Camping in winter - either for its own enjoyment or as part of a climbing, backpacking, or mountaineering adventure - can be done warmly. There are lots of little things you can and should do to keep everyone in your group comfortable as possible. But if you were to only do three things, I would make the three things I show in the full length video the ones, as I have found they have had the biggest impact on my ability to control my temperature at night and make for a good night's sleep.

There are legitimate reasons to prefer not bringing a GPS device with you in the backcountry. Costs may be prohibitive. You may prefer map and compass. You may only take short trips out. But if you do anything that is multi-day, GPS devices make the most weight-efficient electronic option. It's more than just gross weight that should be considered, but weight per hour of use. Once you start getting other devices up to the same battery life by bringing battery banks with you, that supposed weight disadvantage starts to disappear.

Either poor vision, like me, or sun reflection off of the snow may drive the need for wearing glasses or goggles in the winter on hikes, climbs, while backpacking, and even camping. Unfortunately, glasses and goggles tend to fog up, as your breath and body heat mix with the cold air. The full video documents my journey through various attempts to solve this issue, moving from marginally effectively solutions to something that has finally worked for me on even the coldest mountaineering expeditions.

New home. New climbing wall. New route set. At six years old, the twins take on a new bouldering problem; here's the first clean top out. The boys are working on three-dimensional climbing and twisting the hips, often with a drop-knee, to keep the hips close to the wall.

I started getting into the outdoors by hiking to summits. Eventually, I got into technical climbing and mountaineering. The gear I bought for the hikes didn't quite cut it when it came to the climbs. So, for any budding mountaineers and alpinists, here's what I've come to value most in design of various insulating jackets. If you can buy with your future outdoors activities in mind, you can save the money I didn't save. Learn from my mistakes!

Often times rock climbers wrap their runners and cords very tightly to keep them out of their way when racking them on their harness. But if you get into alpine climbing or mountaineering in the cold environments, that kind of thing can be difficult to tie and untie with gloves. Here's how I find the balance between racking in a glove friendly way but which could be too loose and a trip hazard versus racking very tightly but in a way that is difficult to manage while gloves are on.

After teaching high altitude climbing to lots and lots of different people, the full video gives the four most common (behavioral) reasons I see people get cold hands in the mountains along with what to do about it.

Sleeping bags can be expensive, and we should take care of that investment. The simplest thing you can do to help keep your sleeping bag lofting and in excellent shape is to not store it in a compression sack when you aren't using it out in the field. Hanging in it our using its non-compression storage bag are better options, if you have the space.

In the full length version of this fifth and final video of the Cold! Series, we talk about keeping morale up. How do we keep our team - whether that team be our climbing partners, our life partners, or our kids - in a frame of mind to be proactive and to enjoy their time outside, even when harsh conditions set in?

If you are hiking, backpacking, or climbing in winter, those ultralight storm pants that weigh a few grams are missing one key feature: a full side zip up the outside of the legs. If you have big boots and sharp traction devices on those boots, a full zip becomes indispensable. That way you can avoid shredding those pants or else having to remove your spikes every time the storm shell comes on.

The full length version is the fourth video in the Cold! series and it's about a potentially serious issue: avalanches. Avalanches are a complicated topic, and this video can not be an end point to anyone's education, but it can and does introduce the basic principles and provide resources to learn more.

The cold makes it harder to bring in oxygen and have that oxygen circulate around your body. Whether you hike, climb, backpack, exercise, or just camp, this can put unnecessary strain on your heart and lungs. Scientists have found that a heat exchange mask can help avoid these issues. I've been using one on my mountaineering and climbing expeditions for years. It's helped me keep cold-induced asthma under control as well as helped my non-asthmatic friends perform at their best when we are in extreme conditions.

The full version is the third video in the Cold! series and it is about the small behaviors you can focus in on, and help your kids and family with, to make your winter backcountry excursions a bit more enjoyable and likely to succeed. These are small "personal management" practices that can make all the difference between getting cold and uncomfortable (or maybe even finding yourself in a dangerous situation) and feeling in control of your adventure.

You are hiking, backpacking, or climbing in the cold and your multiday trip would be easier with the convenience of a canister stove - if only they didn't fail in cold weather! Well, they don't have to fail. Mountaineers have been using canister stoves in high, extremely cold places for years. And this simple, no-cost solution can be applied to anyone who wants to camp cook with canister fuel.

This full version is the second video in the Cold! series and is about how to match winter traction devices like snowshoes, crampons, or MICROspikes to the particular conditions you are facing on the type of snow or ice or frozen ground you need to travel. We also discuss some considerations on how to be place your feet given the slick surfaces of winter.

The key to keeping the snow out of your boots is already on your pants. You can use the grommets on the hem to cinch your pants down when facing deep powder or post-holing when out on a climb or hike in the winter. Here's how.

We are presenting this series called "Cold!" and it's all about making backcountry adventures something fun for the whole family, despite the more challenging conditions of winter. The full version of this is the first video the series and is all about clothing. We take a look at the layering systems and clothing accessories you need to maintain safety and comfort when out in the wild during the winter months. We also spend some time talking about budget friendly options for most of it, too.

When the temperatures drop, losing an outer glove or mitt could lead to serious damage to your fingers and hand. Yet, sometimes you need to be able to take off that outer glove for improved dexterity or to better feel the terrain. If you gloves don't come with a factory installed leash, you can create a do-it-yourself option.

When fall comes and our family heads out into the mountains, we need to be ready for extremely variable conditions. Cold mornings, warm afternoons, and wind all make layering our clothing extremely challenging. Throw in the safety need of being prepared for an unplanned overnight stay, and we have to be sure the right hiking clothing is on our bodies and in our packs.

I love hiking, backpacking, climbing, and camping in the "shoulder seasons" of fall and spring. There are usually amazing colors and smaller (or no) crowds. But the variable conditions can make layering a challenge. It's cool one moment, warm the next. That's why I like to wear a neck gaiter when I'm out during those times. It's a simple piece of gear that is versatile enough to work in the ever-changing conditions that I will be facing.