Hot Tent Snowshoe Trip (Beginner Friendly)

This premium 3-day 2-night snowshoe trip is a fantastic follow up to our Winter Camping Workshop. We'll focus on more traditonal backcountry travel and winter skill building in deep snow conditions. What does "traditional" mean?  Well, instead of snowmobiles and log cabins, we will snowshoe with gear in tow using expedition toboggans and set up a winter camp in the woods by a beautiful lake. At night we'll sleep warm in our stove-heated canvas tents. During the day, we'll have time to  work on essential winter skills and explore the lakes nearby. All group meals are provided. NOW Outdoors has a reputation for fantastic food. If you have special dietary restrictions, please let us know well in advance. 

Friday: We will meet at 10 am and load toboggans. This will take about 90 minutes. Once loaded, we'll have a hearty lunch and hot beverage before hitting the trail. Our snowshoe hike to the campsite will be about 1 hour. This could be much faster but it depend a lot on snow conditions and ease of trail access. We all work as a team to make camp. This involves setting up our tents and wood stoves, cutting a hole in the frozen lake for water, and processing firewood. 

Saturday: We will start with an awesome breakfast and follow with a trek across the surounidng lakes. Depending on group interest, we may pack a hot lunch to bring along for a picnic.. 

Skills you'll gain include: 

• Experience using a traditional wall tent with a wood stove
• Safe and efficient travel in deep snow country with snowshoes
• Ice safety
• Proper use of  tools such as axe and saw
• Packing sleds and toboggans 
• Cooking and baking on a wood stove 
• Winter survival skills such as snow shelters, winter fires, and purifying water
• How to regulate your body temp  in winter
• Proper nutrition and hydration

Sunday: We start with an awesome breakfast and break down camp. We plan to be back to the vehicles and packed up by noon. 

Accommodations: We will sleep in traditional canvas "hot" tents heated by wood stoves, both of which we haul out on our expedition toboggans. Participants should have their own personal items prior to the trip. We also have premium cold weather gear available for rent including -40F goose down sleeping bags, Mukluks, sleep pads, snowshoes, and more. 

Level of Difficulty - Moderate: This trip requires pulling a sled or toboggan using snowshoes. The hike in is less than 1 hour. Weather conditions and snow depth will play a factor. Be prepared to spend full days outside and around camp in sub-freezing weather. This trip is open to those who already have some experience camping outdoors even if those experiences were not in the cold. Participants should have a good understanding of what type of clothing, footwear, and other gear is appropriate for winter weather. If you attend or annual winter workshop in December, you will be a step ahead. We will help you prepare well in advance via pre trip zoom calls. Just let us know what you need and we are happy to help.

--> AS ALWAYS--> A gear list specific for this trip will be available to all participants upon payment.  

Trip Cost: $600

What’s Included:

• All meals, Friday lunch through Sunday breakfast 
• 2 nights 3 days canvas hot tent living
• Wood stoves 
• Group kitchen items
• Emergency med kit
• Emergency communications
• Expedition toboggans outfitted with day boxes and tanks for all your gear
• Purified water 
• Coffee/tea/cider/cocoa
• Misc. group gear such as axes, shovels, camp seats, and more

What's Not Included: (some rental gear is available)

• Clothing and other personal items 
• Mukluks/boots (available for rent)
• Snowshoes (available for rent)
• Sleeping bags (-40F down bags available for rent)
• Snacks

If you have any questions, please email us at info@nowoutdoors.org