COLD WEATHER CAMPING – MOUNTAIN EDITION

COLD WEATHER CAMPING – MOUNTAIN EDITION
The digicam is targeted on a staff of individuals, armored head to toe in layers of vibrant artificial materials, standing triumphantly atop a snow-capped mountain. As the digicam zooms out, we see a precipitous drop on both facet of the path, highlighting the truth that these persons are standing on the sting. This isn’t any odd mountain high. Not solely are these trekkers standing on the sting of this specific mountain, they’re poised on the sting between the heavens and the earth, between life and demise. The view is breathtaking, the hikers’ expressions triumphant. If it is a documentary, there’s most likely some epic music taking part in. To most individuals, that is what it’s prefer to hike and camp at excessive altitude.

Climbing to the highest, the place land meets the sky, takes bodily energy, but it surely additionally takes information and tenting know-how. To attain the highest, it’s good to know what to carry, how arrange camps, and find out how to keep wholesome as you make your ascent.

What to Bring
Winter Tents:
Camping at excessive elevations requires a distinct sort of tent than the one most individuals have stashed away of their basement that they use for the occasional summer time outing. High altitude tents come outfitted with a full protection fly, aluminum poles and the framing wanted to resist winds and blowing and drifting snow. A superb excessive altitude tent has framing that pushes the fly and tent materials out towards the wind. Only use frames product of aluminum poles that are much less more likely to break at low temperature. Cold Weather Camping excessive within the backcountry usually requires totally different stakes due to snow situations. Tools like snow pickets and ice screws, and stakes like snow stakes and deadman anchors utilized in deep snow situations, develop into invaluable for retaining your tent in place. Additional line and man outs could be of nice assist tightening issues up, and stopping your tent from turning right into a poorly designed kite. High altitude tents usually have much less venting than a regular tent. This makes them heavier however more durable, and you will have more durable since you’re tenting on the identical altitude at which individuals elsewhere are flying planes.

Warm Sleeping Bags
Choose a sleeping bag rated decrease than the bottom temperatures you anticipate to come across. Staying heat is high precedence. You can at all times unzip your bag slightly or take off garments if you happen to get too heat. Also, you’ll want to pack a foam pad with an R ranking over 3.5. There are inflatable sleeping pads which have larger R scores, however solely select inflatable pads with R scores 3.5 and up for prime altitude winter tenting. You don’t wish to thaw a spot beneath or round you on the mountain.

High Altitude Stoves to Cold Weather Camping Stoves:
Changing air stress that happens at larger altitudes usually creates surprises for inexperienced campers. Water boils at totally different temperatures relying on altitude. At sea degree, water boils at 212°F or 100°C. As you go up in altitude, the temperature at which water boils lowers. For occasion, at 14,000 ft water boils at 185.9°F, that may be a 26°F temperature distinction. The gas alternative in your range could also be affected by chilly climate as effectively. Fuels, like isobutane, can develop issues in temperatures under 20°F. There is a bonus although, in utilizing isobutane at larger altitudes. You can decrease the efficient vary of an isobutane range by 2°F for each 1000 ft. At 14,000 ft you possibly can use isobutane near 0°F. If you will have to make use of a range past the vary of the stress necessities for the pressurized gas used, you might must resort to multi-fuel stoves that use liquid gas and could be pressurized by means of pumping.

Waste Bags
To date, the outhouse on the highest elevation within the United States is a throne perched atop Mount Whitney, at round 14,494 ft. Doing your small business anyplace at excessive altitude, with out such a luxurious, could be difficult. Frozen floor and harsh situations imply it might take a long time, if not centuries, in your digested GORP to develop into one with Mother Nature once more. Be positive to carry some biodegradable, odor neutralizing waste baggage to attenuate your environmental footprint.

Setting Up Cold Weather Camping
When establishing Cold Weather Camping at excessive altitude, it’s good to make use of the encircling terrain to your benefit every time potential. Try to arrange camp on the lee facet (the facet of the mountain reverse to the place the wind is strongest) and use pure formations for canopy. Be positive to keep away from ravines that may act as wind tunnels and are prone to avalanches. Familiarize your self with avalanche security. A superb useful resource is the US Forest Service.

Staying wholesome
Altitude Sickness (Acute Mountain Sickness), or AMS, is unpredictable and impacts everybody in a different way. I do know from private expertise that each journey above 10,000 ft is totally different. I hiked to fifteen,000 ft in Nepal and solely wanted a couple of minutes to catch my breath. On the opposite hand, I used to be laid degree for 3 days at 12,000 ft in Ecuador, so it’s best to return ready.

If you might have a historical past of issue

with altitude, the drug acetazolamide might assist. If you’re going to take acetazolamide, do not forget that it ought to be taken earlier than signs happen, and received’t do a lot good in case you are already midway up the mountain. Plunging into larger altitudes with out acclimatizing usually leads to AMS. Taking a couple of days to permit your physique to regulate to altitude is an efficient follow.

Eating and Drinking
Drinking extra water and staying effectively hydrated may assist with acclimatization. The air at excessive altitude is dry, and heavy respiratory, together with elevated perspiration, will dehydrate you shortly.

Be positive to pack tenting meals which are excessive in carbohydrates and protein when tenting at excessive altitude. For some ideas on meals to pack, see our submit on good meals for mountain climbing.

Sun
It can be vital to do not forget that as you climb larger, the quantity of ambiance defending you from the solar’s damaging rays decreases. Bring sunscreen, lip balm, and sun shades or glacier glasses that shield from the solar’s rays when tenting at excessive altitude Cold Weather Camping.

If you might have some other ideas or methods for tenting at excessive altitude, you’ll want to embrace them within the feedback under!