Klondike Derby Activities

One of my favorite activities that I plan for Scouts is the Klondike Derby. A full day of outdoor winter activities that require teamwork and test various skills while enjoying the winter. This instructable will highlight some of my favorite activities that I have used over the years. These activities could easily be used for any other kind of group activity in the winter months, not just the Scouts.

This will depend on each individual activity. However, since this is an outdoor winter activity one key component is to have participants who are properly dress for an outdoor winter activity. A few things to keep in mind when dressing for a winter activity.

Cold Weather Comfort & Safety:

A key fundamental of cold weather camping and outings is to KEEP DRY. Moisture will reduce the insulating properties of almost everything. An easy acronym to remember is COLD.

C Keep yourself and your clothes Clean.

O Avoid Overheating.

L Wear clothes loose and in Layers

D Keep Dry

A few thoughts on clothing and layering:

• Make sure all layers are loose fitting to optimize insulation.
• Keep yourself dry, both from weather and perspiration.
• Remember, wool retains most of its insulating properties when wet, while cotton loses almost all insulating properties when wet.
• Boots with good insulating and waterproofing properties should be worn, tennis shoes or sneakers are not appropriate footwear.
• Use wicking/liner socks along with wool socks to improve insulation.
• Upper and lower thermal underwear.
• Head cover; remember, most of your body heat escapes through your head, a wool cap that can cover your ears is best.
• While gloves provide independent use of fingers, mittens provide better warmth.
• If you require a fire to keep warm, then you are not dressed properly. If heat can get in through the layers, so can the cold.

Cold weather reminders:

• Drink plenty of water.
• Learn to recognize cold weather health problems, use buddy system even when in groups to ensure everyone is safe.
• Eating ice and snow will reduce your body temperature, and it is impure; do not eat it.
• The glare of sun off snow can cause snow blindness, use dark sunglasses on sunny days.

This is one of my favorites! I may eventually write an Instructable on just this activity alone.

The Snow Snake is a Native American Winter activity used by the Iroquois and other North Eastern Tribes. It was both a game and used as a form of communication between villages said to date back over 500 years.

The Snake:

The basic design of a Snow Snake is to start with a 5' long stave that is roughly 1 1/4" square. The bottom is rounded and sanded smooth. Several coats of varnish are applied to create a smooth, waterproof surface. The head of the "snake" is often given an upward turn and given extra weight. The whole thing is decorated however its owner would like.

The Track:

I have used various methods to build the track, the better the track the farther the snakes can travel. I have used a log dragged behind me with a rope to press a simple grove through the snow. When given extra time and help I've shoved snow to build a raised track that then is packed down. One of the best tracks I've made came from using a canoe. I had Scouts sit in the canoe, then others pulled the canoe which made a hard packed track with a nice center line and side banks.

With a simple track and a decently make snake, Scouts have can easily send their snakes 100+ yards with ease. I could only imagine how far one could go with a longer, good quality track and practice.

What would a Klondike Derby be without a race of Klondike Sleds. Each participating group would bring their own Klondike Sled that they would use to travel between the various stations throughout the day and to carry any needed equipment on. The culminating activity would be a drag race of human powered sleds. Depending on where I've held the activity I have done both drag race style races, or time trials when there is not room for a side by side drag race. You can set rules for how strict of adherence teams must follow to traditional designs of the sled.

Each team would be blindfolded short of one team member. That member while trying to steer his groups Klondike sled would direct the rest of the team who would be pulling the sled through a obstacle course. Things such as cones or other markers could be used a checkpoints that the group would have to pass through or go around.

This is a fun individual activity in which the participant tried to split a match in half using a hatchet. You simply need a block to stand the match up in, strike anywhere matches and a sharp hatchet. You will want someone responsable monitoring this event, there is no need for wild blows with the hatchet, maintaining a safe calm area is important. There are several goals. First being to split the match in half from the head to bottom with a strike from the hatchet, the second is to try and light the match at the same time. This is very doable! It just needs patience, and a smooth pass with the hatchet.

This could be split into two events, but to add interest I have combined them. I will use an orienteering course that has various winter related first aid scenarios set up. Each group would be given a different order in which they need to complete the course so they are not just following in the previous groups footsteps. As they follow their specific route they will be given various first aid scenarios. Things such as treating frostbite, hypothermia, burns, broken bones, transporting someone who can't walk, someone who has fallen through ice, and others. They are scored on hitting the stations in the correct order and their responses to each situation.

Building a fire is an important winter skill, and something the Scouts always look forward to and take pride in being able to do quickly. With that in mind this is a timed event. Participants will build and light a fire with the goal of burning through a string 3 ft. off the ground. I set a time limit of 15 minutes, otherwise some may drag on too long if they are not being successful. Participants start with a clear fire pit, the time spent building the fire itself will count into the time of the event, so all materials should be prepared prior to the event. The point of ignition shall not be more than 3” from the base, this prevents a group from building a tower and just putting a candle on the top under the string. No chemical fuels or lighters may be used. While the standard is to use matches, I give bonus for using other methods. The use of a ferro rod/hot sparker will earn 30 seconds taken off ending time, the use of raw flint and steel will earn 1 minute taken off ending time, and anything more primitive such as bow and drill could earn more time off.

Since they are building fires, I will at times add an activity that incudes using that fire for the next activity. Pancake cooking is a easy one. Food judging could be set up under many different methods. I tend to avoid putting judges through having to eat anything and go for a flipping contest. Once the pancake is cooked, the participants step away from the fire and using their frying pan attempt to flip their pancake into the air and then catch it back in the pan. Points can be awarded for height, style, and landing. This event brings lots of laughs every time I run it, I'm sorry I could not find any pictures from the last time I ran it.

Participants are given standardized size snowballs and are challenged to see how far they can launch them without actually throwing them by hand. They need to utilize some kind of contraption to make the snowball go.

Knot challenges can come in all forms, some simple identification, to being given application challenges where participants need to choose to proper knot to use for a specific function.

This is a fairly new one that plays on a new trend of marble races. Using the snow to build creative marble race tracks is a lot of fun. Each group or individual participant can then go head to head against others in a marble drag race.

Having run the Klondike Derby for over 10 years, I have brought in and out several events to keep the event fresh, while keeping some key events every year. Sometimes new events will flop, but it's worth trying new stuff. Make sure to get input from those you have running each station for ways to improve them or fresh ideas for the next time.