Winter Hiking

Last week, I heard a great talk at the AMC Boston Winter Hiking Program given by Larry Takiff on Mountain Weather and Avalanche Awareness. Larry is a very seasoned winter hiker and climber with international experience. The gist of Larry's talk was that mountains make their own weather and he …

I tried out a new winter backpacking dinner recipe last night in the Section Hiker test kitchen that combines canned chicken breast, Chinese Lo Mein noodles (wheat), and a very spicy Thai peanut sauce. I even used my normal winter backpacking pot and insulated mug to make sure that I …

This past Tuesday, I heard a great talk on Winter Hiking Safety given by Mohamed Ellozy, a leader with the Boston AMC Winter Backpacking Program and former Appalachia Magazine accidents editor. I thought I'd summarize the key points he made during his talk and the accident summary he related us …

As I was following the discussion of the expense and weight of winter tents, I thought of a shelter I used for an overnight backpack I did a couple of years ago. The total weight of everything I needed for my shelter was less than two pounds and it cost …

Winter camping, hiking, backpacking and mountaineering are not without peril. If you have never done them, it’s best to receive some training from your local outdoor club or a professional guiding service before you try it yourself. I just started last year myself after a three-day Intro to Mountaineering Class …

With winter just around the bend, this is a good time to start thinking about checking your winter hiking gear and sharpening your crampons. Crampons work best when they’re sharp enough to assertively bite into ice. The problem is that they wear down with use, especially if you hike or …

Some people will debate whether you need an insulated mug for winter camping and argue that you can use a cook pot instead. This may be true, but it’s not practical. When I get to camp and start to melt snow for water, I want to be able to have …

If you’re not careful, it’s very easy to become dehydrated in the winter particularly if you’re engaged in sports like snowshoeing, backcountry skiing or mountaineering. Under these conditions, it’s not enough to be on the lookout for yellow pee; you need to hydrate before exertion and regularly during all outdoor …

If you’re not familiar with crampons, here are a few videos which will help you to understand how to attach them to your boots and the basic techniques required to use them on ice. If you think that using crampons for winter hiking or climbing might be  exciting to try, …

If you own a water filter for backpacking or camping, it’s really important to prevent it from freezing in cold weather because it can seize up or crack when it thaws. Either of these conditions are bad news because you run the risk of drinking contaminated water than can make …