Snow Camping

Snow Camping

Topics

• Types of tents
• Sleeping bags & pads
• Site selection
• Securing a tent
• Keeping warm and dry
• Cooking and stove selection
• Bathroom etiquette
• Alternative shelters

Snow Camping

Types of Tents

Snow Camping

Types of Tents

3-season tents are good for 3-season conditions, regardless of the time of year. For example, below-treeline camping in moderate climates in winter. They are also good for above-treeline camping in the alpine environment in good weather.

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4-season tents are good for adverse conditions (primarily wind and snow). For example, camping during high snowfall or high winds.

Snow Camping

Winter Tent Types

Hilleberg Jannu

Black Diamond Firstlight

Snow Camping

Snow Camping

Winter Tent Types

Single wall tents sacrifice breathability and waterproofness for lightness and small size.

Double wall tents have better breathability (due to the separate fly) but this comes with a weight penalty.

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• Single wall tents are great for Cascades objectives in good weather.
• Double wall tents are better for extended trips and extended harsh weather.

Snow Camping

Alternative Shelters

Bivy Sack: Single-person shelters. Small weight and packed size. Small internal space makes it difficult to do anything besides sleep (maybe).

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Tarp: Flexible lightweight shelters. Light weight, can be used in lots of configurations. No bottom or sides.

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Pyramid: Specialized type of tarp shelter. Light weight, spacious, durable. No bottom.

Snow Camping

Snow Camping

Sleeping Bags - Ratings

• Comfort: the temperature where an average sleeper will still be comfortable. Also used as the “women’s” bag temperature rating.
• Limit: the temperature where a cold sleeper will still be comfortable. Usually the advertised temperature of a sleeping bag.
• Note: Individuals vary! The “limit” temperature may be colder than comfortable for many users.

Reference: https://www.rei.com/blog/camp/understanding-sleeping-bag-temperature-ratings

Example ratings for a “5 degree” bag

Snow Camping

Sleeping Bags - Insulation

• Down
• packs smaller
• warmer for the weight
• extremely durable (resists compression)
• very poor insulation when wet
• Synthetic
• less expensive
• works well when wet
• doesn’t pack down very well
• heavier for the same temperature rating
• loses insulation performance every time it is packed

Snow Camping

Snow Camping

Alternative Sleeping Bags

Quilt

• Sleeping bag without the bottom fabric and insulation, uses the pad for warmth.
• Lighter than a sleeping bag due to reduced material.
• May be drafty in cold weather.
• Helps you fit in with PCT thru-hikers with packs that weigh 12.37 pounds.

Elephant’s Foot

• Sleeping bag with minimal or no insulation in the top half, works in conjunction with your insulated jacket.
• Reduced system weight because it utilizes other insulation you’re already carrying.
• Helps you perfect your king tut impersonation.

Double Sleeping Bag

• Supreme warmth for the weight due to shared body heat.
• Everybody loves cuddling!
• Helps develop long-term partnerships.

Snow Camping

Snow Camping

Sleeping Pads - Warmth

• Sleeping pad insulates your body from the cold ground.
• When sleeping on dense snow, ice, or cold rock, heat loss through the ground is a major concern.
• Sleeping pad insulation is rated with an “R value.” Higher numbers are more insulating.

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• Multiple mats may be stacked for more warmth, R-values add together.

Snow Camping

Sleeping Pads - Selection

Closed Cell Foam (R1.0 - 2.0) e.g Thermarest Z-Lite, Exped Flexmat, Ensolite

• Pros: Inexpensive, durable, lightweight, instant deployment, 1970’s street cred
• Cons: Bulky, thin, may be uncomfortable

Self-Inflating (R2.0 - 3.5) e.g. Thermarest Prolite

• Pros: Reasonably comfortable, warm
• Cons: Not really self-inflating, more expensive, moderate packed size, can leak

Inflatable (R2.0 - 6.9) e.g. Thermarest Neoair, S2S Ultralight

• Pros: Lightweight, smallest packed size, very warm models exist
• Cons: Bouncy, can leak, expensive

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• Multiple mats and mat types may be combined in a system. Example: foam pad under a summer-warmth inflatable pad: 4-season warmth + backup in case of leak.
• A repair kit for an inflatable pad may make sense to carry, but you will not be repairing it at 3 AM in a tiny tent at Thumb Rock.

Snow Camping

Snow Camping

Choosing a Site

Leave No Trace

• Camping on snow is low impact
• Using existing (“hardened” or well-used) sites is minimal impact
• Camping on rock and gravel can be low impact in the right locations
• DO NOT camp on grass, meadows, or other living things unless it is an explicitly designated campsite!

Snow Camping

Choosing a Site

Unvegetated rock, popular hardened camp location (Curtis Ridge, Mt. Rainier)

Spring snowfield�(Killen Meadows, Mt. Adams)

Snow Camping

Snow Camping

Choosing a Site

• Shelter from elements using terrain features
• Beware of hazardous slopes above or below
• Avoid avalanche terrain traps
• On glaciers, probe & wand safe areas
• Choose a flat area or dig a platform
• Camps in valleys or other low spots may be out of the wind, but may also be colder due to inversions

Snow Camping

Mt. Stuart, Ice Cliff Glacier camp, June

Snow Camping

Site Prep

• Shovel or chop as necessary to remove high spots
• Stomp snow down in the area of the tent to compact it
• Secure tent in place (see following slide)

Snow Camping

Securing a Tent

Normal tent stakes are ineffective in snow or on bare rock. Some options include:

• Specialized snow stakes (such as MSR Blizzard)
• Buried stuff sacks or “parachute” style anchors
• Buried ice axes, trekking poles, avalanche shovels
• This technique doesn’t work if you’ll be leaving the camp assembled while climbing and need the gear!
• Small rocks buried as anchors.
• Wrap guyline around rock, bury like a picket!
• On dry slabby rock camps, pile more rocks on your rock picket

Snow Camping

Snow Camping

Keeping Stuff Warm & Dry

• Small damp items (such as socks and gloves) can be dried out by putting inside sleeping bag overnight.
• In below-freezing temperatures, water may freeze if left out. Consider putting inside your sleeping bag.
• Note: a cold water bottle may cause a chill. Consider warming the water before going to sleep. A bottle of hot water adds significant comfort to a sleeping bag!
• Keep your breakfast granola bar in your sleeping bag with you to avoid breaking your teeth in the morning.
• For extended trips in cold weather, boots with removable liners (double boots or ski boots) may be beneficial. Allows for removal and drying of liners in your sleeping bag overnight.
• If everything with you is wet and you have to sleep in a cold tent, most of it will be frozen in the morning. Evaluate your life choices accordingly.

Snow Camping

Cooking and Melting Snow

Note: all canister stoves have poor performance below freezing. Keep the canisters warm and/or place them in a bowl with liquid water during use.

Snow Camping

Snow Camping

Snow Melting Tips

• NEVER MELT SNOW IN A DRY PAN. Always start with a bit of water in the pan. This prevents burning the pan and accelerates the melting process.
• Have something for breaking up firm snow and collecting it, such as an ice tool and a bowl or stuff sack.
• For clean surface snow, it may not need to be boiled, which significantly reduces fuel use.

Snow Camping

Snow Camping

Stove Fuel Consumption

Approximate fuel use rates (from MSR). Water boiled per ounce of fuel used:

• UL Canister Stove: 2L water boiled per oz of fuel
• Liquid Fuel: 1.5L water boiled per oz of fuel
• Canister System: 2.5L water boiled per oz of fuel

“Wind is a major consideration. For open-flame-burner stoves (like the PocketRocket), a 5 mph (8kph) wind can cause as much as three times more fuel use in a given cooking period.”

https://www.msrgear.com/blog/stoves-101-how-much-fuel-should-i-carry/

Snow Camping

Utilizing Running Water

Melting snow uses a lot of fuel and a lot of time. Alternative sources of running water are a huge bonus!

• Small creeks
• Dripping snow
• place bottle under drip. A rigid wide-mount bottle is best for this. Can be time consuming, works best if you are not in a rush.
• Running surface water
• Use a picket as a water spout
• Consider source of running water and filter/treat as necessary

If you come across a good water source, it may be smart to take a break, fill up, and hydrate, even if it wasn’t planned. Could save time in the long run!

Snow Camping

Utilizing Running Water

Picket water faucet on Mt. Rainier.

Filling a bottle one drop at a time on Forbidden Peak.

Drip Drip Drip!

Water bottle

99% water, �1% mystery dirt!

Snow Camping

Camp Bathroom

#1: Keep all pee in a designated area away from camp, away from snow and water collection. If possible, do it downstream and/or in a different micro watershed than camp. Pack out all toilet paper!

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#2: NO BURYING POOP IN SNOW, CREVASSES OR ALPINE ROCK! �At camps that have designated pit toilets (such as major Rainier camps, Boston Basin, etc.), use the pit toilet. In other alpine locations, pack it out.

Snow Camping

Unplanned Night Out?

• Insulate your body
• Put on all your jackets, hats, hoods, etc.
• Insulate the ground
• Use a sleeping pad if you have one
• Foam panel from backpack or sit on the whole empty pack
• Lay your rope out as a sleeping mat
• Use your equipment
• A backpack can be a crappy half sleeping bag for your legs
• An emergency blanket or emergency bivy sack may provide a bit of shelter
• Snuggle up!
• Spend equal time as big spoon and little spoon to be fair to your partner
• Make a hot beverage if you have a stove
• Eat sufficient calories (fatty calories if possible) to fuel your body
• Think about what happened that resulted in an unplanned night out and how to avoid it next time!

Snow Camping

Alternative Shelters - Snow Caves

Snow caves are very time consuming and tiring to build, and are not commonly used on PNW climbs.�If you have time and energy to build a snow cave, it may be better spent walking towards the trailhead.

Fill in caves and trenches when you leave!

Snow Camping

Alternative Shelters - Trenches

• A snow trench can be built by digging a person-sized trench 2-3 feet deep in the snow and covering it with snow blocks, a tarp, or other cover
• Flat roof can collapse under snow loads
• The next 8 hours might be a good time to think about what went wrong that resulted in spending the night in a snow coffin.

Snow Camping

Thoughts on Bringing Stuff

Weight and comfort exist on a continuum, and different types of objectives require different tradeoffs.

• Base Camping
• Easy hike in, sheltered camp locations, returning to camp after climb.
• Bring whatever you want!
• Examples: Middle Sister, Shuksan w/ Lake Ann camp
• High Camp Return
• Set up camp partway up the route in an alpine zone, return to camp after summit.
• Pack lighter, according to the route size and your fitness.
• Examples: Rainier via DC or Emmons, Coleman-Deming on Baker
• Carry-Over or On-Route Bivy
• Everything in your pack must go up and over the summit, may include some technical climbing.
• Be very weight conscious, it may affect speed and safety on the route.
• Steep technical climbing is much harder with a pack on!
• Examples: Rainier via Kautz or Liberty Ridge

Snow Camping

Random Photos?

Snow Camping