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KUGLUKTUK, Nunavut -- After braving gun battle and combat zones, the best cold comfort soldiers could find in Arctic camping is that they're not in the line of enemy fire.

The 100 troops from Edmonton participating in a joint sovereignty operation made their first overnight stay in the bitter cold this week, hunkering down for a frigid night in sleeping bags and tents. It's old hat for the hardy, mostly Inuit Canadian Rangers, who are teaching the soldiers how to survive in extreme polar conditions.

The day began with a slow, bumpy two-hour ride to the camp, located on a flat stretch of frozen land about 10 km from town. Those riding deluxe were on Polaris snowmobiles with heated handlebars, economy class was on the hardy but no-frills military "over-snow" vehicles, and steerage was for those perched precariously atop mounds of strapped-in bags being towed on sturdy handmade wooden sleds.

After unloading gear and setting up tents with dug-outs to trap the cold, the troops headed off for a day on the firing range, shooting several thousand rounds from a variety of weapons at dummy enemy markers staked in the snow. When the exercise was complete, the soldiers -- some suffering varying degrees of frostbite -- crawled into tents and fired up the stoves to thaw out, eat and catch some sleep.

For most, it was the frostiest night of their life.

Cpl. Frederick Moses, a Montreal native, survived the cold with a steady dose of little hand and toe warmer packs (which he described as "gold" in the Arctic) and doubling up his sleeping bag.

Cpl. Jack Henny of Saskatchewan made it through by constantly moving, drinking lots of fluids and eating when he could. He welcomed the one-day reprieve before the five-day operation.

The group has begun a four-night freezefest, and today's forecast calls for a "high" of -35 C -- without the wind chill.

Already, the unit's medic Cpl. Darcy Dybaylo has seen many cases of frostbite, with varying degrees of severity.

However, Cpl. Nick Faryna said spirits in his tent were fine.

"We had a good time, we ate, we chatted ... I was pretty happy with my first night out on the ice," he said.