Originally Posted by
Drew Wiley
Stone, I've got decades of experience doing this kind of thing, including a lot of mountain experience with view cameras under all kinds of conditions. Some camera and tripods are obviously much better than others under extreme conditions, but I won't go into the specifics here. I use black Goretex darkcloths, which are waterproof just like a Goretex parka, but also breathable and lint-free. Keep you meter battery warm, inside a pocket. Or have a warm spare battery in a pocket. One frequent problem is having condensation from your breath fog up the groundglass. If really cold weather you might find a skiers knit "snorkel"-style facemask useful in this respect. Or maybe your breath won't freeze if it's pickled with something 100-proof anyway! Pick the right kind of gloves and general clothing. I like working out of a real backpack that has plenty of room for personal gear and not just camera things. Have a compendium lens hood to keep your lens dry. And although skis are nice to get around in, it is far easier to maneuver a camera with snowshoes instead, and to tamp down a snow platform so your tripod legs won't sink in. ... you can also attach little ski pole baskets to them. I like my Ries wooden tripods for snow. Bully mass helps. But some cheaper wood tripods will literally
freeze shut. Otherwise I use carbon fiber tripods with a mesh bag below with rocks for weight. Spike rather than rubber feet are important if you want to grip
icy surfaces.
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