WINTER CAMPING
WEST VIRGINIA
January 18th – January 19th
Meet: Saturday Morning at 5:30 am at Dr. Y’s parking lot
(Note the Date and Time, 1-Night Camping)
Return: Sunday @ Noon
Camping Location: Camp Creek State State, West Virginia
Camping Type: Car Camping
Cost:
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$140.00 (Skiing or Snowboarding)
Includes Lift Pass and assumes you are renting Skis, Boots, Poles, Helmet)
Registration Deadline: Wednesday Jan. 10, 2024
If you haven't skied or snowboarded before, this is a great opportunity to give it a try. It is much easier than you think.
If you are worried about camping in the cold, don't worry about that either. We'll help get you going. You likely have everything, we'll just augment with what you have.
More About The Trip...
Option
Ski School Lessons
$25
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2 Hours of Ski Lessons
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You are responsible to make sure you are at the right location
Gather at Dr. Y's at 5:30 AM Saturday morning, then drive directly to Winterplace Ski Resort in West Virginia. We will Ski, Snowboard or Snow Tube for the day. You will need to bring a bagged lunch for Saturday or bring cash with you if you want to eat at the ski resort. After our day at Winterplace we will go to our campsite at Camp Creek State Park and camp for the night. (See below some thoughts on cold weather camping. We'll talk more about it at our troop meetings in January).
You will have two options, these options are not mix and match, you have to choose one or the other.
We will work on the requirements for the Snow Sports Merit Badge.
Base Cost
Skiing or Snowboarding
$140
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Includes the Cost of Camping
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Dinner Saturday (Cook @ Campground)
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Winterplace Lift Pass - All Day
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Rentals (Skis or Snowboard, Poles, Boots)
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Helmet
Dinner Saturday Evening...
We will cook as a crew, so we will all be eating the same meal. There will be plenty of opportunity to help cook, in fact, you will be cooking, we will just gather the ingredients. We will look for ideas for the meal we want to cook in January.
Camping Saturday Night...
We'll set up our tents at Camp Creek State Park in West Virginia. The state park has all the amenities that you would expect from a state park.
Here are some simple simple pointers on camping in the cold, there are more and we'll talk more at our troop meetings in January.
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Remember the 3 W's of layering - Wicking inside layer, Warmth middle layer(s) and Wind/Water outer layer.
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Bring extra hand covering - mittens are warmer than gloves.
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Keep your hands and feet warm. Your body will always protect the core, so if your hands and feet are warm, your core will also likely be warm. If your hands or feet are cold, put on more layers, and put on a hat!
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Dress right while sleeping. Change into clean, dry clothes before bed. Your body makes moisture and your clothes hold it in - by changing into dry clothes you will stay warmer and it will help keep the inside of your sleeping bag dry. Wearing wool socks and long underwear (tops and bottoms) in the sleeping bag is OK.
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Put on tomorrow's t- shirt and underwear at bedtime. That way you won't be starting with everything cold next to your skin in the morning.
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Wear a stocking cap to bed, even if you have a mummy bag.
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Put tomorrow's clothes in your bag with you. This is especially important if you're small of stature. It can be pretty hard to warm up a big bag with a little body, the clothes cut down on that work.
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Put a couple of long-lasting hand warmers into your boots after you take them off. Your boots will dry out during the night.
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Don't burrow in - keep your mouth and nose outside the bag. Moisture from your breath collecting in your bag is a quick way to get real cold. Keep the inside of the bag dry.
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Don't sleep directly on the ground. Use your foam pad to provide insulation between your sleeping bag and the ground. A foam pad cushions and insulates. The air pockets are excellent in providing good insulation properties. Use more than one insulating layer below you. Bring some cardboard and extra blankets to put underneath your sleeping bag and sleeping pad. A layer of foam insulation works too.
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No cots! Better to lay on 30F earth instead of -10F air.
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Leave the tent flaps/zippers vented a bit, it cuts down on interior frost.
Food Plan:
Saturday Breakfast: BYO Meal and Eat in Cars on way to Winterplace
Saturday Lunch: Brown Bag or Bring $$ for Winterplace Food Court
Saturday Dinner: We'll cook as a group (Food Provided)
Sunday Breakfast: Prepare Meal as a Patrol