hiking alone / emergency gear for shoulder season

[mtree]

For the OP. If you stay out of avalanche terrain you can eliminate alot of worry. I only hike established routes and/or ridgelines in winter. The one worry is if the weather changes and you get off route. As some already mentioned, you can do many things to mitigate this risk. Number one is knowing the weather forecast the day of and - as ekalina wisely noted - the next day as well. Be wary of winds. That can lead to whiteout conditions. I've endured those and its not fun. Many times you can see the potential whiteout conditions as you climb higher. Its pretty obvious.

And always look behind you! Often. Things can look strangely different on the return. I'll even snap a photo now and then for any complicated exits or turns that I might miss on the return. And if you get that feeling that things don't feel right, heed the warning and turn around.

[DestroyMySweater]

I know of at least one accident that occurred on Kendall in Silverton a couple years ago where the buried person was saved by his partner.

It should go without saying, but... for a partner to be helpful in the event of avalanche you have to both be carrying beacons/receivers and avy shovels. And in my experience, hikers RARELY ever carry these, only riders (especially the shovels). People don't realize how snow turns to concrete after an avalanche. You can't unbury someone without a large shovel. Fun fact: I once had a winter hiker tell me he carried his poop trowel as a "backup" in case of an avalanche. That's not going to help anyone. So again, unless your partner is outfitted with all these things, they aren't going to be of much help in a rescue. The real help of a partner is in observation,, decision-making, and psychological (which is real).

Having said that, if I’m solo I subconsciously push the envelope less. Maybe there’s a realization that if I’m caught with a partner watching me from a ridge line I at least have a chance.

This is an interesting counter-balance to the psychological and decision-making element of what I said above. Great insight.

[daway8]

My question here is what is the actual data on partners digging people out of an avalanche that otherwise they would have died in.

So a quick AI search shows the following stats for people fully buried in an avalanche:
~35-40% rescued by companion
~4-6% rescued by SAR
~0% self rescued (for complete burial)
~44-54% fatality

You can search yourself for more details but those sorts of numbers are why so many people continue to take avy courses - they can and do actually help.

But, as others have pointed out, everyone has to actually carry the gear for this to work - I know many people who refuse to partner with someone in winter if they don't carry avy gear and know how to use it.

And, yes, avy education and strength in numbers can backfire if it causes overconfidence and dismissal of risks.

[justiner]

I've read quite a few CAIC reports where both/multiple partners are buried, so having a partner didn't actually help (BTW, that's why you should spread out when going through potential avy terrain). There are also plenty of stories when a partner right there couldn't dig someone out (this happens more than you'd think).
I'm not saying having a partner doesn't help, but I do wonder about how much help it is when it comes to surviving avalanche.

Again I'm assuming many of the reports where a survivor was able to dig themselves out are from those who have survived. I understand your want of stats which I don't have and which I would concede to that fact. My point is just that avalanches are a lot harder to dig out than one may think naively -- it's just powdery snow, right? (no.)

And my apologies for being so obtuse on why I think Winter hiking in the high mountains is so dangerous, despite things like sat comm. One thing to realize is that electronics kinda don't work well in bitter cold. Battery power drains fast, phones tend to turn off to preserve battery/electronics health, getting snow in charging ports is an annoyance, and using things like headlamps can put more pressure on any external power source you did bring. Also just fumbling around with touch screens and buttons is extra awkward wearing gloves. Dropping things often means dropping them into snow and having to hunt for them. There are ways to mitigate this I guess: a system to keep things warm (and while in use) or specialized batteries, but it's still an issue that you should be aware of that's a lot different than in summer. I could even see a case of bringing paper maps.

I've certainly been on trips where the inreach dies, the phone dies, the headlamp dies and if it wasn't for the full moon, I'd be in a bigger pickle than I was. I've done quite a few solo trips on Longs. It never ceases to amaze me the temp drop you experience an hour before sunset compared to an hour after (I usually get a pretty late start given I start so far away).

This thread does make me want to bring more fire starting material.

[DestroyMySweater]

And my apologies for being so obtuse on why I think Winter hiking in the high mountains is so dangerous, despite things like sat comm.

Just to be clear, I agree that Winter hiking in the mountains is dangerous. That was kind of my point. I was one-upping it by saying that having a partner in the winter may not mitigate the risks of winter all that much. People die in avalanches right next to their partners.

Also agreed on the point of the added logistics of the added gear you have to bring in winter. The weight adds up quick.

[ekalina]

I'd want to have a partner with avy gear/training if I did something like climbing the "dirty dozen" 14ers in winter, when even on green avy days you could be dealing with localized weak layers in the snowpack. That said, I know people have completed the winter 14ers solo.

In the late spring, if I'm very confident the snowpack is stable and homogeneous, I occasionally climb snow in avy terrain without a partner. While I'm super conservative in making this decision, I could of course still be wrong.

Everyone has to weigh their own risk calculus. But the goal is to do it in an informed way.

I should have said in my earlier post that if you're climbing when snow is on the ground, partner or not, it's vital to be able to recognize avalanche terrain and know when you're on it or below it. At a minimum, take an avalanche terrain avoidance class, and consider AIARE 1 even if you never plan to enter avalanche terrain. It will further refine your ability to plan routes that avoid avy terrain, and help you recognize it in the field. You'll also gain an understanding of the avy forecast, a critical resource to have and understand when snow is present.

If you're climbing with partners with snow on the ground, always discuss BEFORE the trip whether you're bringing avy gear and whether your partners know how to use it. There should be 100% concurrence on whether you are all carrying avy gear or not. Imagine someone being able to save my ass because they brought the gear even though I can't do the same for them. No way.

[DiamondCutter]

I'll make note that often times, and in my experience, the family's worries don't usually subside and even grow worse with age. As I've gotten older and even with over 100 successful summits, 10+years backcountry winter experience solo, and some intense experiences solo, as Ive gotten older, gotten married, had children, the family's worry never goes away. Even when I go solo hunting I have family members (some very experienceed) saying thsr I should never go solo. I think the experienced person's mentality of "never go solo" feeds into the worries of the non-experienced, but even so, it's something I love doing and I know my own skill level and risk factors. My risk decisions have definitely changed over the years so sometimes I find it odd that even though I'm being safer and have more experience, that their worry continues to grow. But after all, most people percieve this as a numbers game and don't always know what goes into to staying safe solo. So my advice is for "you do you", and if traveling solo is what you enjoy then you'll have to learn to work with and balance other people's worry without letting it get to your head. At the same time, their worry means they care about you. As we all age, I think we all gravitate to what's most important in life and that is usually spending time with loved ones. Sp remember they come from a place of love. But don't expect to be able to mitigate their worry, and in fact you should appreciate it and assure them that you will keep it in mind while you venture out. There are times I limit who I tell that Im going out because I dont want the extra voices or to stress people unnecessarily, but I still give a trusted source my plans and access to my gps locations which probably gives me more peace of mind than them. In the end, if their worry is enough to hold you back, then feel blessed thst they care about you and you care about them. Its not just your skin in the game and sometimes knowing that as you start to face danger is the calming reason to turn back and head home with a full heart.

[seannunn]

I don't do much climbing this time of year, but I would never go in a situation that there was any chance of snow without some way to contact SAR. It is just too easy to get caught in a freak snowstorm and have no idea how to get back to your vehicle.

If the weather forecast gives no indication of sub-freezing temperatures overnight, personally I think that a bivy sac is a reasonable piece of gear in place of a sleeping bag. They weight about 4 ounces, take up less space than your lunch, and can keep you pretty warm. I carry one in my summit bag even if I am just doing an easy day climb. Cheap insurance. From what I read Gary Roach famously overnighted in one high up a few years back after a fall, until SAR could get there.

Speaking of lunch, extra food is a good idea anytime, but especially with lower temperatures. Shivering will keep you warm, but it burns calories, so extra food can replace those calories and extend your time until SAR can get there in the event that something horrible happens. Again, I take enough food for 24 hours even if I am going on a 5 hour day hike. This time of year I would take more than that.

Early start is a good idea IMO, even though the risk of lightning is lower now (I think). If something bad happens, you are more likely to have SAR reach you the same day if something bad happens at 9am than if it happens at 4pm.

Finally, study the route well and know where you are going. Again, good advice for any hike.

Sean Nunn
Peculiar, MO

[Yikes]

I feel like I'm more likely to seriously injure myself mountain biking than by hiking in non-summer months. I enjoy hiking more in Sept/Oct than summer; not a fan of 500 cars at the trailhead. I've done a fair number of my winter 14ers and Centennials solo. I don't carry gear to sleep out in an emergency even though I own a bivy; I'm pretty much relying upon keeping moving to stay warm. That might be a risk that others don't want to take. Almost all of the winter trips start in the dark and end in the dark; Pyramid took 26 hours. There were times where I left the car when it was 15 below. I won't go out if the wind is expected to be 40mph+. I always bring a heavy down, extra hat, extra gloves, extra socks, extra headlamp. When solo, I slow my pace to help ensure stable foot placements on rocks buried in snow. I've snuck in summits with storms coming in, but I'm hesitant to go out several days after a storm. My parents continue to worry and always ask me to go with someone else; that won't ever change.

[seannunn]

To each his own, but I fail to see the harm in carrying a four ounce bivy sac.

Sean Nunn
Peculiar, MO

[Taylor Doriani]

Hi all,

I just wanted to say thank you to all who chimed in here. I wrote the original post with some trepidation, but I appreciate all the advice given here. Hopefully it is a good thread that will help others as well. I will only say that what has been said has given me some pause about my winter habits and plans. I think the shoulder season will continue as before, but I will consider my future decisions in deeper snow with some care. On another note, I am glad to hear that I'm not alone in hiking alone. In some ways I'm surprised that I've come to enjoy the solitude in my hikes. I don't think of myself as an anti-social person, but I think I'm actually more relaxed when I'm alone. It seems like this is the case for some of you as well. At least I'm not too out there with this perspective.

If I were to summarize the advice I've gotten regarding overnight gear in the colder months, it seems that a sleeping bag is less essential than having very warm / extra clothes and an emergency bivy. These are things I already carry. If others want to continue to chime in, I'll still be watching this thread. Thanks all!