Above Tree-Line Travel

Luke Sosnowski

MITOC Winter School

What is ‘treeline’?

Usually a distinct altitude on a mountain at which trees disappear and give way to alpine meadows and/or bare rock. Treeline’s altitude is not consistent, and depends heavily on local climatic conditions.

What makes treeline special?

Wind!!!

What does treeline look like?

...or when there is no snow...

…sometimes treeline is not

so distinct.

Arctic conditions

Conditions above treeline are likely to be much worse than at any other time during your hike.

Mount Washington Weather•Weather: Partly cloudy •Temperature: -2°F•Visibility: 65 miles•Wind Chill Index: -26°F•Relative Humidity: 44%•Wind: Northwest at 11 MPH • Station Pressure: 23.19" and falling• Ground Conditions: 4" snow and ice

Balmy day on Mt. Washington!

Rule #1: Don’t Panic

By now, Winter School should have taught you what you need to know to venture above treeline and get back down safely.

However, compared to previous WS trips, your margin for error may be cut down significantly.

Don't count on moving rapidly in winter.

Trail conditions can make half a mile per hour an exhausting speed.

The Appalachian Mountain Club suggests, "Guidebook travel times should be doubled in winter." Under some conditions, that advice is not nearly conservative enough.

Bring clothing suitable for full-scale arctic conditions.

Especially important is truly wind-proof shell gear for your entire body, adequate headgear (because so much heat loss occurs through the head), goggles, genuine winter boots, and a good mitten-glove combination (enough dexterity to handle tasks with hands protected). Trekking poles are nice.

Never try to move in a full-scale storm above treeline.

No one should risk becoming exhausted or lost in a snowfield in the incredible and relentless fury of a White Mountain storm. If you start ascending and feel that you or your equipment are not up to the task, then turn around and go back down, alive.

Never go anywhere without a compass

It is hard to imagine getting turned around 180 degrees on a familiar summit, but it happens. Once you lose that all-important sense of the direction of things, that alpine world up there suddenly appears featureless and inscrutable— and totally hostile. Without a compass, you're dead lost, body and soul. Use carins when you can. Look back from time to time.

PS. GPS has batteries. Batteries die. Don’t wager your life on (possibly) dead batteries.

Don't count on following your own footprints

The wind can blow them to oblivion in a minute or two. The hole left by an ice ax lasts somewhat longer, so look for those rather than your crampon tracks-but nothing lasts long in a serious Presidentials' gale.

Never separate yourself from the equipment you require for survival.

Your chances of reaching the summit may increase without the heavy winter packs. But beware of separating yourself from stuff that you will need. Without your packs— and spare clothes, sleeping bags, tent, stove, food— your chances of survival in case of an overnight are nil. At best, you are risking the loss of a lot of expensive gear.

Remember that early winter days have the fewest daylight hours.

It's the time of year when it gets late early. This fact should be kept in mind in all winter trip planning. Bring a flashlight. Bring spare batteries. Bring an extra flashlight. Know when it gets dark. Plan to be done before dark.

Always take the time to pack essential items properly.

Failure to stash an item (water bottle) inside your pack properly can result in your down jacket (or sleeping bag) becoming so soaked as to be useless for the rest of the trip. Also, you are out of water. Your hands are freezing, and you are digging through your pack to find your warm mittens that you buried somewhere - hopefully not in the car. At the worst poorly secured items (like crampons) can be torn off the pack unnoticed, and turn up missing when needed. Pack items that you are likely to need in places that you can access.

Hector demonstrating proper packing technique

In setting up a tent, never assume that the current wind direction will necessarily hold constant.

As a matter of fact, it is tempting to make the generalization that no tent made can stand up to the fury of a Presidentials' storm at its worst. You're better off not putting your confidence in any above-treeline shelter if you have no easy escape route. Snow caves or igloos offer a better chance for survival, but they are time-consuming to erect, can get you very wet in the process, and cost daylight hours that can probably be better spent getting to some less-exposed spot, preferably below treeline. In Presidentials, you can camp on 2+ feet of snow once you are above treeline.

If in doubt, get below treeline.

In winter, neither wind nor cold are as deadly an enemy as warmth and rain, followed by cold.

When a winter storm turns warm and drops rain, that's the time to look out for your life. You'd better be prepared to get out of the mountains fast, especially if your clothes and other essential equipment have been getting wet. A sudden drop in temperature after a freezing rain can catch you with your defenses down.

This brings us to the next point….

Many layers of fleece or wool are worth a lot more than the finest down gear when wetness is a potential problem.

When the weather has a potential for turning wet, you should place little reliance on those big down parkas. Newer fabrics are now in widespread use that prove even more mountain-worthy. A layering of waterproof/breathable shell, fleece insulation, and synthetic underwear is far more reliable than one monster parka when the chips are down.

It may prove useful to carry down clothing and sleeping bags in waterproof stuff sacks. That way they are dry and warm when you need them most.

Choose your reading material carefully

Sex and violence are the only reading matter able to command attention at 5,500 feet in a howling tempest.

Get sleep when you can.

Playing cards are useful.

Never trifle with winter in the mountains.

If you decide to undertake this special madness called winter climbing, prepare yourself well. Read up on it, get the correct equipment, but most important of all, hook up with someone who has experience in that unique world. Start slowly, with day trips at first, then plenty of overnight experience below treeline, where you can learn to deal with the cold without the additional devastating problem of wind.

References

• Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills

• http://www.gorp.com/gorp/publishers/countryman/ethics.htm

• Previous winter school lectures….