Man Camp promises to teach a new generation lost skills

A new camp in the Canadian Rockies is offering men the chance to learn "lost" skillslike cooking over a fire, surviving in the wilderness and changing a tire.

Emmett McPartlincreated the three-day Man Camp after moving to mountain town of Canmore, Alta., and realizing city life hadrobbed him of some essential experiencesthe kind of skills his grandfather would have known.

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A former river guide, McPartlin teamed up with outdoors enthusiast Mike Kearns and mechanic Ken Frayn.

The first offering of Man Camp, set to run at the end of September, is already sold out despite the $1,099-a-person price tag. He described it to theCalgary Eyeopeneras an expertise-sharing environment.

"It's all about learning those hard-to-find skills," said McPartline. "Like how do you change your own oil? How do you change a tire? How do you survive in the wilderness? How do you get around in the wilderness just using a compass and a map?

"We do a daily fitness regime. We cook over an open a fire. We do a river adventure. And best of all, we learn how to brew some beer."

Open to women in the future

Man Camp will be open to women in the future, who have told him these are skills they want to learn too.

"I think that craving is actually out there. Not just for men, but for women too. Some of the best feedback we've gotten about Man Camp has actually come from women," he said.

McPartlin is offering his skills as a river guide to the campers, but he will be learning too. At 39, he learned how to change the oil on a vehicle and says he came home excited to tell his wife.

"It feels really good," he said. "Once you start to have some of these skills you just feel like a more complete person."

With files from the Calgary Eyeopener