Cold! Small Behaviors Make a Big Difference When Winter Hiking, Backpacking, and Mountaineering
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When I think about actually enjoying movement and adventure out in the cold of winter, I believe the type of stuff I put into this video on “personal management” is actually the most valuable.
Why do I say that? Aren’t things like ‘not dying in an avalanche’ way more valuable? Well, for some people, knowing how to identify and avoid potential avalanche terrain is pretty important, sure. But even those of use who do get out into mountains in the winter - with their slopes and snow loading and all of that - don’t find ourselves making avalanche avoidance choices every time we go out. And what about all the people who don’t live near avalanche terrain at all and just enjoy a good snowshoe (or the like)?
I guess my point is that these little practices are something I apply each and every time we go out in the cold. They matter regardless whether the activity is hiking, snowshoeing, camping, or whatever. I apply them regardless of location and terrain type. I am always using these tips. So, if risk equals probability times consequence, then how do I score a behavior that has a probability of being used something pretty close to 100% of the time? I guess it’s pretty valuable… well, it is to me, anyway.
Of course, there could be way more than six tips. I could have easily added in additional tips:
Every time you stop, put on an additional out layer, trapping in the heat you are generating before your body’s “furnace” switches to “off.”
…which means, keep that outer layer at the top of your pack and easy to access; you’ll be grabbing it a lot.
Seems simple, but make your drinks for the day warm. I have all manner of powder drink mixes that I combine with boiling water for winter outdoor days, from teas to sports drinks to hot cocoa.
Rapidly spinning your arms from the shoulder joint is a good way to force blood flow into your fingers, and not a bad habit to get into doing every time you stop. Your cold fingers will thank you for it.
And I could go on. So, I give you ten, now, rather than six.
So, why not put ten in the video? Six tips is what I felt made for a helpful but not overwhelming set of ideas. As I have always said in every video, “additional information” is basically shy I have this website. I don’t want to just repeat the same content all over again. I want these words to be something additive. Combine that with the simple reality that no five to ten minutes can cover everything that years and years and years of experience has provided me as lessons, and you have to draw the line somewhere.
And my last point is probably me getting up on my soapbox again. It’s that point about sun protection. Why do I keep harping on this point? Well, there is the patently obvious reason that I am extremely fair skinned. But there are other reasons, too. When I was heading up to Denali, waiting in Talkeetna for our flight to take us out and land us on the glacier, we were watching other climbers who had started earlier in the season and who were now back after weeks on the snow and ice. I watched them sort through their gear, hang things to dry, double check inventory. And I saw basically two types of injuries: frostbite and blistering sunburn. Some of those sunburns were to the point that it was debilitating. Given my extremely fair skin, I took sun protection very seriously up there. I came back without sun damage, even though I may have been at higher risk to experience that. So, I know it’s avoidable. I also know that a bad sunburn at the wrong time can be very dangerous. If one of those debilitated climbers and team had been out on some remote part of the mountain when it happened, they would have had a real problem on their hands helping this person get down to safety.
Plus, we just know so much more about how sun damage can have lasting and sever consequences for your future health when we consider things like skin cancer. It’s one of those deals where an ounce of prevention sure as heck beats a pound of cure.
So, I will leave you with the key sun protection items I bring out with me when snow traveling. It’s not a lot; it’s not heavy. It’s, rather, the consistent use of them that makes the difference:
Opticus Altice Venture Sunglasses
Duco Kids Polarized Sunglasses at