Winter transforms the outdoor world into a playground. But the season and its activities require more knowledge and preparation than the warmer months. Those fun hikes can fall apart in a hurry when fingers get cold and the wind picks up. Worse, cold weather and snow can turn a fun day into a disaster in a hurry with the threat of exposure and frostbite. That’s no reason to be afraid of getting out there. It just means you need to be informed and well-prepared — and you will want your kids to understand how to keep themselves comfortable and safe, too.

So, what are the essential skills kids should learn to stay safe and have fun in the winter? For answers, we talked to a wide range of outdoor professional dads, from arctic explorers and Icelandic mountain guides to adventure photographers with kids of all ages, and asked for the skills they think all kids need to know. From learning about layers to identifying avalanche corridors, here’s what they told us.