2025 Winter Survival Weekend

Dates: January 17-20 2025

Dates: January 17th-20th 2025

Location: Camp Ripley, MN

Graduation: Education Center Auditorium Room 162 at 1200

Packing List: 2025 Student Packing List

 

Are you ready for a challenge?  Each winter, Minnesota Wing organizes a Winter Survival Weekend!  Temperatures regularly drop below zero, and cadets use skills they've learned to survive and thrive for a few nights outdoors.  Cadets build shelters and sleep overnight in temperatures sometimes approaching -20 degrees! Students will get the opportunity to learn survival skills from subject experts. The instructor pool will be both CAP and Air Force SERE instructors. A COMPLETE 24-HOUR PACK is required to attend. The packing list attached to this page includes a list of items for the 24-hour pack. 

Winter Survival Weekend was created in 2003 with two goals:

1. Teach members to live in extreme cold weather conditions while learning basic winter survival skills, having fun, and building Esprit De Corps.

2. Teach members to conduct search operations in winter weather conditions.

It is open to all personnel with at least a General Emergency Services (GES) Rating.  Those who have attended previously are welcome to apply to serve as team leaders or staff members.

Training

Packing List: 2025 Packing List

Safety is always the number one concern at this and any CAP activity.  Contingency plans will be in place before the activity to ensure personnel have somewhere to go if we cannot get them warmed up in the field. 

Friday night: Students arrive and start learning from our Air Force instructors. 

Saturday: We typically start the day with classes, head out to the field, and start honing our skills throughout the afternoon. Students will set up shelters and get ready for the night. Lunch will be an MRE-style meal from the student's 24-Hour Pack. 

Sunday: Personnel usually wake up, pack up their gear, clean up the campsite area, and then hike out of the woods.

Monday: Clean up and graduation. 

This schedule varies from year to year and may be modified as the weather dictates.

Upon successful completion of the activity, personnel will earn the Winter Survival activity patch pictured here. 

 

 

How to Attend

Whether you are a brand new student who has never attended or graduated from the course, Everyone is welcome to learn a new skill or refine your current skills. Seniors, especially aircrew, are encouraged to attend and learn valuable skills to use the survival kits in our aircraft. Those who have attended previously are encouraged to apply as staff. All Students must bring an MRE-style (only 1) meal to eat in the field and a COMPLETE 24-HOUR PACK. More information will be sent to all registered students once registration is closed. 

 

 

 

Commanders and ES Officers should inspect their registered members' gear for safety and compliance with the packing list to ensure your members arrive ready to train.