Cold-Weather Operations Course

[REELDOC]

This would be a hard no for me..................

The Cold-Weather Operations Course students participate in cold-water immersion training to wrap up the course on Fort McCoy.

The CWOC students also train on terrain & weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and other areas important to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment.

 

[DogFather]

Maybe if I was 35 years younger

 

[ronn47]

I did something like that when I was 14.
NEVER again.

 

[Timfoilhat]

Yep, no thanks. I've done unintentional cold weather training just by taking outdoor classes up north on days with bad weather. 👎

 

[Chuckman]

The Marine's school is in the Sierra Nevada mountains. We did not do that there, but we did at the Naval facility at Kodiak, AK. 0/0 stars, do not recommend.

 

[REELDOC]

Closest I've come is stepping into a ditch bank blind in Belhaven with hip boots at 33 degrees and staying wet for several hours. Water was over my hip boots. The only saving grace was there were ducks and geese dive bombing everywhere.

 

[Downeast]

Ask your typical Russian. They do it every day. 😆

 

[xtp308]

Did the USMC course in Bridgeport, CA. Great course.
But, I’ll never have a desire to ski for fun. Mil cross-country skiing is not for pleasure.

 

[xtp308]

Been to Ft McCoy in December, it’s no joke.

 

[noway2]

Closest I've come is stepping into a ditch bank blind in Belhaven with hip boots at 33 degrees and staying wet for several hours. Water was over my hip boots. The only saving grace was there were ducks and geese dive bombing everywhere.

Back when I was a teenager, I once went snowmobile riding with a friend. My snowmobile got stuck and I hopped off it to try to get it unstuck and my foot went through some thin ice and down into near freezing water that was deeper than my boot. My friend, several hundred yards away and riding a loud snowmobile was still able to hear me yell when that water hit my foot.

 

[Chuckman]

Did the USMC course in Bridgeport, CA. Great course.
But, I’ll never have a desire to ski for fun. Mil cross-country skiing is not for pleasure.

They have a bunch of courses. The ones I did were all great. And no, I'll never ski for pleasure.

They do these:

• Mountain Communications Course
• Mountain / Cold Weather Pre-Environmental Training
• Mountain Operations Staff Planning Course
• Summer and Winter Mountain Leader Courses
• Mountain / Cold Weather Scout Sniper Course
• Assault Climber Course
• Scout Skier Course
• Mountain / Cold Weather Survival Course
• Mountain / Cold Weather Medicine Course
• OSV (Over the Snow Vehicle) / rough terrain driver training
• Animal Packing Course
• Special Operation Forces (SOF) Horsemanship Course
• Mountain / Winter Engineer Course

Edited to add, I always thought that would be a great place to work or be an instructor.

Been to Ft McCoy in December, it’s no joke.

Not been there on the military's dime, I went once for a Civil Air Patrol camp (summer of 86), and a few times with my uncle; he retired from the WI national guard and I rode with him down there to go to the exchange and do a couple other things.

My dad's family is populated in northern Wisconsin and UP Michigan. Great places for cold weather training lol.

 

[325rto]

Did cold weather training twice in the Dolomite mountains of Italy. 'cold water immersion' wasn't part of the curriculum. Seems kind of pointless to me that anyone would jump in some cold azz water. But what do I know, I was just a dumb infantry type.

 

[Chuckman]

Did cold weather training twice in the Dolomite mountains of Italy. 'cold water immersion' wasn't part of the curriculum. Seems kind of pointless to me that anyone would jump in some cold azz water. But what do I know, I was just a dumb infantry type.

If you go into cold water the body's first reaction--which you cannot control--is a hard gasp. That leads to the illusion that you are drowning or cannot breathe. The training to to show you that after that gasp, there are things to you can do to control your breathing, and how to get out onto the ice. It's also to be sadist.

 

[325rto]

Did that whole cold water thing in recondo shool in december 1985. Slide for life, 40' rope drop, and floating poncho raft down the little river. So, yeah, I'm familiar with the stuff you mentioned, just don't see the practicality of it for cold weather training.

 

[xtp308]

River crossings are part of the Bridgeport course.