Build or just overnight in an igloo! 2013

Winter Survival/Inuit Lifestyles Igloo Building Workshop

 Two couples from Argentina!

Getting ready to go to sleep in an igloo.

Ranked as CAA's #1 Manitoba Winter get-away, spend a weekend building and sleeping in an Inuit-style igloo! This winter thrival (rather than survival) course is offered January 25-26 and February 1-2 (postponed a week or two if we don't have snow!!). Participants of all ages are welcome; the eldest was 85 years old and the youngest was a toddler, and a few years ago we figured an 8 1/2 month pregnant medical doctor who took the course was about to produce the youngest ever!

Participants build an igloo, learning how to identify igloo snow, cut snow blocks, fit and set snow blocks, and prepare the igloo for sleeping. You have an opportunity to sleep in the igloo on caribou skins provided by the instructors. You also learn how to use signal mirrors with search and rescue planes overhead giving you feedback on how you're doing. Other survival techniques are practised, turning winter camping into something to look forward to - no mosquitoes!

The instructors: Drs Rick Riewe and Jill Oakes have travelled with Inuit on the land in winter, throughout the circumpolar region since 1970 and 1982, respectively. Lessons learned from the Inuit are shared throughout the weekend.

Equipment to Bring:

• Sleeping bag or comforters
• sleeping mat or skins
• tarp
• snow shovel
• camera
• flashlight, Sorry - no candles as the caribou skins are extremely flammable
• layers of warm and wind resistant clothing plus a dry change of clothing
• 'pot luck' food for breakfast, lunch and supper (coffee, tea, drinkable tap water, condiments, utensils, kitchen equipment provided)
• Sunscreen and Sunglasses

Contact <jill.oakes@ad.umanitoba.ca>

Signal Mirror Exercise at Igloo Building Workshop 2012

Search and Rescue techniques are practised at the Inuit Lifestyles/Winter Survival weekend workshop January 26-27 or February 2-3rd, 2013. Register by contacting jill.oakes@ad.umanitoba.ca

Civil Air Search and Rescue Association led the signal mirror exercise, this is a few of the photo series Spotter, Dale, took from Chuck Wilson's C182. Check out the image where people were still learning how to aim their mirrors and compare it to the images where one or more of the 7 mirrors were aimed on the aircraft. Also, compare the ease in spotting the folks on the ground when they laid down and formed an SOS rather than stood huddled by the Club House...and the visibility of the SOS drawn in the snow. By adding a signal mirror, or any other reflective device, the chances of being located increase dramatically. The CASARA spotters were able to spot the mirrors from 7 miles away!



After sleeping in the igloo overnight.

The Inuit Lifestyles/Winter Survival weekend workshop is offered twice: Jan 26-27 and Feb 2-3, 2013. Contact jill.oakes@ad.umanitoba.ca to register. The following photos are from one of the weekend workshops held last year.

 Ameena, Amy, Lindsey, Sarah and Sam snuggled up on caribou skins to spend the night in an igloo. Outside air temperature with the windchill was 29 below; inside the igloo they were so warm they had to shed some layers.

Furs, Skijoring, 30 mi diet, Igloos, Signaling Search and Rescue, Inuit Games

 Northern Environment class photos from the winter field trip, which included learning about skijoring, building an igloo, signaling aircraft in a practice search & rescue exercise, Inuit games, traditional foods and sleeping in an igloo. Feb 11-12, 2011.