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Winter Camping in the White Mountains
- Fitness - Be in shape. If hauling around a
50lb pack scares you, hauling a 50lb pack through 15 inches of
snow will kill you.
- Cold
- .
- Tree Line
- Unless
you are very familiar with the trail or the trail
is well marked with cairns, I would not recommend hiking
above treeline during a snow storm or windy/drifting days. You really shouldn't
be hiking above tree line in those conditions anyway.
- Gear
- Jackets with soft "comfort collars" are not so comfortable when
frozen. Jackets with nylon collars are preferred. In winter,
jackets with storm flaps over zippers are better than tiny
waterproof zippers without storm flaps. To lighten some
jackets, manufacturers will use smaller water-tight zippers and
not use storm flaps. The smaller water-tight zippers (like
everything) are not completely water proof and will
freeze.
In the Adirondacks I learned the value of pants
that will zip entirely on/off without removing your boots. In the
White Mountains I learned the value of suspended pants. Good
winter/glacier pants will have high wastes and suspendors to keep
them on. This helps retain heat and keeps your pants from
falling down. Wearing a backpack over layered pants tends to push
them down your backside. This exposes you to drafts and snow if
you should fall (you will fall), it's snowing, or hiking through
snow covered branches. If you're going to be using crampons, pants
made
If you're setting up a base camp, bring a tent at
least one person larger than the number of people you have on the
trip. In the winter there's a potential you will spend a lot of
time in the tent. Having room to move around, store/dry gear and
hang out makes the time spent there easier.
Radios are
really nice to have when spending time in the tent.
Hanging
candle/lanterns are also nice things to have in a tent in
winter.
Lexan bottles
Goggles
- Food
- Bring lots of it and eat it. It's amazing how much
warmer you will be when you have a full stomach.
No matter how tired you are or how bad the weather (except
full force storms), prepare the hot water for food, drinks and
water bottles. Drinking warm water in the cold is really
nice.
- Weather - Pay attention to the
weather. Not just temperatures, but things like snow
accumulation. Realize that weather forecasts are referring
to the vallies, not at elevation. Snow showers in the valley
can mean 2 - 4 inches at elevation.
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