Which other CMC schools did you graduated from (if any)?

CMC schools:

  1. What other winter camping related school/training you graduated from (if any)?

other training:

  1. What is your personal goal attending this school?

personal goal:

  1. What is your favorite color? (Just to see whether you pay attention.)

favorite color:

  1. Is there anybody (student or instructor) you wish to be together in a group of this Winter Camping school?

same group with:

 

Course Materials
Name/Description