With the Southern Alps on my doorstep, I have never had much desire to revisit old tramping destinations. But as my partner was trying out her winter legs, we decided to pay a second visit to a picturesque high country hillside that I had explored once before in summer. We felt privileged to access this location on private land, since permission is no longer granted
Given average snow levels across the Alps at the time, we expected some isolated patches of snow around our designated campsite near a large tarn at 1200m. Little did we know what the winter gods had in store for us.
Driving through the foothills, we were astonished to find a winter wonderland. Snow half a metre deep, a rarity in most winters, cloaked the valley in a white veil.
We parked and assessed the situation. Did we have enough gear to stay warm? Was there sufficient daylight left, considering the going would be slower? What about access to drinking water?
Although we had not brought crampons, the low elevation combined with the weather forecast led me to believe that we would not have to deal with much ice. In the unlikely event of heavy overnight ice, we would simply have to wait a few hours in the morning for the slopes to warm up. Satisfied that we could do this trip safely, we set off.
As we started to climb it became obvious how different our experience would be from a summer tramp. The landscape was covered in knee-deep fine powder with a thin crust of ice. Every few steps we fell through and had to climb out of one hole before falling into the next. Once past the initial steep section, we followed an old fence along the main ridgeline to our destination.
The going was much slower than it would have been in summer, but we had allowed enough time for delays. Winter tramping is a constant race against available daylight hours.
When we reached the tarn at our campsite, I became grateful that paranoia had made me throw my ice axe into the car. The tarn – our planned water supply – had a layer of ice on the surface. After some hacking, however, I realised that the shallow tarn had frozen completely. We moved on to plan C.
Melting snow comes with its own challenges. Conventional gas stoves do not work efficiently at temperatures near or below freezing, so we had brought a winter-rated Optimus Vega stove, which has an inverted gas canister and pre-heats the gas supply.
If you intend to melt snow, it is important to bring a lot more fuel than for a warm-weather tramp. Snow also has a much higher volume than water and melting it in a large pot saves a lot of hassle. Always start with a small puddle of water in the pot, since it transfers the heat into the snow more efficiently. It took me over an hour to melt enough to provide around 5 litres of water. In winter, everything is slower.
Meanwhile, sunset was dipping the landscape in the purple hue so unique to winter camping. Wrapped in our warm down jackets, all hardships of the day were forgotten. The ethereal scene before us was so different compared to my summer stay that we might as well have been in the Arctic.
Our final challenge for this trip lay in our lack of winter sleeping gear for two people, but with a little ingenuity we managed to boost what we had. We augmented the warmth of a three-season sleeping mat with a cheap foam underlay. Wearing insulated tights and with our jackets still on, we found our three-season sleeping bags warm enough to get us through the night in reasonable comfort. Spare layers and emergency bivvy bags provided an additional safety buffer.
With the sun warming us in the morning, we headed back on a slightly different route. Snow conditions were the same as on our way up, which was both a blessing and a curse. We had avoided overly icy conditions that would have required us to wait for the hill to warm up, but there was still no shortage of snowy potholes to fall into.
Thinking in worst-case scenarios allowed us to adjust to circumstances and have an amazing time that could only have been improved upon with snowshoes. Next time, I will add them to my pack list, filed under ‘P’ for paranoia.
Clothes: Will they be warm enough in freezing windy conditions? Get creative with warm and waterproof layers for camp and breathable layers for exerting yourself.
Sleep: Can you extend the warmth of your gear? Consider layering up and adding a liner or foam underlay.
Water: Consider your water sources and how to access them in freezing temperatures.
Terrain: Decide what hardware you need to bring and know how to use it. A snowcraft course is a good starting point.
Warmth: Chemical heating pads or hot water bottles provide additional warmth at night.
Start easy: Pick a short trip with easy exit options in case of trouble.
Safety: Go with people who have experience. When in doubt, make the most conservative decision. Leave your intentions. Bring a PLB. Monitor avalanche risk and weather conditions.
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