The 1813 Cranbrook cadets teamed up with five other units in the region for a cold weather exercise on winter survival earlier this year in Radium.
Hosted by the Radium Rod and Gun Club, the five Army Corps cadet units from Cranbrook Fernie, Creston ,Gold and Invermere learned how to survive on snow-covered ground where temperatures reached daytime highs of -15 Celsius and nighttime lows of -18.Celsius.
“This training is valuable to all cadets and staff, as leadership and communication; combined with the weekend training they learned skills that will last a lifetime. Our cadets will be better prepared for the unforeseen situations, when they are participating in outdoor and back country activities”, said Captain McConnell, 2756 Invermere Corp.
Survival skills are needed for all types of natural environments and all Sea, Land and Air cadets are taught basic techniques, including how to avoid ending up in an emergency survival situation.
Knowledge gained in practical survival exercises, rather than a textbook, dramatically increases their chances of being rescued.
Specific skills for junior cadets included learning how to build fires for survival and cooking, what to look for in site selection for a shelter and some of the hazards of winter camping to watch for, such as avalanches.
Outside of the campsite, cadets learned how to find safer paths while snowshoeing to prevent falls into hollow spots or tree wells.
Senior cadets learned what items are best to have in personal survival kits and how to build shelters with the materials around them. As a team, they built a signal fire while also realizing how difficult it can be to light it.
The Cadet Program aims to develop in youth ages 12 – 18 the attributes of good citizenship and leadership, promote physical fitness and stimulate the interest of youth in sea, land and air activities of the Canadian Armed Forces.