Klondike Derby event ideas

[CNYScouter 46]

The one district event our Troop does every year is the Klondike Derby held in Jan or Feb. at our Council’s camp.

As soon as the District calendar comes out our Troop books one of the large cabins for the weekend.

What happened last year is that around Christmas a new calendar came out and the date for the Klondike Derby had been moved.

All the cabins had been reserved for that weekend.  

 

I made the suggestion that with 4 patrols we could hold our own Klondike Derby.

With only a couple of weeks to put it together myself and a couple of the other adults came up with a patrol competition.

At this years planning session the PLC said that they wanted to have the troop level Klondike Derby again and I was asked to put this together.

 

So I am looking for ideas for events. I am from the NE and had the weather be anywhere from mid 40's and sunny to -5 with a blinding snow storm (The camp is in a snoe belt)

 

What unusual events have you seen at your Klondike Derby’s?

Any fire building events besides “burn the string�

What events do your scouts enjoy the most?

 

I am thinking a “Star Wars†theme (survival on the Ice world of Hoth from the beginning of “The Empire Strikes Back)

 

What I am looking at doing is a morning head to head completion between patrols – knot relay- some type of lashing and a round robin of 4 quick events after dinner.

The afternoon would be a series of activities each patrol would do at they own pace. When finished with these activities they would then do a “secret missionâ€.  

This is one event I am really stuck for an idea.

 

I am thinking a patrol would use a Klondike sled with a map/compass and have to hit control points.  What do we use for control points? – Last year I had each patrol get a coin from each spot to show they were there.

 

I still have a couple of months to get this together but want to make sure I get everything organized in time to make this a fun event for our scouts.

[Stosh 3452]

Ask your boys what they want to do, get them involved, maybe they have better ideas than the adults.  And as a last resort, if they plan it with what they think are fun things to do, they might even show up for it.....

[walk in the woods 888]

The one district event our Troop does every year is the Klondike Derby held in Jan or Feb. at our Council’s camp.

As soon as the District calendar comes out our Troop books one of the large cabins for the weekend.

What happened last year is that around Christmas a new calendar came out and the date for the Klondike Derby had been moved.

All the cabins had been reserved for that weekend.  

 

I made the suggestion that with 4 patrols we could hold our own Klondike Derby.

With only a couple of weeks to put it together myself and a couple of the other adults came up with a patrol competition.

At this years planning session the PLC said that they wanted to have the troop level Klondike Derby again and I was asked to put this together.

 

So I am looking for ideas for events. I am from the NE and had the weather be anywhere from mid 40's and sunny to -5 with a blinding snow storm (The camp is in a snoe belt)

 

What unusual events have you seen at your Klondike Derby’s?

Any fire building events besides “burn the string�

What events do your scouts enjoy the most?

 

I am thinking a “Star Wars†theme (survival on the Ice world of Hoth from the beginning of “The Empire Strikes Back)

 

What I am looking at doing is a morning head to head completion between patrols – knot relay- some type of lashing and a round robin of 4 quick events after dinner.

The afternoon would be a series of activities each patrol would do at they own pace. When finished with these activities they would then do a “secret missionâ€.  

This is one event I am really stuck for an idea.

 

I am thinking a patrol would use a Klondike sled with a map/compass and have to hit control points.  What do we use for control points? – Last year I had each patrol get a coin from each spot to show they were there.

 

I still have a couple of months to get this together but want to make sure I get everything organized in time to make this a fun event for our scouts.

We've done fire events to boil an egg or fry a pancake or similar.  

 

The last compass course I put together I used a ROT13 cipher to make the course into a secret message.  Each control point had two letters of the message.  When the patrols found all the control points they came back for the start to get the key.  Maybe instead of a message the cipher would be instructions for something.  I just used landscaping flags wired around tent stakes with the info written on the flag in sharpie.

[blw2 433]

Ask your boys what they want to do, get them involved, maybe they have better ideas than the adults.  And as a last resort, if they plan it with what they think are fun things to do, they might even show up for it.....

Yeah, this is honestly giving me flashback to cub scouts, trying to come up with an event plan.....

 

I can imagine throwing something like this to the PLC, and let them come up with something.  Doesn't have to be on the spot in one meeting..... throw it out there, with a date in the future so they can think about it, research, and work as a team....

 

I do like the idea of the SM's coming up with one big event for them as a surprise.... just a little bit.

[qwazse 4342]

First: Shelter? Build your own for the night! Assign each patrol, one tarp, 5 stakes, 15 feet of twine.

 

My most vivid Klondike derby event: Kim's game.

 

The JASM was explaining the rules ("This is a test of your powers of observation ...") and another ASM was helping him maintain their site. Anyway, the clock started we divided up the box in quadrants and took to memorizing every item in the box. Blanket was covered, 30 seconds, and we started writing furiously. I think we had a minute to remember all the contents of the box. Times up.

 

JASM says: "Okay. So, for 10 nuggets, all or nothing, what was it that Mr. __ asked me for while I was giving you instructions?"

Edited November 4, 2016 by qwazse

[Oldscout448 697]

Firstly I think that Stosh is quite right in thinking that the scouts should plan as much of this as possible. Give them suggestions and goals, then let them run with it.

 

Things we have done:

 

Stake yore claim. The scouts find a large gold colored rock and must them claim it by placing four pegs around it in a 25 foot square, one peg must be due NE. of the rock.

 

River rescue. A scout is stuck on a raft ( a snow saucer) holding a tree with one hand. The other scouts must throw him a rope which he must tie in a beeline around himself one handed. And is them pulled to safety.

 

Wood cutting. Must cut through a 4 inch log with the fewest number of strokes possible. Not a timed event.

 

Hawk tossing. Yep throwing hand axes here. You need a safe range, throwing hawks,and a RSO. So might be a bit much for just one troop, but the scouts love it.

[12PointLife 0]

A rope bridge is always fun if you have the equipment. Works well with an epic "Lord of the Rings" theme.

 

12PointLife

 

 

[SSScout 1615]

Go to Jack London.   Read thru "To Build A Fire" and "Call of the WiId"   It is called "Klondike" for a reason.

* Crossing the ice filled rushing river == 

*Measure a distance without actually crossing it.

**Throw a rope (25 feet) accurately to a target.

***  Lash together a "raft"  with a given amount of poles/sticks and rope.  Timed?  Pull it across the "river" on an overhead rope/pulley without getting "wet".

 

Forget the old "Sled" races.   At each event, they collect a gold colored rock. (spray paint'em before the event.ake a lot.)

* Do the snowshoe race thing:   Multiple Scouts on two 2x4s, held up with rope handles.  Rewards for even completing the course without falling off much less winning it.

**  Crossing the ice filled river on the rocks/board bridges. (cinderblocks and 2x10's of various lengths).

 

Patriotic?   Get a regular 4x6 American flag and find a LARGE (car dealer?) flag. I have one that is 12 X 25. Patrol chooses one of them. Patrol Leader speaks for Patrol.  Challenge:: Fold it up correctly, by Patrol, IN SILENCE.  10 points for the small one, 20 points for the large one, your choice to try.  Points off(1) for SPEAKING  (1) if it touches the ground (1) if any red shows when they say "DONE"  (5) if not a "Right" triangle (Isosceles doesn't count)   Time limit: 5 minutes. Over time & not done?  no points.

[Stosh 3452]

There's no correct way to fold a flag, just a traditional way.   

[RememberSchiff 3663]

Other patrol competition ideas: Sasquatch sightings during the day, Bear bag station from  recent Klondike article To build a fire , nice photos

https://cdapress.com/news/2024/feb/11/to-build-a-fire/

“This is a really good way to put their scout skills to the test. They’re having fun and they don’t realize they’re even learning stuff. They adapt to change and overcome while having fun in the outdoors,” Jason Charland, program executive for the Inland Northwest Council

[mrjohns2 577]

On 11/26/2016 at 1:24 PM, Stosh said:

There's no correct way to fold a flag, just a traditional way. 

I learned that from a retired Command Sargent Major. I was telling him about how one year at camp an Air Force reservist folded it in squares. He said "meh, as long as it was done with respect, it would have been ok." I was shocked!