LF in the Snow - HOW?

[John Kasaian]

Thanks Ole!

I'm sitting here at my desk in balmy California trying to picture the scenario and it was driving me crazy. I experimented with a red plastic sled-thing called a "Sno-snake" a couple of winters ago and I remember the experience was....well...um...interesting!

[Alan Davenport]

Ed's right. The best and perhaps the only way to prevent fogging the groundglass is to forget about breathing.

Also, Manfrotto makes big disk feet for their tripods. I don't have them but they might be sufficient in reasonably compacted snow.

[CXC]

Some folks say to leave your camera in the trunk rather than bringing it indoors at night.

[Paul Coppin]

Snowshoes (REAL snowshoes - good appropriate paddles with long beavertails - not those useless "high tech" high-ticket oval monstrosities that are sold to complement your Columbia jacket), unless you are on hard pack, boots if you are. Skis and large format? If you have conditions for X-country skis, try towing a small plastic toboggan from a waist belt with your gear, bagged and packed. Good for snowshoes too. Secret is to not carry too much weight, particularly up high - neither showshoes nor skis will work properly if you're over-weighted (and if you're already tipping the scales at 200+, use the toboggan.... Small nylon tent fly is better than a plastic tarp - handles the cold better. Plastics get VERY brittle - go gentle on your gear...

[walter23]

3. Personally I generate a lot of heat fussing with LF equipment, or snowshoeing, for that matter. Except for hands/face/ears, heat is a bigger problem for me than cold. Of course your mileage will vary, but bear in mind the possibility you may not need as much clothing as you would initially guess, and layers may be preferable to one bulky jacket.

On that note, do not wear cotton! Cotton is evil, if it gets wet or sweaty you will be very uncomfortable, or maybe die from hypothermia. I usually wear a synthetic shirt made for cold weather (I think it's maybe a lycra or nylon mix, but it's kind of fleecy and thick - not like spandex or something). This is great because even if you start sweating, your shirt will still keep you warm. And this is important for me because I sweat a lot. On top of that I usually wear a normal ski jacket, and I can unzip the front to cool down or zip it up if I need the warmth. You could throw a third layer in there somewhere but two usually works for me for a few hours in -10 or -15 celsius without too much wind, especially if I'm working out by skiing.

You'll also want some long underwear made from synthetic fabric.

[walter23]

Ed's right. The best and perhaps the only way to prevent fogging the groundglass is to forget about breathing.

I wonder if you could use noseplugs and a snorkel? Stick the snorkel out of the darkcloth and breath that way

[tim atherton]

I'm pretty sure it's been tried (someone on here?)

But try explaining that one to the Homeland Security dudes....

[David_Senesac]

Fogging of ground glass, loupe, and or reading glasses is a serious issue in cold conditions. I made a custom dark cloth through which I have a breathing tube for my mouth which ports to the outside and use a swimmers nose clip to close up my nose. With that set up I regularly work cold conditions without fogging problems. ...David

[John Kasaian]

My Plan "B" for snow is some cognac and chocolate in a warm cozy cabin, preferrably with the Swedish Bikini Team!

[Eric James]

My Plan "B" for snow is some cognac and chocolate in a warm cozy cabin, preferrably with the Swedish Bikini Team!

Yeah, good luck preventing the ground glass from foggin' up in that scenario!!!