Note: I am in Boulder, CO attending a film class at Serac Adventure Films today and will have limited computer access.
The most unpleasant and dangerous type of cold is that special blend of Pacific Northwest/Patagonian misery where your clothes are damp on the inside from sweat, soaked through from the outside by moist snow, temperatures are just below freezing and there’s some wind chill. This is a classic recipe for hypothermia and deserves extra caution. Envision a wood stove being sprayed with cold water; once the fire goes out, the core temp immediately plummets and it can be hard if not impossible to get it going again. The same thing happens with your body temperature-you can keep toughing it out for a while, but once you go down, you go down very fast and may not recover. Symptoms of hypothermia include uncontrolled shivering, loss of dexterity, slurred speech and sluggish behavior.
- Skiin’ in the rain on Anvers Island, Antarctica with Doug Stoup. We were smiling as we were just about to get into the tent after a very wet day.
The solution here is to nip it in the bud early on as the situation doesn’t improve. Stop what you are doing and put on a second shell and/or pants and do everything possible to seal up your clothes against the elements. Once you are battened down, control your sweating by regulating your pace. This can be counter-intuitive at times as if you are sweating, you are probably working too hard and need to slow down, which is the last thing you want to do when it’s this miserable. Even the most tricked out techie miracle breathable fabric can’t keep up with an overheating torso in marginally freezing temperatures when the outer surface is plastered with rain or slush.
Having endured many soggy diaper rash days in the Cascade Mountains, the winning combination is a medium next-to-skin fleece layer covered with two outer layers of shell garments. In other words, save your old pants and shells and then wear new ones on top of those. Rubber fishing gloves work well as your hands don’t sweat and a hat with a wide brim keeps the rain from channeling down your neck.
If you are caught out on an extended tour during conditions like these, set up your tent, find some shelter or shorten the tour while you still have plenty of time and energy.
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Note: I will be in Boulder, CO attending a Serac Advenure Films class until Tuesday and have limited computer access.
You don’t have to love the cold to be a ski mountaineer, but it definitely helps. At the very least, try to fake it. As much as anything, cold is a state of mind and in that regard, you have some control over it. Look at the positive side of being cold; it means you are alive, it means you are probably in the mountains, it means that your nerve endings are working, and it means the snow is also cold, which in turn means it will probably be good skiing. It also means you aren’t sweltering in the heat of a flat, sandy desert. See, there are all sorts of advantages to being cold!
- Ben Ditto enjoying a brisk, early morning start.
Fighting cold is counterproductive and it is far better to accept it (even love it if you can) and realize that this is a small price to pay for ski mountaineering. The state of being cold is a mindset that can toyed with - convince yourself that that burning feeling is actually heat, not frostbite. This usually works for about ten seconds, but by doing it multiple times and continually moving, you will gradually warm up to operating temperature and lose the cold anxiety.
Your main source of heat is your body, so make sure it has plenty of fuel to burn in the form of calories. Cold is an excellent appetite suppressor, which can make it hard to eat. The last thing you want to do when you are freezing is to stop, get even colder and then chow down a big cold lunch. Instead, keep the inner fires going with constant grazing on pocket food, like bars, GORP, jerky or cheese. Think of it as burning kindling, and save the big logs/calories for breakfast and dinner when you are nice and warm.
Tomorrow: drenching cold
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Note: I’ll be in Boulder, CO until Tuesday attending a Serac Adventure Films class and will have limited computer access.
A major part of surviving adversity is anticipating it and being prepared. Spending a day out touring in the maw of nature’s fury as it is dumping snow, blowing, avalanching, and going off the charts can be exhilarating if you are warm, dry and safe, or lethal if you are not. Overcoming adversity is a mix having the right gear and knowledge, as well as knowing how and when to use it.
- The silver lining on a very cooooold cake - seeing Mt. Foraker at sunrise after climbing through the night on Mt. Hunter in -25 degree temps. Alaska
Part of overcoming adversities is to embrace the hardships. As George W. Bush said “It’s hard work. We’re workin’ hard.” Stay positive and turn it into a fun challenge. Convince yourself that you are getting what you came for and enjoy the struggle. Remember, it doesn’t have to be fun to be fun!
Try not to over-think adversity. When it comes to dealing with storms, steep slopes or any other challenges, think about it, make a decision (retreat or go) and then get on with it. Continual second guessing makes it much worse. Boldness has genius.
Monday - Meeting Mr. Cold
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