Overview “YAU Pre-Race Workshop” – by Fabian Schmitz
This course is specifically designed for athletes participating in the Yukon Arctic Ultra race, similar ultra marathon events or expeditions in cold-weather conditions.
How do you dress in extreme cold? What is the best footwear? What equipment should you bring? How do you pack your pulk? How can you avoid frostbite and hypothermia in temperatures as low as -40°C? How do you set up a cold-weather bivy? You will practice lighting your stove in the cold and learn how to quickly start a fire to warm up. We will help you plan your snacks and meal rations, cover communication in emergencies, and help you develop problem-solving skills.
This course will also cover Yukon-specific aspects of the race (such as possible wildlife encounters, trail etiquette, and trap lines), its remoteness, and what that means for your race strategy and emergency situations.
Our instructor team is passionate about the Yukon Arctic Ultra, the Yukon, and winter adventures in the far north. We want you to succeed in your YAU, and we are happy to share our knowledge to help you prepare for this challenge. Gillian Smith and Jessie Gladish have both raced in the YAU and ITI multiple times and bring a wealth of knowledge about long-distance racing in cold, dark northern winters. Fabian Schmitz has competed in long-distance dog sled races in the Yukon and Alaska, published a book on winter survival, and teaches wilderness skills courses in the north.
Online Component:
The course kicks off with a Facebook group that allows for discussion among participants and instructors. We will also host three online workshops (2.5 hours each, in October, November, and December 2026) featuring a mix of presentations, discussions, and Q&As.
Yukon Workshop:
The in-person workshop takes place just before the start of the Yukon Arctic Ultra. This component gives you the opportunity to test your race gear in real Yukon winter conditions, practice your bivy system, and learn how to handle your pulk. An overnight bivy exercise to simulate the race environment is also included.
While this workshop is specifically designed for winter ultra marathon athletes, we also welcome participants preparing for other winter expeditions who could benefit from this experience. Please contact us – we are happy to discuss whether this workshop is the right fit for you.
Yukon Arctic Ultra Training Course 2026/2027
Dates:
- Oct 18, 2026 (1st online meeting, tentatively)
- Nov 15, 2026 (2nd online meeting, tentatively)
- Dec 13, 2026 (3rd online meeting, tentatively)
- Jan 31 – Feb 4 (in-person Yukon training session)
Price:
- CA$ 1350 (+5% tax)
- It is also possible to sign up only for the online component ($200) or to join the overnight exercise ($200).
Included:
- Facebook group for ongoing discussions,
- 3 online meetings (2.5 h),
- Instructions during in-person workshop in Whitehorse
- Transport from Whitehorse to the workshop location and back
- Accommodation (participants need to be prepared to share rooms and may have to use their own sleeping bag/mat)
- Meals (meat and vegetarian options) at our venue
- All transportation for the overnight exercise
Not included:
- Travel from your location to Whitehorse
- Trail snacks and meals for the exercises on trail (including one overnight)
- Travel insurance
Itinerary (*subject to change*):
Topics we will cover in facebook discussions and/or during the online meetings:
- Travel to the Yukon
- The Yukon – weather/temps, remoteness, emergencies
- The race trail (trail description, access points)
- Trail conditions (extreme cold, snow, ice, overflow, glaciation)
- Training
- Mental strength
- Race strategy
- Rules & mandatory gear
- Clothing & Layering
- Footwear
- Gear (headlamps, batteries, electronics, battery packs, …)
- Bivy system
- Packing tips (bikes/sleds/packs, etc)
- Spot device, In Reach and satellite phones
- Personal responsibility & accountability
- Personal first aid/self-care
- Food/water
In-person module, Jan 31 – Feb 4, 2027
(Whitehorse, Yukon)
Jan 31, 2027 – Day One
- At 1pm meet at the Sternwheeler Hotel in Whitehorse
- Hand out of rental gear by Robert Pollhammer (at the hotel)
- Transport from Whitehorse to our workshop location/accommodation
- Moving in to the sleeping quarters
- Review agenda for the day/weekend
- Waivers
- Housekeeping: hostel rules, hot springs use/location, coffee shop location & hours, room assignments, internet, etc
- We are going for a little walk (approx 1h) to stretch legs and to practice with your pulk systems
- Meals provided: Dinner
Feb 1, 2027 – Day Two
- We will spend the morning with stove lighting, bivy set ups and how to efficiently pack a sled and/or fat bike.
- Mandatory gear check
- Fire starting demo and practice
- We will then head out for another trail exercise to further practice fire starting, stove lighting and your bivy set up.
- Navigation exercise
- Stove maintenance
- Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Feb 2, 2027 – Day Three
- Presentations on:
- The route in detail (elevation gain/loss, distance between, significant landmarks)
- Animals of the Yukon
- Trapline information & safety
- Trail etiquette
- Start of our overnight trail exercise in the afternoon (***bring your own snacks and trail meals for dinner/breakfast***)
- You will need fuel, your stove, matches, fire starter, water, spare layers, full sleeping system – we are spending the night and will not be back at the hostel until about noon the next day.
- This is a mock race exercise without the pressure of being timed or on a schedule, but the idea is to ‘do you’ and figure out a pace that works for the temp and manage your own breaks and layers. There is no expectation to keep up with the group and there are no ‘winners’.
- On arrival find a spot to set up your bivy
- Have your trail meal, light a fire, and get into your bivy
- Be prepared to spend the night and not be able to sleep – bring a book!
- Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch
Feb 3, 2027 – Day Four
- Hike from your bivy spot back to the vehicles
- Transport back to hostel – unpack, warm up, dry out
- Debrief trail outing and address any gear concerns/malfunctions/etc.
- Problem solving exercise on mistakes & solutions
- Medical issues – Cold injuries (frostbite), hypothermia, other common trail issues. First aid/self-care.
- Revisit any area of concern and/or cover anything we haven’t touched on
- Meals provided: Lunch, Dinner
Feb 4, 2027– Last Morning
- Wrap up
- Clean up
- 10 am transport to town
- Hotels may allow early check-in or hold onto gear until you can
- Meals provided: Breakfast
For more information on the training course and booking, please contact Fabian Schmitz at bushcraftyukon@hotmail.com.
