Winter Camping - 2020

Snowshoeing Course

Winter Camping

Winter Camping course. Lecture: February 13, Gear check: February 24, Field Trip: February 29

Tacoma Mountaineers offers you the chance to extend your snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding and backpacking activities to multi day adventures with this class on winter camping. We will cover pitching a tent on snow, and building snow structures such as snow caves and trenches. We will also cover equipment, clothing, food, winter first aid concerns and tips and tricks on how to make a winter overnight an enjoyable experience. Snowshoe trekkers, scramblers, climbers, snowboarders, skiers and backpacking enthusiasts with past experience are all welcome.

The overnight field trip will require snowshoes and travel over snow with a heavy pack or sled.  Check the gear requirements below.

Please be flexible on the timing of the overnight field trip. We need enough snow to build snow structures.


Course Dates:

Lecture: Thursday February 13, 2020 7:00PM - 9:30PM at Tacoma Mountaineers Program Center.

Gear Check: Monday February 24, 2020 7:00PM - 9:30PM at Tacoma Mountaineers Program Center.

Field Trip: tentatively Saturday & Sunday, Feb 29 - March 1, 2020 Paradise, Mt Rainier National Park.

Meeting place: South Hill Park & Ride, subject to change. Meeting time to be determined in class.


Family Discount Information: Info

 Graduation Requirements:

  • Attend Winter Camping Lecture,
  • Attend Gear Check Night,
  • Attend Winter Camping Field Trip,
  • Completion of Avalanche Awareness Seminar,
  • Completion of a stewardship activity.

Link: Tacoma Snowshoeing Committee

Badges you will earn:

Course Requirements

This course has no scheduled activities.

Additional badges needed to graduate

Completed

Roster
Required Equipment

 There is some equipment that will be required to complete the course but we suggest that those new to winter camping refrain from purchasing new equipment until after the classroom session. This will probably avoid a few of the mis-steps of over purchasing or purchasing inadequate gear. A sizable portion of the classroom evening is devoted to what gear to get, how/why to choose it and where it may be purchased or rented. Some of the things on the list are:

  • Tent (3 or 4 season)
  • Winter sleeping bag
  • Insulating sleeping pad (minimum 2" thickness)
  • Stove  and fuel
  • Critter proof food storage container
  • Snow shovel
  • Extra gloves
  • Extra socks
  • Hand warmers
  • Snowshoes   *required for the field trip

Check out the gear rentals:  Snow Links

 

Course Materials

You must register for this course to see course materials.