Table of Contents

camping in the snow (in nice weather)

see also:

Introduction

  • if poor weather conditions are forecast you probably should not go camping!
  • by law in Victoria you must take snow chains - not sure how this works with Subaru Outbacks which are not able to use snow chains!

Gear to consider

  • aim to select a site with minimal wind and with access to the morning sun
  • ensure you open up the fly vents to reduce condensation
  • if condensation wets the inner of your sleeping bag, open it out or reverse it and dry it out in the morning sun
  • a camp fire should be set up with a cross-wind orientation
    • don't have the wind coming from behind as it will tumble over your tent and blow smoke back into your tent

How to set up a hiking tent in the snow

Thinking of heading up 4WD tracks in the snow season?

  • be well prepared and experienced!
  • don't drive on tracks which are closed during winter

why you may not be able to get out of a valley or get to a summit in snow

  • traction forces = friction coefficient of system x weight over wheels x sin (angle of ascent)
  • gravitational down-hill forces fighting your ascent = vehicle weight x cos (angle of ascent)
  • your vehicle acceleration will need to be greater than the combined gravitational down-hill forces fighting your ascent plus the amount of snow plowing as a minimum and if this exceeds the traction forces then your wheels will spin and increase the slipperiness of the snow-ice so you never get up
  • this can be partly mitigated by taking a run up for a relatively short ascent as this will provide greater momentum which may suffice to overcome the above but this also risks losing control
  • if this fails, you probably need winching to get up as turning around may not be an option

why you may lose control descending snow/ice tracks

  • to compound the above issues, you still usually have to deal with very deeply rutted, challenging tracks or fallen trees which require a chain saw
  • you may not always be able to find a suitable winch option as the higher you go, the small the trees be
  • take an emergency communication device in case you get stranded - see remote communication for campers and hikers