Mors Kochanski winter skills course

[OldJimbo]

Same here. I can't really remember a Jan/Feb like this year - blue skies and not enough snow to use our new snowshoes, in two months! I'll happily put up with it though, I've seen enough grey skies and palm sized snowflakes over the past 30 years here!

Unless things change rapidly - he'll be on a spring/summer survival course!

 

[leon-1]

I don't know guys, winter appears to of happened about a couple of months late here, it may be the same with you :?: , I don't honestlt know. The thing I can say is the palm trees here were starting to flower not that long ago and it snowed yesterday:shock:

 

[Stuart]

Hi Guys, I'm Back :wave:


fantastic course Mors really is amazing, I think Jed put it best on the couse when he said:

"every now and again you just have to wander off and stick your head in the snow to let your brain cool off"

thanks to all those who lent me kit, when I have it washed I will return it.

thanks Old jimbo for the mittens they were great, I will post them back to you next week.

unfortunatly I damaged my cameras media card on the journey home so I have lost all my photos.

I am sending the card off to a data recovery company and I will post them on the site if they recovered.

.

 

[brucemacdonald]

Welcome back.

You really must post a full account of your course as I am sure everyone will be fascinated to read it.

Best wishes

Bruce

 

[OldJimbo]

Welcome back - it that's a logical thng to say when I'm over where you were...!

With luck, the pics will be recoverable - those cards have pretty tough internals.

It's been springlike here - but it sounds like you learned lots no matter what the weather in Alberta. We'll sure be interested in what you have to say about it all, once you get rested up.

Those gloves are yours - souvenir of Canada.

 

[Stuart]

you sure Jimbo thats very generous of you :shock: :You_Rock_

I will write an account of the course a soon as I find out how many photos I have to go with it.

its was fantastic though

the weather wasnt bad at all the coldest temperature was -22, most of the time it was around -10 and for the last few days around 0.

on the coldest day I couldnt read my watch under all the clothes and mittens so I attached it to my lapel.... where it promptly froze solid and has not worked since :roll: .

 

[OldJimbo]

For sure you need a souvenir of the trip! No problem.
I'm just glad that the weather cooperated enough to give you a taste of what winter can be like - although -20 there is probably called spring. It's been so warm and snowless here that I don't know what to make of things. Right now it's snowing a blizzard - but I have a weekend of paperwork. It's cruel with new snowshoes to try!

We're going to be fascinated by your impressions. I've been over here so long that it's hard imagining anything else now.

 

[Stuart]

thanks Old jimbo much appreicated

my impressions of canada? well firstly its Vast!!!! there are huge areas of wilderness which make it a wonderful bushcrafters playground.

secondly its full of wildlife cyotes, wolves, lynx, beaver, bears, etc etc

thirdly its cold :chill: but suprisingly it doesnt feel as cold as I expeced, with a lower humidity than the UK -10 in canada does not seem as painfully cold as -10 in the UK infact it was very comfortable.

very freindly people too

 

[Gary]

Yep I found the same thing in Norway - minus 12 there was a more comfortable cold than minus 7 here!

The Linge company guys during the war noted the same thing in scotland too - its the damp that gets into your bones and chills you.

As for Canada you think its vast you should see Alberta in Summer - it has the biggest sky, makes a man realise how small and inconsequentual he really is. The praires are one of the best places on earth IMO

 

[arctic hobo]

on the coldest day I couldnt read my watch under all the clothes and mittens so I attached it to my lapel.... where it promptly froze solid and has not worked since :roll: .

Now you need a Kobold Polar Surveyor... 4 grand's worth of timekeeping :yikes:
I've had the same problem, except with a digital watch - they die below -15 to -20 C.

 

[OldJimbo]

I'm back to wearing my 25 year old Casio digital - I'm wondering just how long it can last!
My buddy was doing radio work in the arctic for a long time- I'll have to see what he wore.

I've sure enjoyed my time here in the north west. When I retire in a few years, I'll really be able to get back into things. Between hunting, fishing, canoeing, .. on and on - there's never been enough time to get to everything with work getting in the way. So there have been stretches of years when all I did was fish - so that I could learn about the different runs and rivers. Even then I just scratched the surface of local rivers.... Same with everything else...

Cold is strange. I can still remembering going from -30F in Saskatchewan to +30F in Vancouver and having to get used to the cold damp weather in Vancouver!

 

[Marts]

Stuart - did you ever get around to doing a review of your course?

 

[C_Claycomb]

I can answer that. No. Stuart has been busy with some other stuff. Not to mention just having come back from yet another trip to yet another environment.

There should be a good deal of info going up eventually based on that course, but since it was Mors' last winter course, a review as such seems superfluous.

I think that Stuart's wife isn't going to let him go anywhere else this year so there is a fair chance of chaining him to a keyboard and getting him to write up his notes.

Mind you, if you happen to be at either of the meet-ups, I am sure that Stuart will be only too happy to tell you all about it in person! ROTFLMAO

 

[Womble]

is Stuart on-course for the bank holiday meet then?

 

[tomtom]

did you mannage to extract any of the pictures Stuart?

 

[Jack]

.
Mind you, if you happen to be at either of the meet-ups, I am sure that Stuart will be only too happy to tell you all about it in person! ROTFLMAO

Nice one Chris..........now you have gone and done it!

 

[Stuart]

sorry for my late reply, my ISP (tesco) wont let me onto BCUK for some reason so I have to travel to my local collage to use there computers.

I havent written up a reveiw of the Mors course yet, I am hoping to talk Jed into doing it as he was on the course with me and has done the Mors summer skills course as well.

unfortunatly I didnt manage to recover any of the photos from my damaged card, but the other participants of the course kindly gave me their photos.

I have just returned from Namibia with Woody as soon as I have sorted out the problem with accsessing BCUK from home I will put pictures from both courses up.

I will be at the meetup and will be happy to talk anyone sensless about the Mors course and the bushcraft expeditions Namibia trip

 

[OldJimbo]

Good to see you back!