Wilderness Survival Skills (WSS)

Learn to Survive at NOC's Survival School

Whether you're planning to audition for an episode of Survivor or simply want to expand your outdoor skills to a more minimalist approach, our survival school provides all the tools you need to learn how to survive in a challenging environment!

Instructors will lead you through various survival arts, enabling you to become comfortable and confident with the resources that surround you. Our Wilderness Survival School focuses on essential survival skills that enable us to experience nature in a more indigenous way, working with nature and its resources rather than against it. Classes are held outside and based at Hemlock Ridge, our privately owned woodland adjacent to Nantahala National Forest. This beautiful woodland is expertly managed; we only use temporary structures and pay special attention to LNT guidelines.

NOC Survival School Instructors

Your weekend is led by experts in wilderness preparedness. They are:
Stephan Hart	lead NOC instructor, adjunct professor at Southwestern Community College. Specialist Subject: wild foods and medicinal plants
Jonathon Bryant	manager, SOLO Southeast wilderness medicine school, expedition leader. Specialist Subject: wilderness first aid, survival gear
Jason Drevenak	NOC instructor, ex-military special forces. Specialist Subject: animal trapping and tracking
Joe Barkley	Professional outdoorsman and wilderness therapy expert. Joe is our bow drill guru.

Survival School Progression

Our school offers classes from Level 1, which concentrates on the basics of survival and bushcraft through Level 4 courses based in Alaska and the jungles of Belize. To progress through these levels we require that you complete a number of specific skills workshops before advancing to the next level. At this stage, three skills workshops will allow you to advance to a Level 2 class. Our philosophy is one of advancement through experience.

Introduction to Survival – 18 Hours

This class covers the fundamental basics for survival. Whether you find yourself lost in the backcountry or simply want to expand on your outdoor skills, this class has it all. Our instructors guide you through essentials, from mental preparedness to finding water. Our goal is to introduce the concept of working with nature rather than against it, and using these skills as a base for further development or the foundation for rescue in a survival situation.

Day 1 – Keeping a Clear Head
The weekend starts with a pizza reception at 6pm, and an overview of the class and gear requirements, followed by a survival quiz and a short discussion on the psychology of survival.

Day 2 - Wilderness Survival Basics
Knife Skills–Choosing the right knife, practical skills workshops on safety and carving techniques.
Fire–Covers various techniques for fire starting including a flint magnesium fire and improvised tinder.
Water–Where to find water in a survival situation, purifying water and survival strategies.
Shelter–Choosing a suitable place to sleep, improvised tarp shelter, poncho shelter and introduction to debris shelters.
Optional camp out—stay the night in your shelter or retire to your hotel room.

Day 3 - Getting out Alive
Plants for Medicine and Food–learn the basics in plant identification and recognize plants and trees for use in medicine, construction or food.
On the Move–Emergency navigation, and basics of map and compass work. Introduction to navigation without a compass using the sun, plants and geological features.
Signaling Techniques–Including how to build a signal fire. Strategies for rescue.
Survival Kit–What you need to survive, instructors discuss their own kit and personal survival experience.

Wilderness Survival School (WSS)
Course Length:	3 days (20 hours)
Price:	$160
Dates:	July 23–25 (COURSE FULL) July 30–August 1 (COURSE FULL) August 13-15 (COURSE FULL) September 17-19 (Spaces available)
Gear:	Warm layered clothing (no cotton please) Hiking boots Socks (cotton discouraged) Headlight or flashlight Rain jacket and pants Water bottles X2 Knife (fixed blade, folding or multi-tool) Sleeping bag (optional overnight) Backpack Personal toiletries Personal eating utensils Dehydrated meals for optional overnight (incl. breakfast) Optional Items: Camera Work gloves Change of clothing Insect repellent Notepad/ writing materials Three 55-gallon trash-bags 2 ziplock bags Not Recommended: Ipods Fragile/expensive jewelery Electronic equipment
Check In Time:	5.45pm
Check In Location:	Kleinrath Hall at NOC's Nantahala River Outpost
Lodging:	NOC lodging is available at additional cost.
Meals:	Meals are available in NOC's Restaurant Please bring packed lunch for Saturday Bring dehydrated meals if you choose to camp overnight.

Survival Skills Workshops

To progress to level two and beyound you must complete at least 2 workshops.

Mastering the Bow Drill
Hike around our private woodland, learning the common trees for manufacturing all components of the bow drill.
Students choose and harvest the drill, hearth and bow, and carve and shape them for optimal performance. At day's end, you will have the perfect bow drill set-up to take home and impress your friends with a useful skill.

Plants for Medicine and Food
Our resident botanist Stephan Hart takes you on a roller coaster ride of plant identification and application, including edible plants and fungi that are seasonally available. Stephan gives you the tools to identify plants and challenges you to remember 20 new plants by the end of the day.

Wilderness Survival Workshops (6–8 hours)
Course Length:	1 day
Price:	$85
Dates:	November 6: Mastering the Bow Drill November 7: Plants for Medicine and Food
Check In Time:	8:30am for November workshops
Check In Location:	Wesser General Store

Book Online (click here)

Contact Us

Call SOLO Southeast at NOC, 888-905-7238 ext. 7190.