Cutting Edge Survival Training at Serenity Houses
Escape to Nature – Gain Life-Saving Skills
With Contingency Survival, we offer an exclusive opportunity to disconnect from the chaos of everyday life and level up your survival skillsets. Our exclusive experience combines world-class instruction with the luxurious amenities, giving you the best of both worlds. If you're looking to learn life-saving wilderness skills, increase your confidence in the outdoors and embark on another adventure, then you’ve come to the right place!
What’s Included?
- Expert Survival Instruction: Learn from seasoned survival experts who have years of real-world experience in wilderness survival.
- Hands-On Training: Engage in interactive, practical lessons on fire-building, shelter construction, water disinfection, navigation, signaling, and more. Practice what you learn in real wilderness settings.
- State-of-the-Art Resort Amenities: After a day of adventure, unwind in the comfort of our luxury resort with sauna, delicious meals, hot tubs, and tranquil views.
- Breathtaking Location: Set on the edge of NE Washington, our resort offers a pristine environment that’s perfect for immersing yourself in nature. Here you can walk through forests, cross streams, and learn the secrets of surviving in the wilderness.
What You'll Learn
During your stay, you’ll acquire a wide range of practical skills designed to give you confidence in any emergency. Some of the key topics include:
- Firecraft: Learn how to start a fire from scratch using expedient methods and natural tinders, especially during wet or frozen environments.
- Shelter Building: Understand how to construct expedient shelters quickly using improvised and natural materials, keeping you protected from the elements.
- Water Sourcing & Disinfection: Discover how to find, filter and disinfect water from various natural sources.
- Navigation: Master the art of map-reading and compass use, and learn how to navigate through dense forests, mountains, and open terrain.
- Wilderness First Aid: Gain essential knowledge in wilderness first aid, how to identify and avoid common environmental injuries, and how to treat conditions in the field during real world emergencies.
- Survival Psychology: Understand how to stay calm and focused in high-stress or prolonged situations and how to think critically when faced with inevitable challenges.
The Perfect Blend of Adventure and Comfort
Serenity Houses is designed with your comfort in mind. After a day of learning and exploring, indulge in the many luxury amenities we offer:
- Sauna
- Spa
- Vasper
- Outdoor Pool (Summer only)
- Recreational Room
- Fitness Facility
- Nature Trails
- Gun Range
- And much more!
Contingency Survival (3 Day Retreat)
Day 1 Understand the Fundamentals of Wilderness Survival
In this immersive experience, we lay the foundation for surviving and thriving in the wild. Our expert instructors guide you through key survival principles, covering essential topics like emergency communications and signaling, as well as understanding the psychological and physical aspects of survival.
You'll dive deep into the core principles behind creating effective shelters, mastering fire-building techniques in challenging environments. These skills will be explored in detail, ensuring you're prepared for anything the wilderness throws your way.
Practical navigation training with maps and a compass will give you the confidence to find your way, even in the most remote locations. Plus, you'll learn the crucial art of packing efficiently for the field to ensure you're ready for any adventure—just in time for a satisfying dinner to refuel and reflect on your day's learnings.
Day 2 Embark on Your Wild Adventure – Master the Essentials of Survival
Step into the wild and discover how simple, yet powerful, navigation can be. Our Contingency Survival Training Experience immerses you in the essentials of wilderness survival through practical, hands-on learning. From constructing shelters and mastering firecraft, to learning vital signaling techniques for both day and night, you’ll gain invaluable skills to thrive in the great outdoors.
Throughout your adventure, you’ll dive into techniques for sourcing and purifying water, foraging for natural food, and identifying plants to expand your wilderness knowledge. What’s more, you'll get the opportunity to cook over an open fire, creating a true sense of accomplishment as you prepare your own meal in the wild.
The experience doesn’t stop there – you’re invited to spend the night in the shelter you build yourself, embracing the challenge and beauty of the wilderness. Of course, should you choose a more comfortable retreat for the night, your luxurious bed at the resort will always be waiting for you.
Day 3 Increased Practice and Wrap Up
Take your survival skills to the next level as you continue to explore the wild’s abundant resources under the guidance of our expert instructors. Throughout the day, you’ll gain hands-on experience in key survival techniques, from building snares to tracking game, crafting improvised weapons, and making practical camp improvements. Every moment is filled with interactive, action-packed adventure that will challenge you and keep you on your toes.
By the end of the day, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie as you’re welcomed to a celebratory banquet. Here, you’ll have the chance to share stories, ask final questions, and reflect on your newfound skills with fellow adventurers, creating lasting memories and connections in this ultimate survival experience.
Survival Train the Trainer (5 days)
With Rescue in Mind
The Survival Train the Trainer Course was specifically designed for rescue units leading teams through hazardous terrain under challenging conditions. It focuses on the critical skills needed to locate, assist, and rescue individuals—especially those with medical conditions requiring immediate attention.
However, this comprehensive training is also ideal for anyone aspiring to become an outdoor survival instructor. Whether you're aiming to work with government agencies, non-governmental organizations, humanitarian aid groups, missionaries, or scouting organizations, this course will prepare you to teach survival skills effectively in any environment.
On par with a SERE 300course, our curriculum dives deep into advanced survival methodologies and techniques. Beyond just mastering these cutting-edge skills, you'll also learn how to teach them confidently across various weather conditions, ensuring you can deliver effective, life-saving training to others in any situation.
Day 1
The morning session is dedicated to building a solid foundation in survival principles through detailed PowerPoint instruction. You’ll explore the essential topics of Communications, Health, Personal Protection, Substance, and Travel. These core survival principles form the baseline for taking care of others in any environment, providing a framework that allows each training scenario to be tailored for specific conditions.
In the afternoon, we dive into advanced navigation techniques. You’ll gain hands-on experience with map reading, compass use, and GPS navigation, along with systems like Lat/Longand UTM/MGRS to further enhance your orientation skills.
Before dinner, you’ll participate in a packing laboratory, where we’ll review and optimize your gear to ensure you’re fully prepared for the next day’s challenges. Any lingering questions will be addressed, ensuring you're ready and confident to step into the wild the following morning.
Day 2
Day 2
Practical navigation is the cornerstone of this day’s training. You'll begin by mastering basic point-to-point navigation, then progressively advance to terrain association techniques, all while learning how to use celestial aids for additional guidance. This step-by-step approach ensures you build a deep understanding of navigation that can be applied in real-world scenarios.
Signaling techniques for both day and night are thoroughly explored, with hands-on experience using electronic, pyrotechnic, and expedient methods to ensure you can communicate in any environment or situation.
In the afternoon, you’ll focus on expedient shelter-building, learning how to quickly construct a safe and reliable shelter in the event of sudden weather changes.
Firecraft is another essential skill covered in-depth. You’ll learn the most effective, time-tested methods for starting a fire, including techniques that guarantee success even in wet or frosty conditions, ensuring you’re always prepared when warmth and safety are critical.
Day 3
Day 2
Today’s training focuses on navigating new terrain with only rudimentary tools, emphasizing the importance of being self-reliant without relying on technology. You’ll learn how to identify and safely source water, mastering the critical process of ensuring it’s safe for consumption—vital for extending your time in the field.
Next, we’ll explore the construction of an alternate shelter designed to maintain structural integrity even under the stress of heavy rain or snow. You’ll practice alternative methods for collecting and igniting natural materials, ensuring you can start a fire in any condition.
The day continues with practical exercises in setting up expedient snares and processing small game for cooking. You’ll also dive into plant identification, learning how to test for edibility and safely forage for food, rounding out your self-sufficiency skills in the wild.
Day 4
Today’s training centers on innovative methods for maintaining your core temperature at 98.6°F, using only natural materials found in the wild. You'll learn how to improvise and adapt to environmental conditions, ensuring your survival even in extreme temperatures.
In addition to core survival techniques, you'll receive specialized training in Axemanship, covering the safe and effective use of axes for tasks like falling trees. We’ll also focus on maintaining your critical tools in harsh conditions to ensure they remain reliable throughout your time in the field.
A Knots and Lashing session will teach you essential techniques for securing shelter, tools, and gear, enhancing your efficiency and safety.
Finally, the day will include practical exercises on improvising field tools for carrying patients and maintaining their health in emergency situations. This comprehensive training ensures you’re equipped to handle both individual survival and the care of others in challenging environments.
Day 5
It's time for the final tests and reviews, where you'll have the chance to demonstrate everything you've learned. This session offers a unique opportunity to teach key lessons, with experienced instructors providing valuable feedback on how to enhance your teaching effectiveness.
We’ll also revisit Adult Learning Theory, focusing on its application both in the field and the classroom. Understanding how to effectively engage and instruct others is essential for any survival trainer, and today you'll refine those skills.
Finally, there will be plenty of time to share your experiences, celebrate the victories of the week, and connect with fellow participants. It's a chance to reflect on your personal growth, the lessons you've learned, and the friendships formed throughout this transformative experience.