Workshops
At the workshops, he focuses in detail on individual skills important in life and survival in nature. Topics are announced every spring for the current season (see home page), and if there is a large enough number (at least 8), certain topics can be carried out by agreement and the program can be adapted to the group (e.g. schools). They usually last 6 hours and cost €35.
This year’s themes (detailed description below):
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Edible wild plants
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Mushroom workshop
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Clay products
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Fire 1-3
Other possible topics:
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orientation without a compass
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obtaining water in extremes (e.g. on an island)
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production of bows, arrows, ordinary and throwing javelins
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carving, making spoons, dishes
Edible wild plants
At the selected location, the group gathers with two instructors and walks with baskets through the meadow and the forest to encounter different habitats. The plants are identified and their use explained, and some are also collected and a very special meal is prepared from them. In addition to appropriate clothing and footwear, it is recommended to bring a notebook, a basket for plants, a cleaning knife and a snack.
Mushroom workshop
The mushroom workshop consists of two parts; in the first part, mushrooms will be collected in groups, and in the second, all brought mushrooms will also be disassembled and determined with the help of experts (“determiner”). You will also learn about their interesting features and the rules for mushroom picking. Bring suitable footwear, a basket, a knife for cleaning mushrooms and a snack.
Clay products
The workshop covers finding, shaping and firing clay outdoors and shows how to get clay products right in nature. Unlike classical pottery, where ready-made clay is shaped on a spindle, coated with glaze and, after drying, baked in a controlled oven, the path to clay products in the middle of the wilderness is more difficult, but at the same time very interesting. It is necessary to identify potential deposits, assess the quality of the clay, remove impurities, prepare suitable humidity and only then shape the clay by hand and dry it properly. Firing clay products in the open air is extremely difficult, as the products crack at the slightest mistake and too rapid a change in temperature. Nevertheless, these products have a very special artistic impression, not only because of the way they are obtained, but also because of the overflowing colors that arise from different exposures to flames and oxygen.
Participants will learn how to find suitable clay in nature and design products. Their smallest products, which will dry quickly enough, can be fired the same day, and some will be added in pre-prepared and dried clay vessels for demonstration. Unlike the others, this workshop lasts 8 hours, but it is also possible to sleep together and the next day, when the clay or ceramics cool down, check how successful the firing was.
Fire
Fire control is certainly one of the most important survival skills in nature. From knowing how to light a fire with matches to being able to light a fire with the friction of wood in all situations is a considerable gap. The latter level is mastered only by very, very few, but this skill can save our lives in extreme situations, as well as facilitate simple scout burning due to a better understanding of how fire works.
The fire courses have 3 levels of difficulty, through which participants gain an in-depth understanding of ignition, learn about useful fire pits, preparation procedures and suitable fire pit types, and learn how to start a fire in a wide variety of ways. In doing so, they learn many important details and eliminate the most common mistakes and myths about smoking. For the most motivated, the ultimate goal at the end of the last course is the ability to start a fire in the wild, using only friction and without any tools.
Fire 1 – cresyl and netivo
The workshop is intended for everyone, no previous knowledge is necessary. It covers the selection and preparation of kindling in the wild, various techniques for using firecrackers, an explanation and demonstration of the importance of the heat/oxygen/fuel ratio, and an overview of very common mistakes when blowing into smoldering kindling. It will prepare and demonstrate the advantages of the most important hearths and the preparation of food over the fire. Despite the basics, the workshop is quite extensive and brings a lot of new things even to experienced individuals.
Fire 2 – friction netting
Due to the complexity, the Fire 2 workshop requires completion of the Fire 1 workshop or the Basic or Advanced course. It covers the demonstration or teaching of the preparation and kindling of fire by friction in several ways; with cotton wool and ash, drilling a drill with hands, drilling a drill with a bow and a few others. Few people know these techniques, they require more effort, so it takes time and a lot of help for the participants to carry out the netting correctly and reach the fire with only natural materials. Specific hearths are featured and their versatile uses from fire longevity, lighting, cooking and more.
Fire 3 – real situations
Lost in the woods, shipwrecked, an accident in the mountains – would you be able to start a fire without any tools, is that even possible? Difficult, but not impossible. Here, all the smallest details come to the fore, so the prerequisite for this workshop is completion of the Fire 2 workshop and being of legal age. Netting will be in increasingly difficult conditions, so everyone will know for themselves what level they are capable of reaching and will be taught about many small tricks that can decide success or failure. This two-day workshop includes an overnight stay in the forest (possibly without fire) and provides extraordinary knowledge that represents the very pinnacle of survival skills.
CALENDAR OF COURSES 2023
The courses, which will be held in English (or German) language in 2023 are:
- Wild pottery workshop (27.-28.5. or 7.-8.10.) and
- Island survival course (9.-12.11.)
Other courses/workshops will be in the Slovenian language (see below). You can always contact us to organise a special course tailored to the group.
WORKSHOPS
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Fire 1: 14. 5.
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Fire 2: 11. 6.
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Shelters: 10. 6.
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Edible plants: 13. 5.
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Clay: 30. 9.
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Mushroom workshop: 01. 10.
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BASIC COURSES
- 13. – 14. 08.
DEMANDING COURSES
- 05. – 07. 05.
- 14. – 16. 07.
CHILDREN'S CAMPS
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30. 06. – 02. 07.
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25. – 27. 08.
ADVANCED COURSES
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31. 08. – 03. 09.
CONTACTS
Društvo za gozdovništvo in preživetje v naravi Slovenije
gozdovnistvo@gmail.com
Žiga: +386 41 299 469
Miha: +386 31 722 945