Cold-Weather Firemaking Challenge or How to Prevent Hypothermia

Cold-Weather Survival Firemaking Challenge

This is something I do with my students in my winter survival classes and quite frequently in my backyard when the snow is coming down. It is -1 degrees today in Flagstaff so it seemed like a good time to practice. It's one thing to start a survival fire under controlled conditions during a camping trip or when your body is in good shape but quite another when you are dealing with hypothermia and the reduced motor-skills that accompany it. 

1. Place your hands in the snow for 2 minutes then 2) grab your different firemaking tools and try to ignite your tinder. Simple as that. 99% of the time the spark rod is my tool of choice as it requires gross motor skills unlike a lighter or matches and works when wet. Good luck trying to get a lighter going when you're all thumbs. Tinder is in the top pics. For my friends in Phoenix, get a bowl of ice cubes!

 Since the majority of hypothermia cases happen in 50 degree F weather around the world and since most lost dayhikers are injured and hypothermic, it pays to build your skills and accompanying trail gear around the fact that you may have reduced motor-skills.

Two new books by Mors Kochanski

I opened the mail recently and was thrilled to receive two autographed books from Mors Kochanski and Randy Breeuwsma of Karamat. These are gems that every woodsman should have. A lifetime of study and application permeates his works and his books are the most dog-eared manuals in my library. Both are available on Amazon or directly through Karamat.com.

Interview with Mors Kochanski is Now Available in the Backwoodsman Magazine

I'm thrilled to say that the interview I conducted with Master Bushman Mors Kochanski is now available in the latest issue of Backwoodsman Magazine found at bookstores and online. In it, Mors discusses his childhood growing up in Canada using traditional bushcraft skills, his love of books and research, and tips for aspiring woodsman. Few people in the world have his scholarly background and years of practical experience living the life in the wilds and it was a real honor to speak with him. His book, Bushcraft is the tome that every wilderness skills practitioner should own and put to use.