Winter Hiking & Snowshoe Advice

[peakbagger]

Gee, I think I did my first winter 4 k with sorels, wooden snowhoes and wool pants, basically the type of gear that I bought so I could stand around and watch boy scouts do winter activitites.

Its real easy to become a "gear hound" and obsess on what gear to buy. Most folks do fine 90% of the time with some sort of traction (Katoolas),basic snowshoes and sorel type boots available at walmart. Of course if the weather is marginal and you are driven to summit no matter what, higher tech gear might buy you an extra margin but the reality is why not save the summit for another day?. Many winter 4 K folks pushed ourselves in marginal conditions to summit the first time to get the list checked off and then proceeded to redo the ones we never got a view from at a later date.

 

[mtnpa]

Guess I'm screwed if I get stuck out there Mike! I don't always remember my toothbrush on the overnights!

But you do carry a grill and your meat is celebrated in song by an international songwriter who is a member here.

You'll be fine

 

[cushetunk]

All that gear and no altimeter? Just kidding Cushetunk! Have a nice Friday and I agree with your post but some of us have to start out slow to keep within a budget and in the good graces of our spouse!;-)

Hey, I'm staying out of any more trouble with the altimeter crowd!

My winter hiking started small and simple, too, so I agree with you and peakbagger. Heading out with pack boots, snowshoes, and a willingness to turn around is probably the easiest way to start winter hiking.

 

[Dave Bear]

I started back into hiking late and with bad back issues initially. Set up numerous versions of pulks so I could skid most of my load and would set up a bit of a base camp sometimes to go after peaks. Started with summer tents in discount sleeping bags and would still be out in -15F temps over night. Alot can be learned about yourself and how best to use gear if you start with basic equipment or junk! My first Leki pole was a salvage from roping down to where it was on Cat A slide! Before that it was Walmart brand collapsing when you didn't want it to. Loved the start ebay and REI garge sales gave me to getting some real gear.

Aside from that my biggest debt is to the folks I met on forums and on the trail that were happy to share sound advice. I already had woods smarts from many years of working there but getting out and playing hard is a whole new dimension with a bigger set of risk factors!

 

[sardog1]

You got it. Spruce traps tend to form on wind-blown ridges, or areas prone to high winds. In sheltered areas the snow tend to fall straight down, and they're rarely an issue.

Of course, now that I've said "and they're rarely an issue", some wisenheimer is going to tell us how in 1953 they were cruising along over East Bumblef*^k and noticed that Uncle Harry was no longer with them. Backtracking, they found him, unconscious, in a 17' deep trap in the middle of a well-beaten trail.

Ask and ye shall receive. But it's gonna take an honest-to-God fir to get the job done in this instance.

A SAR dog colleague went into a tree well alongside a big Douglas fir once in WA. (Think of a NE spruce trap on steroids.) Upside down, with snowshoes on. But for the two-way radio in her chest pack, help would have been a long time coming. I can't remember whether any of us had the good sense to get a photo first ...

 

[Stash]

Hmm. YMMV, FWIW and all that.

I don't have 60 years experience or thousands of peaks but I've spent a bit of time out there.

I hike 95% in winter (or at least with snow cover) and use only gore-tex lined leather boots that I keep up with a wax-based waterproofer.. They're big enough for a medium to heavy wool sock and a thin liner. I don't sweat much at all so have few moisture problems and don't really have a problem on overnights either. And I use a pair of Tubbs traditional snowshoes and don't have any difficulty with narrow trails. I prefer snowshoes but will go with crampons or Microspikes as conditions dictate. Either way I rarely go without some sort of traction as I find I expend less energy with the added weight on my feet than I do trying to maintain a uniform gait.

 

[sierra]

I once fell into a spruce trap while soloing, it was so deep, I could hear people speaking chinese in the background. Seriously though, I had my old sherpas on and could not get out, I had branches wedged everywhere possible holding my snowshoes like a deathgrip. I eventually dug myself out, it was both time consuming and a little unnearving. At one point, I said to myself " shit Im not dieing in a hole".

 

[Driver8]

Thanks, everyone, for the extensive, helpful follow-up on spruce/fir traps, gear, etc. I'm soaking it up like a sponge. Sorry to take a few days to reply - started a new job Wednesday and have been preoccupied. Not so preoccupied as not to get in a fun group hike of part of the Connecticut A.T. Saturday - priorities are priorities, after all. ...

 

[sardog1]

On the subject of MSR snowshoes and extensions thereof:

I've used a pair of Denali Ascents (predecessor to Evo Ascent) for many years. I weigh 220 and carry a pack suitable for a solo traveler who may have to lie on the ground for a while until someone notices I'm overdue. The tails stay on my snowshoes 24/7. The only time I've removed them is when I wanted to use the snowshoes exclusively for traction.

In Alaska and Minnesota conditions, the flotation is just slightly wanting on unbroken deep snow. On New England trails, virtually never. Off New England trails, occasionally enough for me to wish I'd brought my old Sherpas along. The MSRs rock for traction over every other snowshoe I've used in the last 47 years. They are outrageously noisy on hard snow and ice. The only way I've ever figured out how to break the plastic deck is to load them carelessly in a vehicle and then come to an emergency stop with an eighty pound gear bag right behind them.

 

[mhobbs]

What a great thread this turned out to be, thank you everyone for the comments and advice! Especially about the traps, I'd never heard of them!

 

[DougPaul]

What a great thread this turned out to be, thank you everyone for the comments and advice! Especially about the traps, I'd never heard of them!

Don't worry, they will find you...

Doug

 

[Still Steppin']

Spruce and Fir traps --------- "Don't worry, they will find you..." Yes, spend time in their territory and they most likely will.
I've stumbled into a few, but none with serious consequences. I have, however, helped many others out of them, so feel somewhat familiar.
While on ski patrol at a NH area with extensive summit snow fields it was common to have 2 or 3 calls each winter for "trap extrications." More often than not it involved youngsters in the local "posse" that were sure they didn't need to obey no stinkin' signs or ropes. "Billy's fallen in to a hole and can't get out" would find us on the far side of a snow field skiing up to a quivering fir tree with curses coming out of it. From these experiences, I guess that those that break through then fall forward or to the side usually get out on their own. Real trouble arises when one goes in backwards. Butt down and tightly jackknifed, face to knees, doesn't allow for much maneuverability. And then there was the time (oh, I'm having fun here) while playing war games in Alaska. East of Fairbanks, February, 45 below for a week (really.) I was on guard duty walking our camp's perimeter with Northern Lights dancing so vividly that you could "feel" them. At the point where I was supposed to meet the next sentry and exchange pass words --- no one was there. So I went down his section of trail looking for him. Finally I heard his muffled voice coming up from a black spruce tree. He had stepped off (actually, up and off) the trail to relieve himself and gone straight down. Skis or snowshoes weren't the hang up here (we were in just K-boots on the packed trail.) But his rifle strap was tangled and he couldn't get back up through it and the branches. Our camp could easily have been infiltrated in the time it took for the two of us to get him out!
So the moral is ---- if you're going to play with spruce or fir trees in heavy snow, have a playmate along with you!

 

[Quietman]

FYI: All snowshoes are 20-30% off at EMS, I'm sure that other retailers are also starting to discount.

 

[erugs]

Just saw that sale, frustrated because just under two weeks ago I bought a pair of MSR Evo Assents and have used them just once for a few hours. The store staff had said they wouldn't be going on sale until March or so.

 

[Quietman]

Just saw that sale, frustrated because just under two weeks ago I bought a pair of MSR Evo Assents and have used them just once for a few hours. The store staff had said they wouldn't be going on sale until March or so.

I'd call the store and explain the situation and see if they'll do anything for you. It's worth a try!

A couple of times I've been told to wait on a purchase as it would be on sale the next week.

 

[Mike P.]

mmmmm Do I need another pair? The MSR's I have keep breaking those cheap clips in the front. (the little clips that locks the strap in after you pull it tight, only on the front strap, the other two are fine, I'm just too rough on them.)

I'll probably wait a year since I've been finding places I can hike in CT without them.

Haven't been missing the spruce traps either. Largest one I've been in was about mid-torso several years ago.

 

[erugs]

I'd call the store and explain the situation and see if they'll do anything for you. It's worth a try!

A couple of times I've been told to wait on a purchase as it would be on sale the next week.

I learned that they have a 14 day price guarantee, and I fall within that!

 

[bikehikeskifish]

MSR will send you replacement parts for no charge.

Tim

 

[Dave Bear]

Hi Ellen, If its with EMS I believe the price guarantee is 30 days. And usually with them you don't even have to dig for the slip because its in the system!

 

[erugs]

Hi Ellen, If its with EMS I believe the price guarantee is 30 days. And usually with them you don't even have to dig for the slip because its in the system!

Great - heading over there tonight after work. Since I'll save some money, I may be tempted to spend it, too.