Winter Wise
What if winter became your new favourite season?
3 classes near Montreal
+
Mini Expedition near Papineauville
Learn the wisdom of how to thrive in winter, by adopting strategies from northern cultures and the animals that thrive in the cold. Winter is a beautiful time to be out on the land. It does take work, but it doesn’t have to be a struggle.
Following deer and coyote tracks in the snow, we’ll trace the stories of the land and learn winter’s ecology. You’ll learn how to be comfortable and resilient at (almost) any temperature. And if you join us for the Winter Mini Expedition, you’ll get to experience the unique pleasures of a hot-tent winter camp: lounging on a fragrant bed of balsam fir, sipping tea, and swapping stories in total warmth and comfort around the woodstove.
The Workshops
Winter Warmth: Clothing and fire skills
Sunday, January 11th
Learn to use the same strategies that the animals do to stay warm in all conditions, and hone your fire skills so they can stand up to winter. We’ll show you how to blend the best of traditional and modern gear and knowledge to significantly increase your winter comfort outdoors.
Winter Living: Shelters and Hot-Tent Camping
Sunday, January 25th
Mountaineer-style “cold camping” can work for short periods of time, but traditional hot tenting methods are significantly more comfortable. Learn all about winter camping with snowshoes, hot tents, and wood stoves, and practice building winter survival shelters like the snow trench and quinzhee.
Winter Nature: Trees and Animal Tracks
Sunday, February 8th
The forest is always telling a story, right under our noses. Read the tales written on the land by following animal trails and learning to recognize trees in winter. Knowing the land in this way helps you feel at home in nature and provides endless mysteries to explore.
Winter Mini Expedition:
Feb. 13-15
Hard work and deep joy in the winter woods
Experience the art of winter camping on a 3-day trip focused on learning and building skills. This is not mountaineer-style cold camping. This is winter living, and allows for a surprising level of comfort.
We’ll spend our days exploring the winter forest and practicing the daily skills of a winter camp: snowshoeing, gathering boughs for the tent floor, setting snares for snowshoe hare, cutting firewood, cooking on woodstoves, crafting projects, and sipping lots of hot drinks.
The campout will take place near Papineauville, about a 1h45 drive from Montreal. Plan to arrive on Friday morning, and to head home Sunday afternoon.
The Details
How Much
- $720 for the full course (3x full-day sessions + 3-day trip). Possible to pay in two installments.
- $130 per class for drop-ins (if space allows)
Solidarity pricing
Are you a student, artist, single parent, or just need a break right now?
We offer discounted spots for folks who couldn’t otherwise attend. No long forms or explanations — just send us an email, and we’ll set you up.
What you get
- A tailored, small-group experience with lots of 1-on-1 support
- A peaceful and wild learning space, not open to the public
- 3 day/2-night, guided mini expedition, with 3 meals included
- Use of all group gear, including tents, stoves, toboggans, etc.
- A warm fire and good company
Gear you’ll need
- Winter clothing
- Snowshoes
- Winter sleeping bag + pad
The McGill Outdoor Club offers cheap gear rentals.
When and Where
- When: Classes are on Sundays 10am–4pm
- Where: Kahnawake — 30 minutes from Montreal (we help coordinate carpooling). See below for full site info
- The Mini-Expedition takes place near Papineauville/Montebello, 1h45 from Montreal
Dates
Classes
Sat. January 11th
Sat. January 25th
Sat. February 8th
Mini-Expedition
Fri-Sun. February 13-15
The site in Kahnawake
We are grateful to be able to host many of our programs on Kanien’kehá ka (Mohawk) territory, in our friend Kawisente Carole McGregor’s forested backyard. We share the site with Kawisente’s family, our colleagues at Coyote Programs, and many plant and animal neighbours.
Getting there
Driving: From Montreal, it’s a 20-45 minute drive to Kahnawake depending on your starting point and traffic. Morning traffic on the weekends is typically fine.
Carpooling: We set up an online carpooling sheet to help participants organize rides, and this works out quite well.
Other Options: In rare instances where carpooling doesn’t work out, we suggest renting a Communauto.
*Detailed directions will be provided upon registration
Amenities
The site is situated in a beautiful mature Eastern Hardwood forest that provides an ideal outdoor classroom.
Amenities are basic, but that’s where our bushcraft skills come in. We have a fire circle and log benches, large rain tarps if it rains, water jugs for drinking and handwashing, and an outhouse for bathroom duties. It’s like being in a wilderness base camp, right beside the city.
Please let us know if you have any specific accessibility needs.
Cultural Respect
Kahnawake is the territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka nation. Our host, Kawisente Carole McGregor, has generously invited us to offer classes at her home with the goal of cross-cultural learning and exchange.
As guests, it’s important to come with a respectful attitude and behaviour, both at classes and when visiting Kahnawake.
Wise Oak is not an Indigenous-run company. We do, however, have Indigenous instructors in class on a regular basis, and centering Indigenous knowledge systems is an important part of our work.
If you are Kahnawakehro:non, or Indigenous from another place and have questions or want to get involved, please reach out.
F.A.Q.
Besides basic winter clothing, there are a few items that you’ll need to borrow/rent/buy, specifically for the mini expedition:
- Snowshoes
- A winter sleeping bag (or layer two decent 3 season bags)
- Two sleeping pads (eg. a foam one and a thermarest).
A full gear list with recommendations will be provided when you register.
Our workshops are primarily taught in English, but we are happy to translate into French as needed.
Our courses are meant to build on each other over a season, and the community and friendships that develop often turn out to be people’s favourite parts. We prefer small groups that go deep, and we feel that you’ll get more value this way.
If you can’t make it to every session, get in touch and we can offer you a pro-rated price.
While we do allow a limited number of children at some of our other classes, this is not an ideal course to bring kids to.
This course (and the winter campout in particular) is more physically demanding than our other courses.
Our courses are generally accessible regardless of experience, age, and physical ability. That doesn’t mean they’re easy. Land-based learning is active and physical, and some of the skills we teach are hard work to master. Expect some moderate physical and mental effort for most of the day, with 45 minutes of downtime at lunch and some breaks throughout. We respect the group’s energy levels, and you’re always welcome to adapt or opt out of an activity.
Participants are also expected to help care for the site by splitting wood, carrying water, cleaning up after themselves, etc.
To see all of our policies including those for cancellations, liability waivers, privacy, and photo consent, Click here
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