COURSE DESCRIPTION 

Embark on an exhilarating journey into the world of wilderness craftsmanship with our Artisan of Woodcraft survival class! Immerse yourself in a range of captivating topics that will awaken your primal instincts and ignite your passion for the great outdoors. From weaving and mastering the art of an Israeli shepherd’s sling to carving and shooting a PaiPai hunting bow, you’ll unlock ancient skills that have stood the test of time. Picture yourself crafting snowshoes, Huaraches, and other modes of travel, while also learning to build indigenous camp kitchens and traditional watercraft like canoes and coracles. Unleash your creativity as you delve into the intricacies of thatching roofs, crafting bark baskets and packs, and mastering the art of cordage. With each knot tied and notch carved, you’ll demonstrate your proficiency in knife handling, fire-starting techniques, and practical applications. Join us on this thrilling journey where survival skills meet craftsmanship, and unleash your inner artisan of woodcraft!

It is often said that the wheel is the greatest invention of all time, but those who spend time in the field would argue the wheel is an incredibly useful tool with a really great publicist.   Did you know that not a single indigenous American people ever invented the wheel? It was the clever use of physics, knots, cordage, and notches that allowed America’s first peoples to thrive for thousands of years. In fact, people from around the world relied on notches and cordage to build ships, cabins, chairs, cooking apparatus and more. This class is all about the amazing ingenuity of our ancestors and how we can use basic skills, creativity, and human adaptability to become truly comfortable on both long term and short adventures. Every class is different based on class interests, class size and resources of the season, but here are examples students have enjoyed in the past.

COURSE TOPICS

• Weaving and using an Israeli shepherd’s sling
• Carving shaping and shooting a PaiPai hunting bow
• Making snow shoes, Huaraches and other modes of travel
• Carving and using indigenous camp kitchens
• Building a canoe, Bull Boat, or Coracle
• Thatching roofs and other long-term living shelter skills
• Bark baskets, packs, and other containers
• Making cordage and using it
• Building large and small projects with basic tools
• Making a Capote coat and other survival gear

COURSE OUTCOMES AND DEMONSTRATED SKILLS

• You show proficient use of knives and knots to effectively perform multiple functions
• You understand the importance of knife safely and demonstrate correct use and care for a knife
• You will use your knife to improve your fire starting skills and techniques
• You will carve a variety of notches and use them in practical applications
• You will tie a variety of knots and understand the practical applications for each knot

LENGTH

2 Days / 1 nights

ACCOMMODATIONS

If students do not wish to camp with us, the town of Cripple Creek is a short 15 minute drive from our location and Woodland Park is 30 minutes away. Students will be responsible for making their own reservations with nearby hotels. We do have a central community campfire location with a few designated campsites but mostly offer dispersed camping. Students will be able to drive their car within 100 feet of the main camp and will not have to hike gear for long distances.

• Shelter Lodging: Students can stay in one of our 20 person GP Medium tents when not running field exercises or may stay in their own tents, campers, vehicles or a primitive shelter. Our tents are complete with wood burning stoves for cold weather conditions. This is a shared tent for all students that wish to use it.
• Sanitation/Hygiene: A portable restroom and potable water will be provided at the main camp.

FOOD AND WATER REQUIRED

Water will be provided but students will need to bring their own food. We recommend quick field expedient meals such as freeze dried hiking meals or MRE’s. They can quickly be made at our primitive camps and won’t slow down the learning process. However, students may bring any food that they wish to cook over the campfire or on their own personal camp stove.

Food can be purchased locally at nearby facilities. Walmart and several local eateries are within a reasonable driving distance.

SUGGESTED GEAR LIST

We do not provide students with gear unless they have purchased it from us ahead of time. Not much gear is needed for our courses, though good equipment does speed the learning process up greatly! Gear does not have to be purchased from our store to attend the course, but we recommend survival gear of equivalent quality.

•     Fixed blade knife (Preferably a full tang bushcraft style knife WITHOUT a serrated edge)
•     Poncho or Rain Gear
•     Outdoor Clothing and appropriate footwear
•     Folding hand saw
•     100’of 550 Paracord
•     Headlamp and extra batteries
•     Cooking pot and eating utensils
•     Single walled metal canteen
•     Insect Repellent
•     Sunscreen and sunglasses
•     Notepad and pencil
•     Small Backpack

Check Recommended Items List for more details!

If it is still not clear what gear is needed for our survival courses, then we have assembled a complete kit that is still high quality but for a budget friendly price. All the items in this kit were hand selected by our instructors to be the best bushcraft tools on a budget. This survival kit is a useful starter kit that can be used in all of our courses. These are all must have tools at a good price. It’s a great survival kit, bug out kit, go bag, or use it as a solid foundation to build a kit that perfectly fits your needs. With this kit and our training anybody can survive like a king in almost any environment!

NOTE

Due to the different levels of prior experience and knowledge among students in each class, individual outcomes may vary. Weather conditions can also be a factor in changing class content slightly. Nonetheless, our instructors will always endeavor to be as accommodating and consistent as circumstances will allow to ensure students get the best training experience and value for money.