Winter Hiking

Have you ever wondered why you don’t get thirsty on winter hikes even though your pee turns yellow and it’s clear that you need to drink more? Blame your brain. It’s not wired to recognize the increased amount of water vapor you …

Winter backpacking and mountaineering are great sports. But the cost of winter gear is very expensive, upward of $2000 or more. In my experience, it’s best to acquire winter backpacking gear over a period of 2-3 years, so you can spread out …

When gearing up for winter day hiking you want footwear, clothing and traction aids that can be used across a fairly wide range of temperatures, wind speeds, sun, precipitation types, and surface conditions. For example, typical winter weather includes: Temperatures: from 40 …

One of the biggest challenges faced by winter hikers is figuring out a clothing layering system that keeps them warm and dry across a wide variety of temperatures, wind chills, and exertion levels. It takes a lot of experimentation to dial in …

The size of snowshoe you need depends on your body weight, the weight of your gear, snow type, and whether you snowshoe on broken-out trails or travel cross-country, on fresh powder. But if you are about to buy a new pair of …

Winter River Crossings can be quite high consequence if you slip off a rock and get your boots and clothing wet or you plunge through an ice shelf along the bank and get swept underneath it. You can usually avoid these dangers …

Winter backpacking requires the development of many new skills, particularly in the area of hydration and stove use. Chief amongst these is melting snow for drinking water since most of the streams you encounter will be frozen over and you can’t ingest …

Most winter hikers carry several pairs of gloves on winter hiking and backpacking trips and switch between as their need for breathability, dexterity, wind resistance, waterproofing, or warmth changes during the day. No one pair of gloves can satisfy all of these …

Arm warmers are usually sold as cycling gear, but many winter hikers also use them for insulation because they’re easy to take off when you warm up or put back on when you get cold. Frequent stopping, unpacking, and repacking isn’t good …

If you’re standing on a mountain in a whiteout, in winter, in blowing wind, with a cliff behind you, the last thing you want are fogged up goggles. Here are a few tricks I’ve picked up over the years to keep seeing …

Winter hiking, backpacking, and camping in snow and mountainous terrain requires additional skills and experience that are hard to come by unless you do it and make a few mistakes along the way. I was fortunate to have some excellent mentors who …

Winter hikers and snowshoers often have difficulty staying properly hydrated in cold weather because winter hiking is physically more challenging. The physical act of drinking is also more involved than simply sipping from a hydration hose, what with heavy winter gloves and …

There is really no substitute for experience when it comes to winter hiking, backpacking, and camping. You can read about it in books and watch videos, but the best way to learn is to go out with an experienced friend who can …

Snowshoes are heavy, weighing between four and five pounds a pair, so most winter hikers are happy when they don’t have to carry them on a winter hike. But how can you tell when they won’t be needed? This is a question that …