I saw this
link on another hiking message board and thought it would be worthwhile to post here.
The Sierra Club has a 10 week
"Wilderness Travel Course" . Depending on your budget, it might be a little pricey at over $400 for the course, books, and compass. But there are 4 hikes and the 2 overnight hikes include transportation along with weekly "classroom" instruction.
Topics covered:
Map & Compass Navigation
Off trail navigation
Basic rock scrambling
Traveling in snow
How to stay safe in extreme weather situations
High Altitude acclimatization
and much more.
I haven't taken the course so can't give a first hand review, but it does offer an opportunity for the people in the So Cal area to gain some knowledge in how to be safe in the wilderness, including winter conditions. The classes start in mid-Jan 2014.
