Okpik Sunday Program

9 News Click icon to start video Here’s the Channel 9 video from a couple of years ago about the Okpik program Click icon to start video

Agenda Subject Timing Avalanche Video 20 Minutes What Can You Take Back To Your Troop? 30 Minutes Cooking and Food Clothing Sleeping Shelters Travel Winter Survival Video 10 Minutes Roses and Thorns 15 Minutes Graduation Lunch Clean up Trading Post, then home…

Avalanche A good avalanche course probably takes two days to complete and will take you out onto the slopes. We’re not trying to teach you about avalanches, we just want you to be aware of signs to watch out for if you ever decide to ski, board or hike in areas prone to avalanches.

Avalanche Video Click icon to start video The video credits at the start have no sound…. Click icon to start video

What Can You Take Back? Cooking and Food Contrast summer camping with winter camping What makes a good winter menu? What are you going to cook on? What fuel is best for this trip? Where are you going to get water? Fueling the winter furnace with snacks Clean up The idea of these slides is to contrast what people might do differently in summer than in winter. For food we need to discuss stove and fuel performance in the winter camp. JetBoil style cartridge stoves don’t but out nearly as much power in winter, and when they get really cold, are not effective. At some point you’ll need to move to a white gas stove that can be used effectively in cold temperatures. However, we know from our experience in the field that it takes a long time to heat up water and you use a lot of fuel. Also cold weather can diminish the performance of things such as the ‘O’ rings. Also in these temperatures it’s not likely you’ll want to spend time washing dishes, so take away what we do at Okpik, using sealed bag meals that don’t require any clean up. Consider things such as eggs in a bag for a winter breakfast. In winter camping we’re also burning a high number of calories just to keep warm, so ‘stoking the furnace’ is vital. Keep a steady rate of snacking so you always have fuel inside you. In summer we can check the map and have a reasonable expectation of where we can get running water, but in winter that might not be so. You also have to take in to consideration how much fuel you’ll use to melt ice or snow for cooking.

What Can You Take Back? Clothing Contrast summer versus winter Is cotton always bad? The importance of layering and the importance of taking layers off! Know something about your fabrics Choosing footwear Good ski clothes = good hiking clothes? Damp clothes + cold night = misery Carry lots of the right spare clothes Myth: You lose body heat through your head. … and why we wear wristlets ‘Cotton kills’, we’ve all heard it, but in summer with the heat you might want the fact it stays moist to help you keep cool, but NOT in winter. Layering is important, but knowing how to use them is critical. Remember comfortably cool. Don’t wear every layer as you’ll keep sweat locked in and it will dampen your clothes and make you cold. Good ski clothes tend to be heavy and bulky which means they are not really good for long winter hikes. They take the idea of layering and build it in to a single garment, a wicking layer, an insulation layer and a waterproof layer all in one. That makes it impossible to take layers off. Footwear is also very different in winter, summer boots that are ‘water resistant’ and can handle a shower or river crossing can’t handle twelve hours in snow. Gaiters provide that extra level of protection that you don’t usually need in summer. Again, wearing damp cotton to bed on a hot night may not be bad, but it will freeze in winter. There's nothing special about your head. You'll lose body heat from any part of your body that is exposed. It's a good idea to wear a hat, but other parts of your body must also be covered to keep you from getting cold, experts say.  Wristlets cover the venerable back of the hand and can be worn almost permanently, you don’t really need to take them, off the entire time that you’re out.

What Can You Take Back? Sleeping Contrast summer versus winter Why knowing what’s in your pad will keep you warmer Why you need a ground cloth Down bags versus man-made fiber bags Breathing is not your friend! The physiology of not going to the bathroom! Why wearing every piece of clothes you have will make you colder Summer weight bags versus winter bags. Down versus manmade fiber. Weight versus bulk. Winter bags need to be able to withstand some level of getting wet, maybe it’s snow laying on it or being dropped in the snow. Pads with air and not specifically made for winter just trap cold air next to your bag. In summer that’s not an issue, in winter it’ll make you miserable. The ground cloth keeps you dry and is your first layer in winter, but it may be all you need in summer to sleep comfortably. Breathing inside a bag releases gallons of water vapor on the inside (the non-waterproof side) of your bag and will ice up your bag at some point in the night. That’s ice right next to you. Wearing every piece of clothing compresses air pockets and robs you of space that warm air stays in.

What Can You Take Back? Shelters We’ve built quinzees, so that must be the best winter shelter, right? Quinzees take a lot of time and effort to build. However, they will keep you far more protected than sleeping in a tent in winter. If you are staying put for several days they may be a great idea. In an emergency the best shelter may well be a snow cave, much like the Saturday afternoon program at Okpik. Find a good snow bank and dig your way back and use brush to create an insulation layer between the snow and you. Tents will be at whatever the temperature outside is, so at sub-zero temperatures they keep you dry but provide limited warmth. Re-emphasize that you want to put as much insulation between you and the ground. Damp clothes can go under the sleeping bag ort between sleeping bag layers, dry clothes can go in the bag with you.

Alternate Snow Shelters

Quinzees In Real Life?

What Can You Take Back? Shelters Tent versus snow cave versus quinzee Insulation On your tent Under you Between sleeping layers Quinzees take a lot of time and effort to build. However, they will keep you far more protected than sleeping in a tent in winter. If you are staying put for several days they may be a great idea. In an emergency the best shelter may well be a snow cave, much like the Saturday afternoon program at Okpik. Find a good snow bank and dig your way back and use brush to create an insulation layer between the snow and you. Tents will be at whatever the temperature outside is, so at sub-zero temperatures they keep you dry but provide limited warmth. Re-emphasize that you want to put as much insulation between you and the ground. Damp clothes can go under the sleeping bag ort between sleeping bag layers, dry clothes can go in the bag with you.

What Can You Take Back? Travel Knowing conditions Recognizing the signs of avalanche terrain Where to pitch a tent in winter Terrain dictates where you can plan to go to The importance in winter of Plan B Who really knows first aid? Who can really navigate when you can’t see the trail? Know what conditions that you are likely to meet and plan for them. Remember that hiking in the snow will really slow you down, so plan on a mile an hour. Watch out for likely avalanche slopes and areas where’s it’s clear an avalanche has happened and be prepared to change your route to avoid these areas. Much like your quinzee, cold air settles to the bottom of a valley. Try to camp off the valley floor. Also try to make sure that you are protected from the wind. Watch out for dead trees where the weight of snow might lead to them falling. Don’t plan a 14-er climb in January, look for terrain where the hike will be relatively easy and you won’t meet to many obstacles. An easy river crossing in summer isn’t necessarily the same in winter. Avoid boggy, marshy areas where you may sink in and soak yourself. Remember the importance of having a Plan B so you have an escape if conditions worsen. All Scouts probably have some first aid training, but in winter the level needs to be stepped up, can you really spot frost bite and the first symptoms of hypothermia. Do you know how to treat them, can you stop them getting worse? Navigation is a relatively easy job in summer as you follow trails and make decisions at junctions. Many Scouts will tell you that they can use a map and compass, but in winter this becomes critical. Trails will be covered in snow so there’s nothing to follow and distinct peaks in summer can become confusing and mixed up in winter when covered in snow or invisible in low visibility. Make sure the skills are treid and tested before attempting a winter hike.

Winter Survival Click icon to start video

Roses and Thorns The Okpik Program Equipment Food Presentations Working Together Sleeping Your instructors Just spend a few moments getting feedback on the weekend and identify anything we can change for next year's program.

Please print your e-mail so we can read it! Thanks for coming, we really appreciate you participating in the program and hope to see you again. If you have been on the program twice, consider joining the Okpik staff. Add your name and e-mail to the bottom of the evaluation form we are about to give out. Please print your e-mail so we can read it! And next… graduation