Survival Gear for Winter Routes

[Dru]

Tauntaun

[BradW]

The quality of posts on this thread sure went down hill fast. I'll make an attempt at redemption.

 

Here’s my minimum bivy gear for snow trips:

1. Foam pad that will cover from the bottom of my butt to my shoulders.

2. Puffy jacket

3. Emergency tarp

The plan would be to take everything out of the pack and put my legs inside with the back pad down, which would insulate my legs from the snow. The foam pad would be used under my upper body. I could roll up in the tarp or use it for a roof on a trench snow shelter. Fortunately, I’ve never had a need to use this system.

 

In my opinion fire starter and matches are pretty much worthless above treeline. Once you light the things on fire they don’t burn long, and you have to have a nice rock to put them on or they’ll just melt through the snow. As a general rule I won’t carry a stove for “just in case”, but I can see how it might be justified for certain trips.

 

Some items I’m considering adding to my winter bivy gear include a bivy sack and one of those quilted down blankets they sell as gifts at Christmas time for $10. They’re lighter than a sleeping bag, and they come with cool snowmen on them.

 

BTW— What’s a “rasta bivy”?

[Squid]

BTW— What’s a “rasta bivy”?

 

It's an advanced technique more suited to experienced hardmen. Definitely don't try this without guidance- you'll probably hurt yourself.

[Dru]

It's "rasta camping" dignified with a French name.

[DirtyHarry]

It's "rasta camping" dignified with a French name.

 

 

[Weekend_Climberz]

I've spent the night out in the middle of February by the American River with nothing other than matches, 20ft of rope, and wool pants and jacket. I made a lean-to out of a fallen tree, covered the floor with pine needles and started a fire in the snow, with wet wood. I was able to find a tin can and boiled some water in it over the fire for water. It was part of a wilderness survival course I took and I was miserable most of the night, but survived none the less. It's all about keeping it together mentally and getting out of the elements. You should be able to make a fire in any conditions, rain or snow. There's almost always going to be dry wood on the underside of a fallen log in any conditions. It just a matter of determination.

[DirtyHarry]

The good thing about climbing in the lower 48 and a lot of Canada is that you're never too far from treeline. Theoretically, you can always descend into the forest and make a fire. Doesn't really work if you're on a glacier in the Coast Range or in Alaska, though.

[Forster]

If you check the lost and found forum constantly, sir, someone may eventually post that they have found your clue.

Very well Firemaster.

[joel20]

My turn to call BS Dru. Let's do a test. I'll have you lay down in the snow while I spend an hour making a fire. Sure I could get a rope under you or a pack. But if you have a broken back, which would you rather have under you, a nice flat foam pad, or a rope?

 

PAIN IS THE PATIENTS PROBLEM NOT YOURS

[Ade]

The quality of posts on this thread sure went down hill fast. I'll make an attempt at redemption.

 

Here’s my minimum bivy gear for snow trips:

1. Foam pad that will cover from the bottom of my butt to my shoulders.

2. Puffy jacket

3. Emergency tarp

The plan would be to take everything out of the pack and put my legs inside with the back pad down, which would insulate my legs from the snow. The foam pad would be used under my upper body. I could roll up in the tarp or use it for a roof on a trench snow shelter. Fortunately, I’ve never had a need to use this system.

 

In my opinion fire starter and matches are pretty much worthless above treeline. Once you light the things on fire they don’t burn long, and you have to have a nice rock to put them on or they’ll just melt through the snow. As a general rule I won’t carry a stove for “just in case”, but I can see how it might be justified for certain trips.

 

Some items I’m considering adding to my winter bivy gear include a bivy sack and one of those quilted down blankets they sell as gifts at Christmas time for $10. They’re lighter than a sleeping bag, and they come with cool snowmen on them.

 

 

So I have had occasion to use the above at 10,000' in late June. It works but don't expect to have fun doing it. In winter is would really suck - colder and a much longer night to wait through.

 

We had a stove - MSR Pocket Rocket. Which really helped reduce suckage. Matches for a fire sound real useful but if you get stuck on technical ground, which seems more likely than below treeline, there isn't going to be anything to burn anyways. If we'd been relying on a fire we'd have really been hosed.

 

You might want to consider an insulated bivvi sack instead of a bivvy bag blanket combo. Probably lighter and in winter a bivvy sack isn't much use unless it's raining - in which case you're really screwed.

[MtnHigh]

This is what a forced Winter bivvy looks like 9 hours into it.

[BillA]

And this is what your toes will look like afterwards:

[dlofgren]

First Saturday of January, 2002, I experienced my first winter emergency bivvy.

 

I’d bought my first new (alpine) skis and boots in almost thirty years, and was going to hike to Muir and ski down – figured that would be an awesome way to break them in. Ha! Put them in/on my pack at Paradise….they are HEAVY! So, in my infinite wisdom, I decided to lock them inside my pickup and just make a quick hike to Muir and back for conditioning. Since I had planned to pack my skis and boots up, I had forsaken my usual winter hiking backup stuff – stove, fuel, bivvy sack, pad, etc. – to save weight.

 

The hike to Muir was non-eventful, though I kept looking over my shoulder to make sure it wasn’t socking in behind me. If I’d seen even the beginning of that, I would have turned around quick and hustled back down.

 

Arrived at Muir, went in the hut to get out of the wind and rest up. I was in there only about a half hour, but when I put my things back in my pack and opened the door to leave, I was greeted my a snowing, blowing whiteout and two options: 1. To endure a shivering night in the hut, or 2. To chance a return to Paradise in the whiteout. I opted for #2.

 

To make a long story short, after crossing a boulder field that I knew I never crossed on the ascent, and with the clock ticking toward six o’clock, I decided that I was going to have to hole up somewhere. Found the lee side of a rock outcropping, dug a small cave and crawled in, using my snowshoes as a door. Laid on my pack with an empty water bottle for a pillow. Spent a surprisingly comfortable 12 hours in the hole, emerged the following morning to the same blowing, whiteout conditions, found the route and descended to Paradise.

 

Three things that helped:

(1) I kept my head. Kept repeating the #1 rule for survival if you’re lost: don’t panic. Took my time digging the cave; didn’t work up a sweat; only things that got wet were my fleece gloves (saved my NF down mitts for the night).

(2) I had a really good clothing system – wicking layer, fleece and shells, and plastic boots.

(3) My cave was small and tight. Too tight, but it worked well to keep the heat in. I could lay down, but not sit up; had about a foot to spare on both ends. As the spindrift filled my entrance I had to sort of roll on my side and stick my right foot up through the air hole to clear it. It worked, but each time I did it (every 20 minutes the whole night) my foot would bring back a bit of snow, which would fill a little more of my cave. Toward morning my foot couldn’t reach the top of the snow outside, so I was a bit worried about the roof glazing over with ice from the warmth. When I finally decided to exit it took twenty minutes to dig my way out. No wonder I was so warm – a thick white blanket of insulation!

 

Back to the thread: my survival gear consisted of a shovel and an excellent clothing system. Would I ever again head up to Muir in January with only a shovel? No. A stove and pad would have been really nice, and a bivvy sack would have been essential if the snow hadn’t been so thick.