Maine Dogsledding & Skiing - Women Only

This is a one-week dogsledding course in the beautiful woods of the Mahoosuc Mountains designed for and instructed by women. Learn dogsledding as you and your team ski and mush your way along winding snow covered two track roads. This course is ideal for those interested in the adventure, ready to take on the cold and who are comfortable around dogs.

Your winter expedition takes place in or around the Mahoosuc mountains, the White Mountain National Forest or on the Rangeley Lakes: Mooselookmeguntic, Upper and Lower Richardson, and Umbagog. The foothills of the western Maine mountains are a wilderness of rolling hills, pristine lakes and dense stands of evergreens. This course area was once covered by ice-age glaciers, which sculpted interconnecting lakes and granite cliffs. Winter in western Maine is mesmerizing, peaceful and exhilarating.

Women Only
Outward Bound began offering courses to adult women in the mid-seventies. It has remained part of our course offerings since then and in recent years has been more popular…the courses are designed for and instructed by women. Camping tends to be one of those things where we can fall into traditional gender roles very easily. Do it all yourselves, do it well, maybe even better. This course includes all the classic elements of our classic Maine Dogsledding & Skiing course, tailored for and instructed by women 30+ years of age. Throughout your wilderness expedition you will have dogsledding, cross country skiing, and winter camping skills instruction, but also have time to enjoy your peers, your surroundings and the pace of nature. Unlike other getaway vacations where your role is fairly passive, your Outward Bound course will focus on working together towards common goals. You will leave with the satisfaction of new skills, new friends, and new perspectives.

The Outward Bound Difference
Learn the real meaning of “teamwork” as you and your huskies maneuver a sled carrying your group’s camping gear to the next campsite. Ski through snow-covered forests and across frozen lakes. Gather around the fire and listen to the dogs’ evening song. Sleep beneath the winter stars. You don’t need to have previous skiing, dogsledding or winter camping experience. We will teach you everything you need to know to travel comfortably—dressing for warmth, sleeping warmly, packing a pack, cross-country skiing, dog handling, and ice reading.

Course Description
Your course will begin at our Mountain Center base camp where you will get a basic introduction to winter travel. Then you will soon journey out into the backcountry, where the real winter magic takes place. Navigate a route through wooded trails and over frozen lakes. You’ll develop your skills in cross-country skiing, winter camping, caring for the dogs and mushing (driving) the dog teams. Students take turns mushing and skiing throughout the course, so that everyone learns to the skills associated with each mode of travel.

Both mushing and skiing are hard work. Mushing frequently requires that you run alongside the sled, sometimes helping the dogs haul the load up a hill. If the sled tips over or goes into a snowdrift, the mushers must pull the sled back upright. Skiing requires that you carry 30 pound—or sometimes heavier—pack on your back all day as you kick and glide to that night’s campsite. Physical exercise is an integral part of winter travel, though, because exercise helps you stay warm.

Winter Living
With our training and equipment, you’ll find you can live comfortably in cold temperatures. You will learn how to work with your own body heat to stay warm, how to eat foods that keep you warm, and how to regulate your body temperature using clothing layers and exercise. As you travel, you may find that your ideas about “comfortable” temperatures may shift. Warm days often mean slushy snow and slow skiing and sledding—colder days may mean smooth skiing on crisp, fast snow.

Setting up a winter camp takes time, energy, and teamwork. In the late afternoon, you’ll look for a sheltered spot with good firewood. As you set up camp, your group will divide duties—caring for the dogs, setting up sleeping shelters, constructing a kitchen area, cooking, and gathering, sawing and splitting wood for the evening fire. Then it’s time to enjoy the rewards of your labor as skiers and mushers eat a hot meal by the fire and share stories of the day.

To enroll in this course click the enroll button next to the course dates that work for you. To shop comparatively on line visit our Advanced Course Finder or better yet call one of our expert Admission Advisers at 866-467-7651. Course tuitions listed below do not include our Application Fee or Transportation Fee.

Region: Maine

Activities: Dogsledding, skiing, winter camping skills, solo

Additional Information:
Application Fee
Transportation Fee

Sorry, there are no current offerings for this course.