Winter survival ability is an important trait in cultivars of winter wheats (Triticum aestivum L. em. Thell.) bred for cold climates; however, it is laborious to measure accurately under field conditions. This report evaluates a simple artificial freezing procedure as a screening test for winter survival ability. Duration of survival of germinating seedlings of wheat cultivars germinated and hardened in a dark cabinet (8 wk at +0.75 °C) and frozen for long periods also in the dark (up to 12 wk at −10 °C) correlated closely (r = 0.9) with winter survival ability in the field. The cultivar Norstar was fully vernalized on completion of the test but Sundance was not. Extra exposure to vernalizing conditions may therefore be necessary to obtain seed from all survivors. Freezing for 2 wk at −5 °C following 7 wk at +0.75 °C increased the duration of cold resistance at −10 °C but did not improve the prediction of winter survival ability in the field, nor did it complete the vernalization of Sundance.Key words: Cold resistance, frost resistance, winter hardiness