Which warms you up faster, up or down? (Winter)

I've experienced this many times: It's very cold, and you are heading up hill. You are not exhausted, but you are working hard. Maybe breaking trail. You are breathing moderately hard, but you are still cold. After you get to the top and have a short break, you head back down the trail, not running, just a good pace, and soon you are taking off layers because you are too warm. Am I the only one?

In the summer, it's usually the exact opposite!

I usually find myself in my top base layer with no hat on my head hiking up and fully geared up for the down hike. Then again, I wouldn't consider my uphill pace moderate and after sitting on a winter summit for 15 minutes my body tends to cool down.

So warm going up and cold coming down.

Tom Rankin said:

I've experienced this many times: It's very cold, and you are heading up hill. You are not exhausted, but you are working hard. Maybe breaking trail. You are breathing moderately hard, but you are still cold. After you get to the top and have a short break, you head back down the trail, not running, just a good pace, and soon you are taking off layers because you are too warm. Am I the only one?

Click to expand...

Nooooo! I'm the exact same way in winter. My only guess as to why is that 1) I tend to wear a bit less going up since I'm sweating from the exertion, and 2) my motions are more limited in the arms and legs. So my feet and hands are often colder, and going down definitely is a freer motion, and seems to increase the circulation to hands and feet. That's my theory, at least. But I'm with you, happens almost every winter trip!

Funny, on cold ascents sometimes my feet get chilled. Can always count on them warming up in a few minutes on descent. I for sure generate plenty of heat on descent and end up in essentially the same layers I climbed in. The key for me is gearing up just before summit and getting jacket and maybe dry gloves "warmed up". They dont stay on long though once we start moving again. Others in the group bundle up after climbing for most of the way down

Pick whichever one suits your fancy:

1. You're typically ascending during the morning when it's colder, then descending in the afternoon when it's warmer.
2. That quick break at the summit probably included some refueling, which helps your metabolism recover and the boost comes during the descent.
3. It's your (fevered) imagination.

the scientific method would dictate trying to go downhill first in the same temps. i think then you'd feel cold going down and fine coming up. it'd be you, not the direction. i know i warm up quickly because i don't hike as often as you. you're metabolism is probably in first or second gear longer and so subject to cold. or what sardog said.

That's new to me. I'm roasting on the climb, and then adding a layer or two for the descent even though I'm rather faster on the down hill in winter.
-vegematic

What Sardog1 said. I usually start early in the am when it is coldest and starting gaining altitude where it gets even colder. Even so, no, I am much warmer climbing then descending. In either direction, I am coldest when I stop for more then a minute or two. That is why I always carry and extra oversized down parka with me in winter and keep it at the top of my pack for breaks. The first thing I do at any break is put it on and the last thing I do at each break is take it off and put into the top of my pack.

I suspect my fellow large hikers are always toasty on the way up and comfy on the way down. I am typically down to a base layer on my ascent unless it is windy or the temp is in the single digits. The toughest is when it's snowing. I have to slow down to prevent getting over heated while wearing my shell.

I'm definitely warmer ("hotter" might be more appropriate...) on the way up than on the way down.

Doug

Tom Rankin said:

I've experienced this many times: It's very cold, and you are heading up hill. You are not exhausted, but you are working hard. Maybe breaking trail. You are breathing moderately hard, but you are still cold. After you get to the top and have a short break, you head back down the trail, not running, just a good pace, and soon you are taking off layers because you are too warm. Am I the only one?

In the summer, it's usually the exact opposite!

Click to expand...

Maybe you're breathing in too much cold air too quickly and it's cooling you off.

I'm warmer ascending, except for my feet - those are usually colder. They warm up on the descent.

Apparently the circulatory system shunts blood to the lungs/heart during ascents, at the expense of the extremities.

There certainly could be something to the 'warmer temps as day goes on and at lower elevations' theory. But then it should be universal, and as we can see above, it is not.

I sweat a lot on the ascent so I tend not to wear heavy layers. By the time I reach the summit I am soaked so I strip off all my layers from the waist up and replace with my expedition weight Hot Chilly top, and a dry pullover. If I’m crossing a ridge I throw on a shell as well. I also switch out my wet cloves or mittens and replace with my wool mittens with an over mitten that already has an activated hand warmer inside. As I head down I will take off the shell and the wool mitten and over mitten combination and just wear glove liners. If I stop during the descent, I will place a down jacket over my shoulders like a cape until I start moving again. Since I hike in a kilt, my Hot Chilly bottoms always remain dry. I also carry an extra pair of socks, but rarely switch them out unless my socks become so wet that my feet become frozen, then I will change regardless of the outside temps.

Maybe the warmth on the descent is due to the allure of a warm car, hot coffee, and dry clothes at the end.

Personally, it's likely due to your body adapting. When I start a hike, I breath heavy and sweat alot. Soon in, my heart rate drops, and my breathing returns to normal... even though I'm moving at a good clip. Maybe your body takes on a sense of normalcy after a while, and starts circulating as if it were at rest.

For me I think it is simply easier to maintain a comfortable (more constant) temperature while descending. Ascending certainly produces more heat, and with it sweat, which does its evaporative cooling thing and you get... cool. If in a group, I find the group tends to stop more on the ascent, leading to layer changes. Descending I generally wear a little more clothing and am less likely to have to adjust it. I certainly am not wringing out my bandana/buff/headband on the descents like I do on the ascents.

Tim