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Winter General

Anonymous Sat 10 Oct 2015 22:37:33 No.608769 View View Reply Original Report

Any of you guys experienced with hiking in winter conditions?

I have never climbed up a hill which has snow on the peak, it sounds cool but I am too apprehensive about changes in weather/visibility/wind and also my own personal safety... how do you start with something like this without being stupid? I mean to say, I am itching to try, but I don't want to put myself in jeopardy. Don't have any experienced friends. Also, I'm in Scotland.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 10 Oct 2015 22:59:58 No.608782 Report

Quoted By:

No experience but heres a nice pic of last winter.

Mule

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Mule Sun 11 Oct 2015 03:22:36 No.608919 Report

Quoted By:

>>608769
Winter conditions, yes... very much.
Hiking, no. Outside of setting up to take photos, anyways. I like engines.

How much snow are we talking here? A few inches/cm, or 10ft/3m+? What elevations?

Don't do it solo till you know you can do it and you're comfortable with it. Take a friend, or go with a group (Good idea in the winter anyways).

If you're in avalanche terrain, educate yourself (and the people you ride with) and carry rescue gear (beacon/shovel/probe).

Pack like you're going to stay the night.
Firestarting tools you're proficient with.
Flashlight, helmet/headlamp. Spare batteries.
Some form of shelter (Plastic trash bags are cheap and lightweight, can be used many ways including a wind break).
Snacks, water (Aluminum avalanche shovel, snow, and a fire can make water too).
Gloves, and extra pairs of gloves.
Good gear (Boots, pants, jacket). I wear a helmet/balaclava, not sure what'd work best for hiking/nonmotorized, but you'll want something that covers your head/face.
Eye protection is largely up to you, most of the time I wear goggles, but I pack a pair of sunglasses for when we stop. On nicer days I'll just wear those and stash the goggles under the hood of my sled.

SUNSCREEN.

On the topic of clothing... dress in layers. I'd MUCH rather have more thinner layers than one really heavy/warm jacket.
My base layer is a moisture-wicking jersey, protective vest over that, and a waterproof/windproof goretex shell on the outside. On the really cold days I'll wear another thermal layer under my jersey and cinch down my armor to keep the heat in.

Everything else I can think of is motorized-specific, but ... that's kind of my thing.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sun 11 Oct 2015 03:56:18 No.608933 Report

Quoted By: >>609699

I do it every winter. It's real quiet.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sun 11 Oct 2015 05:09:23 No.608954 Report

Quoted By:

>>608769
I live in Canada. I've done a fair bit of winter hiking; most of it while solo, some of it overnight. My longest winter trip was 7 days / 6 nights solo.

Start small and work your way up.

Dress warm enough. Wind/water resistance is essential.

Be wary of sweating out your clothes and losing warmth due to moisture. The best strategy in cold weather is to always do your best not to sweat. Vent clothing and reduce your pace as needed to sweat as little as possible. It is very difficult to dry wet gear in the cold.

Snowblindness is a serious issue. Sunglasses or goggles at all times. Sunburns are also VERY easy to get on exposed skin.

Carry a compass, make sure it works and you know how to use it and have a plan for if you get into a whiteout. A buddy and I had this happen to us unexpectedly and we ended up on the wrong side of a mountain; luckily I was familiar enough with the overall area to eventually get my bearings and we made it out. Smarter use of a compass would have avoided this. If your terrain involves features you can get stuck on like cliffs then you need to be extra careful that you won't wander into them during a whiteout - not necessarily because you will walk off the edge but because you might get stuck and freeze.

Carry the usual safety supplies - fire, water, shelter, comms, etc.

If it's cold your water supplies may freeze. A frozen water bottle is pretty much worthless. Generally speaking, you need water to make water. A stainless/aluminium/titanium pot will be difficult to get water out of without having some to start with, so I always leave about 250ml at the end of my water bottle that I don't drink in case I need to make more. What happens if you don't have any water is that all of the snow that melts evaporates faster than it can pool water, so you end up basically just evaporating snow and getting nothing to drink. I own two of these to slow the freezing process: http://www.outdoorresearch.com/en/water-bottle-parka-1.html

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sun 11 Oct 2015 07:44:06 No.609019 Report

Quoted By: >>609709

>>608769
Winter hiking? No.
Snowshoeing, ski touring, ski mountaineering? Yes.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sun 11 Oct 2015 08:15:06 No.609038 Report

Quoted By:

Done a few UK mountains in winter conditions.

First couple we had no proper winter gear... Turned back 100m ish from the top in both cases, on the first one (skiddaw) because no grip and massive winds meant we had to belly crawl across the hard packed icy dome of a summit and it was getting much more risky than it was worth, and on another (snowdon via the pyg track) because of a section where the path had a significant drop below and snow had drifted and been had packed so the path was actually a thin icy slope pointing straight at the drop below... Again, the risk / reward wan't favourable.

Third time however, I'd bought a couple pairs of crampons on ebay during the summer (about £25/30 each for grivel monte rosa with new classic binding, good shit IMO) and a couple ice axes. That shit made all the difference and we summited snowdon via the pyg track in snowier conditions than the pervious attempt, fuck yeah. Pic related is us at the bit we bailed on the pervious year.

So my advice to you would be to get crampons and an ice axe, and be prepared to turn back if needed. BRING A HEAD TORCH TOO. Layers. All the usual shit. Winter mountaineering here seems to be a little erratic (though I'm no expert) and can be lovely at the bottom of a mountain and deadly at the top, changing weather, bla bla bla.

Get a walking axe not a climbing one btw. Long straight shaft, use for stability in your uphill hand and as a brake if you take a slip (learn that shit, self arrest it's called but there's variations on teh theme). Same with crampons, flexible walking ones paired with sturdy boots. More shit to learn about.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sun 11 Oct 2015 14:37:02 No.609203 Report

Quoted By: >>609721

Start small and practice navigation. Don't go out in bad weather unless you are comfortable with the area. Tell someone where you're going and when you're coming home.

Wearing wool and bringing extra clothing is smart. Pack for an overnighter even on day hikes.

Alway bring a shovel.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 12 Oct 2015 01:40:33 No.609614 Report

Quoted By: >>609683

Do I really have to shill out the money for an extreme sleeping bag? My one goes does to -8C. I'm planning a trip to Hokkaido. Can't you just wear warm clothes inside it?

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 12 Oct 2015 03:41:48 No.609683 Report

Quoted By: >>609704

>>609614
If you wear a bunch of clothes inside one of those mummy-sack sleeping bags, you're not doing it right.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 12 Oct 2015 04:04:55 No.609699 Report

Quoted By:

>>608933
That's what I love about winter camping. Fresh fallen snow dampens noise and everything is still.
I can't wait for it to snow here in Southwest VA, I love hiking and camping in the mountains

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 12 Oct 2015 04:18:01 No.609704 Report

Quoted By: >>609758

>>609683
Why?

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 12 Oct 2015 04:29:44 No.609709 Report

Quoted By:

>>609019
What the fuck is this douchebag wearing on his feet?

Mule

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Mule Mon 12 Oct 2015 05:16:30 No.609721 Report

Quoted By: >>609734 >>609741 >>609749

>>609203
>abs pack
>shovel, probe, 3-antenna digital beacon
doingitright.jpg

Blew off a bunch of bags this weekend, my personal one included.
Need to get some new service kits for my cylinder, it's old enough now most places don't have the kit for my style cylinder in stock.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 12 Oct 2015 06:08:59 No.609734 Report

Quoted By:

>>609721
Not my pack unfortunately. Found this picture of the ideal gear. My gear don't come close to this :(

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 12 Oct 2015 06:21:31 No.609741 Report

Quoted By:

>>609721
Sauce in Norwegian:
http://www.friflyt.no/Ski/Sikkerhetsutstyr-for-topptur

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 12 Oct 2015 06:46:43 No.609749 Report

Quoted By:

>>609721
>doingitright.jpg

In the uk that's pretty overkill... Really overkill in fact. We do have avalanches but not like you guys do.

I rather envy you folk that get to live somewhere that being buried alive in snow is a real worry in winter.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 12 Oct 2015 07:12:39 No.609758 Report

Quoted By: >>609764 >>609768

>>609704
Those kinds of sleeping bags work by insulating and reflecting the heat your body gives off. If you wear clothes, it prevents the heat being transferred to the sleeping bag, making it far less effective

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 12 Oct 2015 07:49:25 No.609764 Report

Quoted By: >>609854

>>609758
but if there's less heat being transfered to the sleeping bag that's because you're giving off less heat - ie you're not needing as much insulation.

i'm not convinced at all with this, i've slept cold in winter before and woke up, put layers on, and slept warmer. does it matter what's doing the insulating so long as something is? why on cold nights are my feet warmer in my sleeping bag when wearing socks?

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 12 Oct 2015 08:16:37 No.609768 Report

Quoted By: >>609771 >>609854

>>609758
Ok, that makes sense. But wearing more clothes to bed would work in a normal sleeping bag, right?

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 12 Oct 2015 08:27:19 No.609771 Report

Quoted By: >>609772

>>609768
I'm not that anon but winter sleeping bags aren't special (well some will have a waterproof layer on the outside to be used in snow without a bivy sack but that's a little specialist and not really relevant) they're just sleeping bags with more insulation. If your bag has enough insulation to keep you warm at the temperature you're at you'll be warm, if not you won't, and it might be worth adding more insulation to the equation in the form of clothes inside the bag. base layers first then whatever you have with you because fuck cold.

I will add that if you're cold in your sleeping bag and put on a down jacket but your legs are bare, the warmth that would have been coming from your upper half and warming the entire bag is no longer doing so, so your legs will probably get chilly. same if you're all wrapped up except your feet, etc etc.

This is all personal experience btw, so take it for what it's worth. Your milage may vary. I've had many cold as fuck nights and had to pad myself out as much as possible to get any decent sleep.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 12 Oct 2015 08:31:52 No.609772 Report

Quoted By:

>>609771
>This is all personal experience
The best type of advice you can give is advice on something you've experienced firsthand. Thanks anon!

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 12 Oct 2015 14:18:55 No.609854 Report

Quoted By:

>>609764
>>609768
Not saying you should sleep naked in these things, I'm just saying long underwear will do you just fine for any reasonably cold conditions. I forgot to add that the more you wear the more it compresses the insulation of the sleeping bag making it less efficient at keeping the heat in

http://sectionhiker.com/is-it-warmer-to-sleeping-naked-in-sleeping-bag/

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