winter camping/backpacking - tips for newbies

Looking for some tips/hints/suggestions/where to start with winter camping/backpacking. I'm still a newbie, sort of, when it comes to outdoor winter activities, having just started winter hiking last January here in Utah. I'm not sure where to get started with winter camping - and whether it'd be hard to find gear to rent or borrow to try it out before I invest in my own (especially if I find I don't like it). Any good resources out there to help me get started on the right foot?

liz

There are training courses offered by a number of outdoor organizations at little or no cost, and courses offered by commercial guide services at significant cost in many locations around Utah (where you say you are). Some good places to locate such courses are the bulletin board at International Mountaineering Equipment, REI, Black Diamond, and the many other outdoor shops in SLC and other cities in Utah and neighboring states. These shops also have books on sale that provide much basic information (but reading does not substitute for mentoring by an experienced trainer).

Thanks, Bill - I will check them out. And your point about finding a mentor is well taken - after all, there's only so much a person can get from "book larnin'" alone.

As Bill says, there is no substitute for practical learning, such as a winter camping class. My first winter camping was part of a mountaineering class. Your local Sierra Club might offer classes or a school like NOLS-National Outdoor Leadership School might be worth checking out.

Having said that-get yourself a copy of Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book. A fun, informative and cheap introduction to winter camping with lots of illustrative cartoons-it's not just about skiing.

There are a lot of websites about winter camping-many have gear lists and "how to" tips. The more you know before you go will make the practical experience more worthwhile.

Start small if you're going to learn the ropes on your own - keep the distances reasonable and try to take your first winter trips in an area where you can easily return to civilization if things start to go wrong.
Assuming that you enjoy daylong winter activities (hiking, backcountry skiing, travel on snowshoes) I'd start with an overnight (close to the trailhead), followed by a nice day long trip back into the woods, which ends up back where you started for another "night out" - and build from there.

You might want to check in the local mountain equipment shops - who knows - there may be others with more experience who wouldn't mind having you come along. Perhaps outting clubs would be a better source than shops -
As for equipment - EMS and REI used to rent stuff - not sure if that is still the case. If you know some experienced folks in the area - you might be able to borrow.

Proper winter gear is expensive - but having been in a tent as it shredded one night above tree-line - forcing a friend and I to dig a snow cave (which we were stuck in for a few days while the weather raged outside) - the extra money for a proper winter tent would have seemed cheap halfway through digging that cave (a rather cold, wet and somewhat unsatisfying experience in the dark of night).

I live in Alaska and have winter camped for a couple winters now. I'll echo what has already been said; learn from people of experience! A book just doesn't impart the type of wisdom needed for some activities. Winter camping can be simple or complex and each trip can be drastically different.

I suggest finding an experienced partner with all the gear and borrow your way through a trip or two before deciding if and what to buy. Those trips should also provide a wealth of information to the permanent world of freezing temperatures.

I remember freezing my butt off a year ago near Cantwell, AK and learning a lot of lessons...

Yeah, I was figuring on starting small - the group I hike with (which is where the B-group of my "name" comes from) have ended up pretty much spending all day on our hikes - too many cool things to do and see along the way. It seemed like a natural extension to make one of our little adventures into an overnighter to see what it was like. Hike in far enough to be away from the trail head, but not so far that it'd be a real pain if we needed/felt like bailing in a hurry. I will do some looking around.

One of these days I'll have to maybe even venture as far as AK in the winter - two of my siblings are up there (Anchorage for sis and one of the islands in the Gulf of AK for bro).

I hope you make it up here some time. If you visit your sister, you should build in some extra time to explore the Chugach range and around Valdez. This place is amazing!

I've learned that winter camping requires a lot of work. Either you pack in shelter or you dig your own. You have to pack in your own water (and thaw it back out) or boil snow. I ate many meals cold because the water had a lot of steam. The thermal difference between -25F and 90F were so great, the water appeared to be boiling. My buddy even killed one of my Nalgene bottles with his ski pole because I let ice form in the lid and he was really thirsty and tried to remedy the flow problem...

If I want to find out if gear is warm enough to insulate on a camping trip, I don't climb or ski in it, I sit outside and make coffee or otherwise hang out. The first winter I was up here, I didn't get that cold because I was always moving, but as I began to camp (sit around), I froze. Caplene expedition weight, Primaloft, and softshells allowed my confidence to grow as I stayed out in more adverse conditions.

Here's a funny tip, learned first-hand from a friend. If you are ice climbing, especially in conditions colder than -25F, don't stick a carabiner in your mouth! ha ha

"Here's a funny tip, learned first-hand from a friend. If you are ice climbing, especially in conditions colder than -25F, don't stick a carabiner in your mouth! ha ha" - that's a beaut.
Also - if it's in the "damn cold" range - don't touch fuel bottles or anything metalic with your bare skin - and never let fuel contact your skin - it's a great way to get an interesting patch of "dead" skin on your hand.
For prolonged winter trips the "daily routine" becomes even more important.
And if you use a pee-bottle (and it beats the living heck out of crawling out of that nice, warm sleeping bag at 3AM!) make DARNED SURE you mark it - having a square pee bottle when your water bottles are round is even better (you don't need a light to make sure you got it right!) -

I'll have to think about that pee-bottle one and how to make it work for me (seeings as how I'm a girl)...

It sounds like time to try out pee-bottles. ha ha.

I'm hard-headed. I either hold it or I go for a short jog, even down to -30F. I've worked night shift in the middle east where the toilet was about 300 feet away; I used a pee-bottle then!...

Wool boxers or briefs in addition to the long underwear worn is another tip. My legs could be nice and toasty but my butt (maybe the only other part besides feet and hands that get direct contact with the snow and ice) is cold or numb. I've come in from skiing and jumped into the shower only to reel in pain. That additional insulation has helped. Also, wearing a thin balaclava 100% of the time saves a lot of heat.

Burts Bees makes some small containers of balm (I don't what kind; my wife bought it for me) that rehydrates the skin and prevents of lot of pain from the cold and dryness. I think it's worth it on an overnighter.

There are funnels made for backcountry use for women. The women who take the winter camping course I used to direct and those on expeditions I have been on (Denali, Antarctica, etc) say the Freshette is the best choice. You can get this from Campmor, REI, EMS, other places.

Before you try a pee bottle in your sleeping bag (men or women), better practice at home, maybe in the bathtub so you can clean up any misses or spills. And make sure you get a bottle of sufficient capacity - at least one liter if you are hydrating sufficiently.