As colder weather sets in outdoor enthusiasts are trading hiking boots for snowshoes. This year the University of Idaho McCall Outdoor Science School is hosting a free snowshoe orientation activity for all ages called “Trek to the North Pole.”
On Dec. 10 participants will follow maps and clues to the “North Pole” to find Santa, using provided snowshoes. Afterward, they can enjoy hot chocolate and photos with St. Nick.
“It’s a partnership with the local hospital here in McCall,” said MOSS-Idaho registrar Sacha Jackson.
MOSS-Idaho instructor Gary Thompson is coordinating this year’s event, and said pre-registration is free but required.
“We tried to come up with a community-based event that would be attractive to families and would be affordable — i.e. free — and would incorporate components of healthy and active lifestyles,” Thompson said
Thompson said the idea was suggested by McCall resident and three-time Olympian Lyle Nelson. Since the hospital and MOSS-Idaho don’t have the individual resources to organize this event, the decision was made to make it a collaborative effort.
MOSS-Idaho is a UI extension program that provides science education and hands-on activities to elementary and high-school students, Thompson said. UI grad students teach the courses to gain real-world skills and provide economical instruction to students.
“It’s a unique program,” Thompson said. “I think there’s only five or six similar programs in the United States.”
During this event, MOSS-Idaho is hosting a three-day Wilderness First Responder re-certification course sponsored by the National Outdoor Leadership School’s Wilderness Medicine Institute. Running Dec. 9 to 11, this course teaches and refreshes essential skills for treating injuries and emergencies in the wild.
“A Wilderness First Responder certification takes a First Responder certification to the next level,” Jackson, a certified WFR, said. “Wilderness is defined as anything farther than two hours from definitive care. This is a valuable certification for anyone who works or plays in the outdoors.”
The organization has offered certification courses since 1990, said Shana Tarter, a WMI spokesperson.
“Our basic mission is to help people have the skills and confidence to respond to emergencies in remote settings,” she said. “The nice thing about the re-certification course is that it’s almost exclusively scenario-based, which we can use as a platform to update people on current techniques.”
For students or community members who plan to work in an outdoor environment, the certification facilitates many job opportunities.
“Many outdoor industry jobs require a WFR to be employed,” Jackson said. “For example, wilderness therapy, whitewater rafting companies, outdoor leadership, summer camps.”
As this is a re-certification course, students must have a current WFR certificate or be in the one-year grace period following the expiration date. Fees are $255 for tuition or $345 for tuition, room and board.
The class is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Subjects include adult and child CPR, shock treatment, cold injuries, and search and rescue basics.
Those interested in first-time WFR certification can register for the 10-day full course held March 9 to 18, 2012. The first-time certification course offers 80 hours of intensive instruction outside and in the classroom, which meets national requirements established by WMI’s Medical Advisory Panel.
“Our longer programs, like our 10-day Wilderness First Responder or our month-long Wilderness EMT, are geared toward outdoor professionals who are likely going to be put into positions where they might be with someone who’s sick or injured for days,” Tarter said. “Fifty percent of the information is delivered in a lecture-style format, and 50 percent of our experience is delivered through skills practice and scenario-based learning.”