France · Vercors
Snow Bivouac Training - Learn Winter Camping
Do the mountains and their snowy mantle beckon you to incredible winter adventures?
Have you dreamed of sleeping under the stars in a snow shelter you built yourself, waking to a world of white silence?
This 2-day winter bivouac training teaches you the essential skills to safely spend a night outdoors in winter conditions. Whether you want to enhance your backcountry skiing trips or simply experience the magic of a winter night in the mountains, this course gives you the knowledge and confidence to do it right.
Our certified Nature and Mountain guides share their years of winter camping experience in a hands-on, supportive environment.
What You’ll Learn
- Equipment selection: How to pack light for winter conditions (we provide equipment to test)
- Shelter building: Construct an igloo, snow cave, or quinzhee, and understand when to use each
- Cold management: Prevent frostbite and hypothermia; stay warm through the night
- Winter nutrition: What and how to eat/drink in freezing conditions
- Navigation basics: Winter map reading and orientation in snowy terrain
- Avalanche awareness: Understand risk, read terrain, use safety equipment
- Wildlife discovery: How animals adapt to winter, tracks, signs, and survival strategies
What it takes
Effort level
This training is accessible to anyone in reasonable physical condition. The focus is on learning skills rather than covering distance. We’ll snowshoe for 2-4 hours each day at a relaxed pace, with plenty of time for instruction and practice.
No previous winter camping experience required, that’s why you’re here!
Difficulty: 2/5 (Moderate)
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Day by day
Program
Day 1 – Learning the Essentials
Meeting point at 9:30 AM at a location in the Dévoluy, Vercors, or Champsaur (confirmed at booking based on conditions).
We begin with equipment overview: what to bring, what to leave behind, and how to pack efficiently for winter conditions. You’ll test various gear options we provide.
After fitting snowshoes, we set off into the winter landscape, practicing navigation techniques as we go. Your guide shares knowledge about winter wildlife, interpreting animal tracks, understanding survival adaptations.
In the afternoon, we reach our bivouac site and the real learning begins:
- Shelter construction: Build your own snow shelter (igloo, snow cave, or quinzhee depending on conditions)
- Camp craft: Set up a comfortable, functional winter camp
- Meal preparation: Learn to cook efficiently in freezing conditions
Evening around a warm drink, sharing the unique atmosphere of a winter night in the mountains.
- Duration: 3-4 hours snowshoeing + practical sessions
- Accommodation: Snow shelter you help build (with backup options)
Day 2 – Consolidating Skills
Morning debrief: How did you sleep? What worked? What would you do differently?
After breakfast, we pack camp using efficient techniques for frozen gear, then explore further into the winter landscape. Additional skills practice based on group interests, perhaps more advanced navigation, emergency shelter building, or avalanche transceiver practice.
Return to the starting point in the early afternoon, equipped with the knowledge and confidence to plan your own winter adventures.
- Duration: 3-4 hours snowshoeing
- Skills focus: Based on group needs and interests
The program adapts to weather conditions, group experience, and learning pace.
Who it suits
Who Is This For?
- Outdoor enthusiasts wanting to extend their season into winter
- Hikers and trekkers curious about winter camping
- Backcountry skiers/splitboarders wanting safer overnight options
- Families looking for an unforgettable adventure together
- Anyone who’s wondered “could I actually sleep outside in winter?”
This training is also perfect for team-building, nothing bonds a group like building an igloo together!
Dates and prices
Booking 2026
Price
From 565 $ CA per person
Price varies based on group size.
Price Includes
- Professional state-certified mountain guide with winter camping expertise
- Equipment loan: snowshoes, poles, avalanche safety gear (transceiver, shovel, probe), bivouac gear for testing
- Picnic lunches (x2) prepared with organic, local, and seasonal products
- Dinner and breakfast ingredients
Price does not include travel insurance and transport to/from meeting point.
How to Book
This training runs from December to March depending on snow conditions. Weekend dates work best (meeting Day 1 at 9:30 AM, return Day 2 in the afternoon).
Contact us to arrange your winter adventure:
Email: heyaltimood.com Phone: +33 7 69 44 78 66
Before you go
Practical Information
What to Bring
We’ll send a detailed kit list upon booking, but essentials include:
- Warm, layered clothing (multiple layers work better than one thick layer)
- Waterproof outer layer
- Warm hat, gloves (bring spares), and neck gaiter
- Waterproof hiking boots or snow boots
- Personal toiletries and medications
- Headlamp with fresh batteries
- Sunglasses and sunscreen
We provide specialist bivouac equipment for the course.
Sleeping in the Cold
Worried about sleeping in the snow? Here’s what makes it work:
- Proper insulation: A good sleeping pad is more important than the sleeping bag
- The right technique: We teach you how to stay warm all night
- Snow shelters are surprisingly warm: Inside an igloo, it’s often around 0°C regardless of outside temperature
- Backup options: We always have contingency plans if conditions are extreme
Requirements
- Valid ID
- Travel/health insurance (European Health Insurance Card for EU citizens)
- Civil liability insurance covering outdoor activities
- Assistance/repatriation insurance is mandatory
They walked it
Customer Reviews
★★★★★ Sleeping in the snowSleeping in the snow at -10°C is no mean feat, especially when you have to build your igloo as a team… A big thank you to Robin, our guide, for accompanying us, teaching us and delighting us! Everything was perfect, with great equipment at our disposal, advice passed on in a simple and educational way, a great atmosphere… not to mention the authentic meals we loved (delicious despite the difficulty of being in the mountains with nothing): nourishing homemade salad with vegetables from his garden, delicious raclette with local cheeses, homemade crêpes for breakfast, not to mention the little touches. And with advice, help and determination, we finally managed to finish the igloo… and sleep in it all 6 of us. Thanks to this, despite the difficulty and harshness, it became an intense moment shared as a family. I recommend it x 10,000!
Beyond this trip
Continue Your Winter Adventure
France | AlpesL’aventure Igloo: Construire et dormir dans la neige des Hautes-Alpes
From 326 $ CA – 2 joursPrêt pour construire un igloo en pleine nature et y dormir au chaud. Une expérience à partager en famille ou entre amis dans les Alpes.
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France | Southern AlpsSnowshoeing tour with a night in a hut
From 377 $ CA – 2 joursAn immersion in the heart of the snowy Alps for a night at altitude in a mountain refuge.
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France | AlpesMountain bivouac in the Alps
From 326 $ CA – 2 joursGo hiking in the mountains to enjoy the sunset, a shepherd’s meal cooked on the coals and fall asleep under the stars sky. A 2 days hiking trip in the Alps.
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