Arctic and Sub-Arctic Operations – Basic Cold Weather Training is a Canadian military cold-weather survival and operations manual developed by the Canadian Department of National Defence. It serves as a comprehensive guide for soldiers operating in extreme winter environments and covers virtually every aspect of surviving, moving, camping, fighting, and maintaining health in Arctic and sub-Arctic conditions. The manual emphasizes that success in northern environments depends on understanding and respecting cold weather, proper clothing systems, shelter construction, navigation, health maintenance, and disciplined fieldcraft.
The publication contains detailed instruction on cold-weather clothing systems, footwear, sleeping bags, rucksacks, tents, stoves, lanterns, toboggans, camp routines, and improvised shelters. It explains the importance of layered clothing, moisture management, avoiding overheating, and maintaining dry equipment. Significant attention is given to practical winter living skills such as campsite selection, snow shelters, lean-tos, snow caves, tent management, food preparation, and equipment maintenance in freezing temperatures.
The manual also addresses winter movement techniques including land navigation, dead reckoning, trail breaking, skiing, snowshoeing, and route selection. Additional chapters discuss cold-weather weapons maintenance, firing positions in snow, construction of snow and ice defensive positions, camouflage in winter environments, and tactical considerations unique to Arctic operations. The training doctrine is designed to help personnel remain effective in conditions where cold itself becomes a major operational threat.
A substantial section is devoted to cold-weather injuries and health. Topics include frostbite, hypothermia, immersion foot (trench foot), dehydration, snow blindness, carbon monoxide poisoning, sanitation, nutrition, casualty evacuation, and personal hygiene. Throughout the manual, survival is presented as a combination of proper equipment, sound procedures, physical conditioning, leadership, and mental attitude.
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