ICE BOATING
Our Ice Boating activities have included trips to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, one of the ice boating centers of the United States. The size and depth of Lake Geneva plus it's annual snowfall make it unique for ice boating. Ice boating is a sport that dates back to the early 20th century. We have used DN and Skeeter ice boats which under the right conditions can top 100mph. The feeling of sailing across the lake on 3 skates powered by the wind is exhilarating. It is a unique sport requiring exacting weather and ice conditions. It's another great way we enjoy the winter season. To read a Scouting Magazine article about an ice boat trip we participated in Click Here.

ICE BOAT LINKS

KLONDIKE DERBY

Klondike Derby is a district event where a group of Scout troops gather to compete in a series of Scouting events during the winter. Usually each patrol pulls a Klondike Sled through a course stopping at the various events enroute. Our Scouts enjoy participating in these events.

KLONDIKE DERBY LINKS

SKIING - SNOWBOARDING
Skiing and Snowboarding are great winter sports that involve physical fitness, fun, and excitement. It's considered one of the "cooler" things to do in the winter season. Many Scouts learn to ski for the first time on a troop ski trip. We have done one day trips, weekend overnights, and week long trips.

MIDWEST
Our ski/snowboard activities in the midwest have included Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. We have enjoyed the slopes of Chestnut Mountain in Illinois; Alpine Valley, Cascade Mountain, Devil's Head, Grand Geneva, and Granite Peak (formerly Rib Mountain) in Wisconsin; Blackjack Mountain and Indianhead Mountain in Michigan.

COLORADO
For our older more advanced skiers, our Scouts have enjoyed longer trips in the great snow powder of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. These have been great adventures, creating lasting memories. Our visits to Colorado have included skiing at Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone, Winter Park, and Sunlight Mountain.

SKI - SNOWBOARD LINKS

SNOWMOBILING
Our snowmobiling activities have centered in northern Wisconsin north of Tomahawk and west of Rhinelander on the groomed trails and frozen lakes of the Northwoods Passage. Click for Northwoods Passage Map and snow conditions. Click here for current weather conditions.

SNOWMOBILING LINKS

SNOW CAMPING
We have enjoyed snow camping for many years. Our activities have taken place mostly in northern Illinois where snow can sometimes be scarce. We have built and slept in quinzhees during our snow camps. Our best snow camps take place in the northwoods of Michigan or Wisconsin where we can find a dependable snow base. We have camped in wind chills of -53F. We like to have overnight snow camps each season, weather permitting.

SNOW CAMPING GUIDE
Here's a winter camping guide put together by the Scouts of Troop 8 in Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Washtenong District Roundtable in December 2000. They know about winter camping up there in Michigan. To access their pdf document, click here. Troop 8 Snow Camping Guide

SNOW CAMPING LINKS

SNOWSHOEING
Several years ago we enjoyed a snowshoe expedition at the Maroon Bells/Snowmass Wilderness in the White River National Forest of Colorado. More recently we have enjoyed snowshoeing at Rib Mountain State Park and Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, both in Wisconsin, Indiana Dunes State Park in Indiana, the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan, and along the Kewanee Peninsula at McLain State Park in Michigan. Snowshoeing on the ice shelf along the shore of Lake Superior provides a "lunar-like" surface of fantastic formations created by ice and snow. We have also enjoyed snowshoeing in the remote wilderness of Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario Canada. Troop 33 owns an assortment of Atlas, InStep, Tubbs, and Yuba snowshoes which are free for Scout use on our winter activities.

SNOWSHOEING LINKS

OTHER WINTER ACTIVITIES
We have also enjoyed sledding and tobogganing. We participate in an annual Klondike Derby with Kishwaukee District.

OTHER LINKS SLEDDING