Snow Camping Fundamentals
By Matt Pritchard
Setting Up Camp
Plans for your campsite may change once you get moving. Heavy packs and deep snow have a way of letting you know you're not quite the hardened badass you thought you were. When you're looking for your campsite, try to find relatively level ground with some protection from the wind. We usually look for a place in a wooded section on the edge of a meadow, if possible. If you choose to camp amongst the trees, take a quick look around to make sure that the trees are in good shape and won't be dropping branches or themselves on you if the wind picks up.
Once you settle on a location for camp, resist the temptation to drop your pack. Your first order of business is to stomp out a solid, work-hardened patch of snow for your campsite. The added weight of your pack will help compress the snow even further. After you stomp out a perimeter, spend some time really pounding away at the snow in the middle. The harder you stomp, the more it will compress. If you don't, you'll be mighty sorry when you wake up a 2 AM to go pee and wind up post-holing up to your hip. When the stomping is done, give the snow some time to settle, or "sinter", together - 30 to 45 minutes should be enough.
After your camp area has set up nice and solid, it's time to put together your shelter for the evening. Site location and method of setup will differ depending on your shelter of choice. Digging a snow cave or a quinzhee is a lot of fun and they serve as excellent shelters in almost all conditions. However, be conscious of the time it will take to do this. In my experience, building a decent sized snow cave for 2 people can take 2 to 3 hours. Even simple "doghouse" shelters take a while to build. Be realistic about your time and whether or not you want to be digging by the light of your headlamp. For great guides to building snow shelters, see the Recommended Reading section. If you're using a tent or a tarp system of some sort, be sure to securely stake and guy out the sides of the tent to protect it against wind. If you're interested in our approach to using a Megamid tent, check out our article - Megamid for Winter Camping. Flake out your sleeping bag when you're done setting up camp. Allow the bag to regain as much loft as possible before bedtime.
If you have a while before sunset and you're feeling industrious, take some time to give your campsite some homey touches. Building a windbreak around your tent is a good idea if nasty weather is a possibility. Create a nice space for cooking, as well. You can use your shovel and snow saw (if you have one) to build a good work area for cooking.
While you're hanging out around camp, do your best to keep your gear in order. It is easy for a map or sweater to get buried once you start shoveling. More so than summer backpacking, it is important to keep an eye on your gear and be ready to break camp fast if you need to retreat.
Cooking
While a handful of GORP and two Clif Bars may pass as a dinner on a warm weather trip, a hot meal is one of the few indulgences afforded to you while snow camping. Take the time to plan something yummy for dinner and breakfast while you're out there. Try to bring calorie dense, lightweight food. Ease of preparation is a big plus. If it takes much more than boiling water, think twice about your choice. Ramen noodles, macaroni and cheese, and instant potatoes are all good options. Hot cereal can be a real treat for breakfast. Ordinary tastes come alive when its 10 degrees outside and you've been waiting for snow to boil for 25 minutes. Pack an adequate amount of food to sustain yourself, given your level of activity and the increase in metabolic rate that you may experience in the cold weather.
If you're using a liquid fuel stove, priming it may take longer than normal in the cold weather. Add a bit more fuel to the priming cup than usual. Bring a lighter to start the stove - there is no good reason to fumble around with matches in the cold weather. If the lighter is being fussy, warm it up in your hands before trying to light the stove. Water boils at lower temperatures as your elevation increases - keep this in mind when cooking. Your cooking times are likely to increase as a result. Adding a bit of salt to the water may help equalize this difference and cause the water to boil slightly hotter. If you're using dehydrated backpacking food, you may need some additional insulation to keep the meal warm while it rehydrates.
Other Stuff
Winter nights can be long. In order to stay warm throughout the night, consider a few things. A sleeping bag is essentially a insulating device. Go to bed cold and you'll probably stay cold. If you go to bed warm, you have a much better chance of staying warm. Before you head off to bed, spend some time picking up camp to get your blood pumping. On colder nights, it may be best to head out for a quick ski or snowshoe around camp to warm up your muscles and help you relax before hitting the sack. Other people enjoy a hot drink or a little dessert before bedtime. Be sure to insulate the key parts of your body before zipping up. A hat is essential bedtime gear in all but the most mild snow camping climates. If your feet are cold, switch into a pair of thick, cozy socks. A quick foot massage before you put on those socks can get the blood circulating through your feet and help warm them up before you doze off.
Simple Tips
Contact lens solution can and will freeze solid! Matt learned this the hard way. If you wear contacts, store the container in your sleeping bag during the night. I usually tuck them inside the ankle of my sock.
Really pack down the path to the bathroom area ahead of time. When you wake up at 2:30 in the morning and need to go to the bathroom, you don't want to have to strap on your snowshoes or skis just to go pee.
Cameras, headlamps, GPS units and other bits of electronic gadgetry take a beating in the cold. LCD screens refresh much slower and battery life is greatly reduced. Keep this type of gear as well insulated as possible until you need to use it. Lithium batteries seem to be less susceptible to low temps than regular alkaline batteries - they also weigh less.
Bladder style water bottles are a godsend when filled with hot water and brought into the sleeping bag at bedtime. We recommend one with a solid cap - such as a Platypus.
Check out the Recommended Reading section for more information on Snow Camping
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