[pct-l] Weather talk & snow-hiking techniques

[ned at mountaineducation.org]

Well said, Ken!

As we preach, "Plan for the bad, enjoy the good, and don't be caught 
off-guard!"

Though the winter season is starting late, it will come. How much we get is 
pure conjecture. Don't be so statistical that you're not practical. Mountain 
weather is all over the place much of the time (regarding weather during the 
hike), so be prepared for cold and nasty, even if you don't get much of it. 
If we have a low-depth snowpack this season, most thrus will still have snow 
on the passes at the time when they have to cruise through the sierra and 
have to learn how to deal with the hazards of walking over, kicking across, 
climbing up, and sliding down it wherever they find it.

Our advice either way? Go out and walk on an ice rink in the shoes of your 
choice. Now imagine that flat ice at the angle of a common traverse, climb, 
or descent! Now, most spring sierra snow, though hard or crusty during your 
morning climbs, won't be as bad as the ice arena, but depending on local 
conditions, shade, freeze-thaw, aspect, and recent weather, it sure can be 
(especially the east-facing Desert Divide traverse and north-facing Fuller 
Ridge traverse and descent).

Now, you're thinking, "What's it like a little later in the morning, say 
after the surface snow warms and softens a bit?"
Right! The reality is that the surface crust only softens to give you a 
little penetration for your boots to get a "purchase," which is good for 
traction and balance, but underneath at this time of day the hard slippery 
stuff still exists. Then, later in the day, all of it will soften and you'll 
fall through, a condition we like to call "Postholing."

So, how about traction devices like Kahtoola Microspikes? "Won't these 
improve my stability and ability to push off my toes?" Yes and No. 
Rubber-band adhering chains are designed for city streets and other 
relatively flat, icy, hard conditions. One manufacturer we have talked to, 
Kahtoola, will tell you so. Yes, you see in their advertising people running 
on snow with microspikes out in the mountains, but they are on relatively 
flat surfaces. There may even be photos of folks climbing, toe-straight up 
the snow in spikes and that does work fairly well. However, what you don't 
see is a photo of the typical sierra traverse (up or down) with microspikes 
on hard or crusty snow. Our tests in these common spring snow conditions 
resulted in the rubber band completely rolling off the upper boot (even when 
the shoe's laces were integrated into the band to keep it there) and your 
balance thereafter being severely challenged, if you don't fall immediately.

The solution? First, go out there this winter onto similar conditions (not 
typical during winter powder conditions--wait until there has been 
sufficient freeze-thaw cycles to create the consolidated, settled, 
hard-surface-crusty stuff) and see for yourself what "works" for your choice 
of footwear and traction device. Make sure you practice on steep traverses, 
both up and down. Make sure you practice cutting switchbacks and standing on 
the edge of your shoes on hard, steep snow. Learn how to "toe-in" with a 
three-point stance during a straight up climb with ice axe in hand 
(self-belay). Practice Self-Arresting! Learn how to "heel-plunge" on your 
straight down descents, boot-ski, and do a seated glissade with ice axe at 
the ready (Black Diamond Whippet can be substituted everywhere but for use 
on the Self-Belay and toe-in uphill climb).

If things don't go well, say your shoes flex or twist too easily to hold an 
edge on hard, morning snow or you slip too much, consider different footwear 
for the snow or different traction devices. The Kahtoola KTS crampons solve 
all the issues of the microspikes, by the way. Traction converts to 
Confidence and good Balance, which all adds up to Personal Safety when 
walking over snow.

Keep in mind, also, that nasty, slippery surface conditions can be present 
underfoot on short or long stretches of snow. Consider the patches of snow 
that cover the trail periodically during spring thaw. In reality, you're 
flying along the dry trail really enjoying yourself and finally at a good 
pace only to suddenly see the trail ahead submerging under a pile of snow 
between 3 and 6 feet deep. You mentally calculate your footsteps up to the 
drift so that your last footstep is at the edge of the snow. You place this 
step and kick in the next one with the side of your boot at about mid-shin 
height on the snow (of course, depending on the pitch or slope of the snow 
bank there may be a better route up and over). If the angle is steep and/or 
the snow is hard, your hastily-placed kick may or may not penetrate enough 
to "purchase" enough bearing to take your weight and a slip-and-fall is 
imminent.

Once you reach the top of the drift, you may see that it isn't just another 
small one and that it runs for several hundred feet with your route winding 
in and out of tree wells, around exposed boulders, and in and out of shady, 
icy snow areas (you can see the glare). Even along typical stretches like 
these, your choice of footwear may be challenged, so go out there before 
your hike and test your self and gear!

Your descent off these things is often a boot-ski or heel-plunge, but the 
navigation challenge is judging where the trail comes out and dry trail 
continues on until the next drift crosses or snow field begins! This is 
where your knowledge of trail construction and typical route placement comes 
in. You'll learn as you go. Experience over the many miles will teach you 
this so that you'll be able to predict where the trail goes when you can no 
longer see it! Eventually, you'll either do two things, guess and search for 
it on the other side or use a GPS to locate the trail when you're off a bit.

We at Mountain Education are on the snow for up to eight months of every 
year and choose heavy-duty leather hiking boots for snow-hiking which give 
us a solid, flat platform under foot that is good for balance, kicking 
steps, holding crampons, strong edge purchases, good heel plunges, and deep 
toe-ins on self-belay climbs. Your choice is up to "what works for you," so 
go out there and practice to help you decide. With our boots, we don't get 
wet and cold feet all day, which is typical for thrus with footwear that is 
not sealed on the outside. Our feet remain warm and dry even after creek 
crossings! (Another subject of much debate and something you have to 
consider the consequences of).

It is apparent that most thru hikers of either the PCT or CDT learn what 
works for them along the way. What this means is that if the conditions turn 
out to be not what they planned or hoped for or their gear is not working 
out, they have to leave the trail, go down to Lone Pine (pct), buy what they 
should have trained in before their hike, and go back out. This takes 
precious time out of their schedule to get to Canada before the first snow 
flies. Now, this does work out in the long run, but it may be precipitated 
by having to experience a fall, chronic wet and cold feet, nights without 
sleep (insufficient pad or bag), virtual starvation (snow-hiking takes a LOT 
more calories than dry-trail hiking), or frequent loss of the trail (need a 
GPS) to motivate you to improve your safety and/or comfort. If this is a 
risk you're willing to assume, then by all means, ignore our advice and 
"learn as you go." So, again, test your self and gear in the conditions and 
weather expected before you hit the trail!

Enough for now. There is a lot to be said about safe snow-hiking and the 
techniques that enable it. Springtime thru hikers do not have to deal with 
avalanches typical of winter conditions, so the worries are primarily 
traction and balance related. Snow adds a tremendous beauty to an otherwise 
stark or rocky landscape in the high sierra and a soft quietness to the 
colder air. We love it! Don't be afraid of it, just learn how to enjoy it!

If we can be of any assistance in your planning and preparation or to just 
answer a wilderness concern, don't hesitate to drop us an email!


"Just remember, Be Careful out there!"

Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96150
    P: 888-996-8333
    F: 530-541-1456
    C: 530-721-1551
    http://www.mountaineducation.org
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ken Murray" <kmurray at pol.net>
To: "." <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 11:03 AM
Subject: [pct-l] Weather talk


> Each year, when the issue of what the weather is doing, I'm always 
> astonished by the responding posts.
>
> It is hard to imagine what changable feature exists that will dramatically 
> effect a person's hike other than the snowpack....I guess the weather 
> DURING the hike?
>
>>From the stanpoint of the two variables that would still be in question: 
>>what do I take, and when do I start? The snowpack is undoubtedly the big 
>>kahuna.
>
> A winter weather system does not consist of a simple process of a series 
> of storms, but a regional climate zone that takes on a characteristic, 
> depending upon the year.  For example, a "El Nino" year is that, it does 
> not morph into a "La Nina" spontaneously.....the effects are set up over a 
> lengthy period of time.
>
> Does this mean that one knows what is going to happen in a particular spot 
> at a particular time?  Of course not.  I've been caught in mountain 
> downpours, when a mile away, a buddy was totally dry.  YMMV!
>
> But the consequences of a differing snowpack are so great for most people, 
> that it seems to me that thinking about the possibilities, and considering 
> the consequences of those, is a high priority.
>
> For example, as someone mentioned about a low snow year, bugs might be 
> awful.  So a person might want to consider what mitigation to 
> undertake...headnets, other body covering, really understanding the new 
> chemicals and how they dramatically change the situation.  I have been 
> astonished by the number of hikers at Lake Morena, who have not given such 
> things serious thought until then.  Way......too......late, in my opinion. 
> A hiker has a lot more topical things to worry about at that point, to be 
> concentrating on things they could have worked though months earlier.
>
> It just seems to me a sort of bizarre dis-ordering of priorities, when the 
> snowpack is ignored, and *endless* conversations go on about which GPS to 
> take.  Ask Greg, Carl, or Eric which one they used.
>
> I suppose we're all caught up in cabin fever.  :)
>
> Ken
>
>
>
>
>
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