Questions tagged [winter]
The cold season - depending on the climate this can be simply mild to posing life threatening conditions, and especially in the latter case preparation is essential.
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How can I find the safest place to cross a frozen river from a map?
Where is the better chance the ice on the frozen river in winter will be thicker and safer to cross?
I expect the river width oscillates between the following conditions:
on a shallow, wider, slower ...
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How to breathe cold air while in a warm sleeping pack?
I could swear the question a duplicate; even to one of my own old ones! Failing to find it I might just as well ask.
Imagine temperature somewhat/far below freezing; a sleeping bag, bivy bag and ...
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Weight carrying/distances on backcountry skiing with sled
Wondering what people's experience is with this. I'd like to get an idea of some examples of weight/daily distances people can do on ski while pulling a sled. Obviously would vary a lot given the ...
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What are the different types of camping for a beginner?
I am looking into the camping hobby no found few different styles, specifically the shelter used in the outdoor.
So far I have learned that camping with a wood stove means it is hot tent camping, and ...
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What jacket should I choose for winter trekking?
I can't stay in house much more this winter I need to go on longer hikes.
I am used to longer hikes up to 14 days, but not during the winter. I want to do 1-5 day hikes in winter in dry weather, ...
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Why do my Scarpa Phantom Techs boots feel cold even in mild weather?
I have Scarpa Phantom Tech, technical mountaineering / winter climbing boots. They are generally great but I'm experiencing a strange phenomenon: my feet get seriously cold when I stop moving, ...
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Are aluminum foil and emergency mylar blankets equally effective as heat reflectors/insulators
Are aluminum foil and emergency mylar blankets equally effective as heat reflectors/insulators or is one better than the other?
And if there is a difference, what's causing it?
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Is Sleeping Pad R-Value Misleading for Winter Camping?
Most of the advice I see on sleeping pads is along the lines of "for cold weather, get a sleeping pad with an R-value of 5+." I've also read that R-value is additive—that is, if you stack ...
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Lightweight vacuum flasks / ways to carry hot liquids
All the hiking gear is getting more and more lightweight and hi-tech... but vacuum flasks haven't changed much for the last fifty years, they're still extremely heavy pieces of steel! One litre bottle ...
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How can I make a winter mountaineering boot into an extreme winter boot?
I am planning to make a winter ascent of a mountain with a height of 4850 meters (15,900 ft). Its summit's lowest and wind-chill temperatures are around -30 C (-22 F) and -40 C (-40 F), respectively. ...
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What are some good hydration solutions for long winter hikes?
I'm planning a hiking and photography trip to the Rockies in January as a follow up to a similar trip last year. The major difference in this case is the length of some hikes, with a handful of out-...
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How to Maximize Survival Stranded on a Snowy Mountain
I'm looking for survival information similar to what happened to the rugby team in Miracle in the Andes. If a plane crashed on a similar rural mountain range during the winter, what are the important ...
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Adirondacks winter road open/closed status
I'm looking for a decent source to know winter road conditions for various Adirondacks access roads.
First level of interest would be just what is or isn't being maintained.
A better yet answer ...
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Hiking during winter in Alps
I've been hiking the the Alps for 20years and normally I go skiing every winter. But I see more and more pictures of people hiking in the snow.
Is it possible to go hiking in February in the alps? If ...
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Winter boots for -40°C that are snowshoe and crampon compatible?
One should never let middle age men sit around drinking and reliving the glory days of their youth on a holiday weekend. I think I may have agreed to a mid January Presidential traverse in the White ...
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Which is more dangerous, icy roads or icy roads with snow on top?
Where I live, we are about to get a bunch of snow (5”-8”). This has brought about the question of which is more dangerous an icy road or an icy road with snow? Does the snow help traction on the ice, ...
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Which Ultralight & Compact Jackets are suitable for Winters (minus 10-15 deg. Celsius)?
I am not sure if this question fits here but since I like to travel and often face difficulties because of different weather conditions in different cities/countries so, I am hoping that somebody ...
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Clothing for cold weather hiking
I will go for two day hiking on a mountain (intermediate level). The weather will be chilling (3 °C to 5 °C, no snowing,but it may rain). I would like to know what kind of clothing would be better?
...
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Is sleeping on a yoga mat better than on an airbed during winter camping?
This is a follow up on question that my friend asked earlier, but I can't comment on. My friend and I have an ongoing argument about a question :
During cold winter camping (-20C air temperature, ...
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Can natural material be found in a temperate forest to help protect against snow blindness?
Snow blindness, also known as photokeratitis, is predominately caused by the sun's reflection off of snow. If one is caught out in the wild, ill prepared for snow, what could one find in a temperate ...
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At what temperature should one switch from gloves to mittens?
Given comparable contstuction and insulation betwwen a pair of gloves and pair of mittens that are designed for winter / below 0C conditions, at what temperature range would mittens be preferable to ...
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Skis versus snow shoes - when to choose which for travelling the backcountry?
When travelling the backcountry in high snow, do snow shoes or skis perform better? By "perform better" I mean how tiring and fast travel is.
Is there a general answer, or does it depend on the ...
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What’s the best thing to wear on your hands when sea kayaking in very cold weather?
What product or combination of products best protects your hands while kayaking in winter? I’m interested in a system which provides comfort for extended paddling but also the peripheral activities ...
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Do chipmunks hibernate in woodpiles, and, if so, how do I avoid disturbing them when taking wood from the pile?
We have a woodpile, protected from wind and precipitation, under the eaves of our house. Earlier, perhaps a month earlier, I several times saw two chipmunks emerging from, and going back into the ...
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What gear should I carry along for winter emergencies?
This question is prompted by a real accident, in which a young, healthy and experienced hiker I knew was found dead from hypothermia ridiculously close to civilization.
The assumptions behind it: a ...
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Summitting Breithorn in the winter?
I am interested in summitting Breithorn this winter (late January) using crampons and an ice axe. I am in excellent physical shape but I do not have much alpine experience. I have seen mixed reviews ...
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What do you call what amounts to a modern hybrid between a sneaker and a high top moccasin?
Thirty odd years ago there was a fad for shoes generically called snow joggers. It was a super lightweight boot in appearence -- usually 6-8" tall, but with a very light construction throughout. ...
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Best way to use “space” blanket to boost heat when bivy camping
A thin, heat-reflective sheet (aka “space” blanket) is a popular outdoors emergency item, having a number of uses. See
adventure.howstuffworks.com/survival/gear/space-blanket and
gotimegear.com/blogs/...
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How to avoid getting wet when exiting a canoe onto shore?
At the end of November we are going an a 3 day canoeing trip with multiple obstacles where we have to get the canoe out of the water. As it is really cold at this time, we don't want to get wet boots/...
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What are some common mistakes to avoid when trying winter camping for the first time?
I would like to try winter camping. What are some common mistakes first-timers make when trying to camp in the cold?
I would be camping in temperatures between 0 and 32 Fahrenheit (-17 to 0 degrees ...
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Winter wear in New York
Recently I moved to NY and I am finding hard time to get accustomed with the weather. I have never experienced temperature below 15℃ back home! So, its quite a challenge. Expectedly, the winter wears ...
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Neoprene as a base layer for winter activities?
How does neoprene perform as a base layer for winter sports? Is it a way to be warm while remaining sweaty, as opposed to wicking sweat away? What are its disadvantages? What are best practices for ...
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Gear for slush-over-ice
I hike in all seasons and weathers. I love the old adage there is no bad weather only bad gear. My Kahtoola microspikes are excellent when there is hard ice on the trail. Turns a sheet of ice into a ...
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What is this raised, icy-looking structure, found at the edge of a partially frozen lake?
Last month, in February, my husband was walking on a trail in the woods in Massachusetts, alongside a fresh-water lake. The temperatures had been fluctuating a lot over the winter, so some areas were ...
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My car broke down in Siberia. What do I do now?
Some time ago, while driving on a snowy road, someone told me a kind of horror story.
It involved a guy who was driving alone with an old car on an overland road in Siberia during winter, so the ...
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Using Camphor (Icy Hot) in the winter for warmth
Some products like 'Icy Hot' contain a substance called 'Camphor' that can make your skin feel warm when applied.
It is cold out today (1°F or -17°C). I have been making short trips out to ...
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How to identify good winter boots for walking on ice?
I just saw this BBC news clip Does Canada have the solution to slipping on ice? at about 1:20 into the clip (not counting the commercial) a scientist says "most footwear performs poorly" he also says ...
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Quick and easy winter shelter for kids to build
What would be the easiest type of shelter for a young kid to build, alone and with minimal tools, in a deep winter survival situation?
For a kid 10-12 years old, carrying only a Swiss army-knife, a ...
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How can I keep insulin at the correct temperature in sub zero temperatures?
I am a Type 1 diabetic and aspire to move to the arctic wilderness of Alaska.
I can figure out how to maintain enough emergency carb food for survival.
The one thing I'm not sure how I will handle ...
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What is a good R value for a four-season sleeping pad?
I've been a Boy Scout for seven years now, and as I'm moving from high school to college I'd like to get into solo backpacking. I live in the lower peninsula of the state of Michigan. I don't foresee ...
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Why is the European robin associated with winter?
Reading some of the comments on this answer:
....they're seen in the UK as winter birds. Not, I think, that they're
not around in the summer; more that other birds aren't around in the
winter ...
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Why did people rub snow on frozen feet?
If you read old books from cold areas, it's not infrequent to run across the idea of rubbing snow on one's feet when they got frozen or frostbitten. However, subjectively, it seems to me that this ...
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Ski setup for skijoring
I was born on ski's and switched to snowboarding and now on the return to skiing. However I intend to do both downhill and skijoring in the next season (skiing with my dogs)
I am having trouble ...
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Is it warmer to sleep with an empty bladder?
One of the recommendations for sleeping warm is to empty your bladder before bed,
When your bladder is full, your body is expending energy keeping that liquid warm. If you empty it out, your body ...
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How do I judge what fabrics used to make ear warmers mean, in terms of their function?
My husband recently lost a pair of ear warmers he got at North Face 15 years ago. North Face no longer sells them, so I'm looking for a high-quality replacement. I'm confused by the types of materials ...
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How to clean soaked-in winter salt off boots?
Hiking in winter near urban areas, it’s difficult to avoid getting salty snow/slush on one’s boots. Of course, the first rule is to rinse it off immediately, and not to let it soak in. But sometimes ...
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Choosing socks for frequent switching cold-warm
I'm looking for socks for the following conditions and to complement the following footwear.
My wife frequently spends several hours driving a car (setting car temperature to stay around +20°C) , ...
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How can I perfect my backyard ice rink?
I live in the northeast US and have a depression in my backyard: after weeks of freezing weather we had a warm, rainy weekend. Then it all froze =)
So now I have a backyard rink, about 100' x 50' (...
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Do I need a hard shell to ski in sunny weather conditions?
I'm going skiing for the first time. From what I've read, most everyone uses hard shell jackets and pants for skiing. However, they usually mention something about skiing in bad weather, frigid cold ...
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What are anti-sweat technologies in winter jackets called?
Once I saw a winter jacket of my roommate with some lining under it. This lining absorbed almost all his sweat, besides logo on his shirt. I searched for it, but cannot find any.
How this linings ...
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