This course does seem rather disproportionately priced, and I do wonder what exactly it is people think they would gain from it that requires that kind of expenditure. I say disproportionately not merely because I have been hot air balloon racing over the pyramids for that money, or that I can get fifteen days driving huskies across the Yukon for that, or that I can get a bucket all in snow extravaganza with vehicles, dogs, guides, lodges and return air fare to Finland for that and still £500 left for trinkets. No, I say that in the context of his own courses:......................................................His Fundamental Course, the box standard rub two sticks together and burn something on a twig over a fire type thing, is pegged at £650. His Applied Bushcraft, where you get to roam about a bit for a week and learn to put a roof up too, goes for £650 too. A week of tracking is £550. Wilderness Navigation or a week's worth of basic orienteering skills by any other name is £600. Even the six day Wilderness Emergency Medic level 2 is £650...
...............................................On that, I am wondering what could possibly be in this course that makes it worth nearly quadruple the regular price range. I don't doubt there could be novel information packets, gems if you will, but how much of it is just going to be basic stuff many people here are clearly already adept at. I didn't see anything saying advanced so I figure I probably will pander to n00bs too as there doesn't seem to be a screening process. The holiday itself might not be expensive but if you come back having learned four shortcuts to something you could do already, or would gladly circumvent , at a grand each that's expensive. It's not like rubbing against Mears is suddenly going to instil in you an indelible lexicon of every wild edible in the location or something. When you add that I read an account of him delivering a seminar earlier this year at which all recording and photograph taking was prohibited then you may well be better of with an encyclopedia at YOMP.................................The final nail in what I perceive a hideously disproportionate cost/benefits model also arises in the context of stuff he does elsewhere. He puts on a Heroes of Telemark course for only a bit more than this. It promises to take a non-skier and in six days train them to a competency to be able to retrace the route supported with accommodation, feeding, showers, all that. From there you snowmobile up to a to a cabin in the snow to spend two nights as the saboteurs did. The next five days is spent skiing the route and the last two nights on a warm down at accommodation with bistro. I might be missing something but this seems so much bigger of an experience than gathered in a field with a clutter of folk, mebe n00bs, and a notebook hoping for scraps. And I don't think celebrity alone can be the explanation. After all, next year he will be instructing in conjunction with Lars Falt at their Arctic Survival in Lapland course and without listing the itinerary that appears a much bigger undertaking too, yet only costs a little bit more......................Anyway, headscratcher......................YMWV
