Klondike Derby
Presidents Day Weekend
February 15–17, 2025
Tahoe Valley Campground
Links & Information
Bring your pack to the Feb 11 meeting for shakedown
Planning Meeting
Saturday, February 8. 7:30pm
The Klondike Derby is a winter event that tests Scout skills and leadership abilities. Scouts compete in patrol teams to complete stations, earn points, and race to the finish. Events include sled races, snow camping, and other patrol competitions.
This is a district event. There is a fee of $60/Scout (not including food/transportation). Taking Winter Camp Awareness training is mandatory* to participate. WCA training is limited to 12 spots. Priority for those spots will be given to Scouts who commit to participating in both the training and the Derby.
Skills Competition
We will be competing against Scouts from other troops from all over Northern California. To succeed at the competition, we will need to be proficient in knot tying, fire making, and first aid. These are all skills you have trained for, but it’s worth brushing up. Here’s what we recommend you know:
Knots
You should be able to tie the 7 basic Scout knots, plus a figure 8 knot. Practice these at home and bring some rope to practice on the long car ride up.
First Aid
You should know the basics of first aid, including how to immobilize a broken limb with a splint, how to carry an injured person, and how to treat frostbite, hypothermia, and dehydration. These topics were covered at Winter Camp Awareness training. You might want to revisit that presentation.
Fire Making
Be able to built and light a fire in the snow. Have a plan to boil water using open fire and a liquid fuel stove.
*If you really want to participate in the Klondike Derby and absolutely cannot make the training date (or we have more than 12 Scouts that want to register for both) let us know and we will try to figure out a way for the troop to offer training.
