Dead-of-Winter Wilderness Survival Class -- Free
Schedule
Sat, 07 Feb, 2026 at 08:15 am to Sun, 08 Feb, 2026 at 05:00 pm
UTC-05:00Location
Ralph A. McMullan (RAM) Center ...Roscommon | Higgins Lake, MI
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FREE DEAD-OF-WINTER WILDERNESS SURVIVAL CLASS >> February 7-8, 2026 >> Learn how to survive & thrive in deep, sub-zero cold from 7-time Arctic Ocean Expedition Guide Michael Neiger (Roscommon, Michigan • Crawford County • Northern Lower Peninsula): This FREE, ADULTS-ONLY class will be held at the Michigan DNR’s Ralph A. MacMullan (RAM) Conference Center in the Education Building’s North Branch Conference Room, 104 Conservation Drive, Roscommon, Michigan www.Michigan.gov/RAMcenter
>> CLASS CURRICULUM
As a 38-year veteran of winter expeditions in the rugged, unforgiving Canadian bush, and one who has skied solo from the end of the northern-most plowed road in Ontario, Canada to James Bay on Lower Hudson Bay, you’ll learn how to:
~ Assemble a winter clothing system that’ll keep you warm and dry at rest or exertion
~ Rig a lean-to & build a warming fire from bowie-split wood ignited with just a spark
~ Use a shovel to construct thermal shelters - snow trench, snow cave, & snow-block hut
~ Assemble a sleep system - pad, bag, & bag wrap
~ Travel on river or lake ice-sheets & rescue yourself or a partner
~ How to repair a broken ski or snowshoe, or improvise snowshoes
You’ll also learn what to do when you’re lost, how to signal for help, & how to use a cellphone more effectively in poor comm areas
>> LODGING, MEALS, CAMPING, CABIN RENTALS
~ For on-site room & BLD meal reservations, email the RAM Center at [email protected].
~ For walking-distance campsite and cabin reservations, contact North Higgins Lake State Park: https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=478&type=SPRK&fbclid=IwY2xjawK9H6BleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFybmRlTGFVUlNIMmZqakYzAR7v9ulbXKv9QJ5YmmLbDdLV3zGZ9nISyrx1Sw4elSIRRn_nw4gCq-N5RMjt-Q_aem_7qNZVA4Q7X2Rj4stqO-bDw#overview
~ NOTE: No meals or lodging are provided by the organizer, Michael Neiger, during this class.
>> NO INSURANCE COVERAGE
~ No insurance coverage is provided by the organizer, Michael Neiger, for this class. Participants are encouraged to consult with a trusted professional about the need for life, disability, medical, prescription, dental, eye, evacuation, class cancellation, automobile, etc., insurance coverage.
>> EQUIPMENT TO BRING
~ FIREWOOD: One or two bundles of kiln-dried firewood (we'll use it for our fire-building exercises AND for a warming fire in the class survival encampment)
~ WARM CLOTHING: synthetic or wool long underwear (2 pair pants, several shirts), insulated parka, insulated pants, insulated boots, mittens, warm hat, etc., for multi-hour outside portions of class — avoid cotton, if possible, as it is the Devil’s Cloth when wet
~ SAFETY GLASSES for eye protection when processing firewood with fixed-blade knife (provided) and baton (improvised on-site); starting a fire with a metal scraper (provided), magnesium tinder rod (provided), petroleum-infused cotton balls (provided), and ferro rod (provided); and survival shelter construction
~ LEATHER GLOVES for hand protection when processing firewood, starting a fire, and survival shelter construction
~ CLOSED-CELL SITTING AND KNEELING PAD for firewood processing and fire building on frozen, snowy, damp, or muddy ground
~ DAYPACK (lined with a water-proof garbage bag to keep contents dry) containing rain pants and jacket, extra warm clothing, snacks, water bottle, first-aid kit, survival kit, toilet paper in plastic bag, flashlight, extra battery, etc. (for use when we travel away from classroom area to build fires & survival shelters in woods).
~ SNOW SHOVEL to build snow shelters
~ PORTABLE FOLDING CHAIR for field portions of class (optional)
~ COMPACT WOOD SAW
~ COVID-19 facemask (optional)
~ HAND SANITIZER (optional)
_______________
>> EQUIPMENT TO BRING FOR OPTIONAL OVERNIGHT IN CLASS SURVIVAL ENCAMPMENT WITH INSTRUCTORS*
If participants want to spend Saturday night in the class survival encampment (within 200 meters of their vehicles) in a bag tarp wrap, under a lean-to, or in a snowshelter, they should also bring
~ SLEEPING BAG(S): One or two warm sleeping bags that will keep them warm down to at least 0° Fahrenheit. The average low temp in the Au Sable State Forest for February 7th is 8°, with a record high of 46° and a record low of minus 33°.
~ SLEEPING PADS: Two full-length, closed-cell-foam sleeping pads
~ TORCH: A headlamp and small flashlight, with spare batteries for both
~ TARPS: TWO 8- by 10-foot lightweight (standard-duty) PVC tarps ($5 to $10 each). One to rig as a lean-to and the other as a bag wrap to protect their sleep system with half under the sleeping pad and bag as a ground cloth, and the other half over their sleeping bag to protect it from wind, blowing snow, or mist
~ ROPE: 10, 8-foot-long pieces of 1/8-inch-diameter cordage for rigging lean-to
*CAMPING NOTICE: No camping is permitted within one mile of the RAM Center, so no tents, hammocks, hot tents, or sleeping in vehicles or campers is permitted, just the survival shelters associated with the class.
*HUMAN WASTE: A pit toilet is located at the nearby firearms range. Otherwise, human waste should be buried, and toilet paper should be burned if the ground is covered with snow.
*TRASH: Pack it in, Pack it out.
*NO CUTTING OF LIVE VEGETATION
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Where is it happening?
Ralph A. McMullan (RAM) Center ...Roscommon, Higgins Lake, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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