After six years of combat in the desert, some Canadian troops are in for a shock as they deploy to the Arctic for a two-week training exercise.
Called Arctic Ram, the $17-million exercise in the Northwest Territories is designed to help the soldiers get re-acquainted with severe winter climates and learn to defend our northern borders.
The soldiers -- from the army's 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, the air force, the navy and the Canadian Rangers -- will live in tents with only the heat from lanterns and small stoves.
"They haven't experienced the cold like they're going to experience up there, that's for sure," Cpl. Kyler Wilson told Â鶹´«Ã½ as some of the soldiers prepared to leave Edmonton on Wednesday.
On Thursday morning, temperatures in northern reaches of the territory were about -35 C, feeling like -47 C with the wind-chill factor.
The trip will be the first time some of these soldiers will face such frigid temperatures. Wilson says last week's deep freeze in Edmonton helped them prepare.
"We just got off the weekend and our vehicles were frozen stiff," said Wilson. "It's going to be like that every morning, so we got a little practice."
It's the first time the Forces' light-armoured vehicles will be used in the extreme cold.
Sgt. Paul Firth, who maintains the vehicles, says his crew will play a vital role making sure the exercise goes smoothly.
"We're going to be out fixing the trucks at the side of the road, the heaters, and then the generators that are powering the heaters, so we've got some big challenges coming our way," he told Â鶹´«Ã½.
The soldiers will also get to see how their weapons operate, through live fire training, and most importantly, how their mental stamina holds up in the frigid climate.
"Whether you're operating at plus 50 or minus 50, there's a certain physical and mental hardening or robustness that our soldiers have," said Lt.-Col. Bill Fletcher, Arctic Ram battle group commander. "It's a part of who they are and it's part of our training."
With a report by CTV Edmonton's Amanda Anderson
