Snowshoeing Safety issue/ unusual conditions

>>They said there’s really only 1 or 2 ways to die snowshoeing and one of them is frozen lakes.

Hmm… it’d be interesting to hear what the second one is. :^)

If this isn’t the second one, I’d nominate it as third on the list: Having a snowshoe break through top crust, causing a sideways tumble down into a huge tree well, accelerating for about 20 feet head first while wearing a full alpine pack and slamming one’s head into a tree trunk at the bottom of aforementioned tree well.

I was lucky to walk away from that one with only a bloody ear and some bad-ass looking stains on my shell for the next 8 days. Yes, I had an ice axe, but we were on the “easy” approach to Mt. Baker so it was on the pack and not in my hands.

Second is probably avalanches.

>>Second is probably avalanches.

Almost certain! And they’re probably #1 by a longshot.

But other things happen that are hard to anticipate.

My guess would have been tree wells as well.  They don’t need to be anywhere close to 20 foot chasms to be fatal; you just need to go in headfirst and not be able to get yourself out before you tire or run out of air.

Another candidate would be simple slip and fall accidents (on a slope of course, particularly when going downhill or across a slope.  There’s a good read on that at http://blog.oplopanax.ca/2010/10/how-to-kill-yourself-snowshoeing/.

Good link!

Jeremy and Angela—Thanks too for the link—I’m preparing for a January trip and will copy some blog posts to read in my tent while I’m caught in a blizzard.

Crossing swollen rivers and creeks is near the top of my personal potential danger list for snow camping. A one or two day warm spell in the middle of winter can create these dangerous conditions.

The ice in your pictures is indicative standing water at some point in time (that night) on the trail and that there’s a possibility of standing water remaining below. If ice looks like it formed on a pond, treat it that way. In transitional winter weather I always take a synthetic “puffy” so that I can bake myself dry.  I have on a couple of occasions wrapped the jacket around my feet. I also carry way more fuel then I think I will need and at least two Nalgene water bottles.  a trick for boots to dry/prevent freezing is to boil up some water, fill the Nalgenes and put them in your boots.   Frozen boots just suck.  Also, if your feet get damp/wet for any reason, it’s very important to make sure they are dry before going to sleep to prevent trench foot.

“Dry feet at night, winter camper’s delight.”

When on multi-day, winter backcountry trips in heavy snow and below freezing weather it is extremely hard to keep your boots from freezing solid even if you don’t go into any standing water — which you probably will.  One other strategy I have used is to place the boots in a plastic bag and wrapped with a fleece at the bottom of your long bag (your winter bag is a long, right?).  Along with the hot water bottle trick and using an open fire when possible, I have been able to keep my boots dry, or unfrozen, or at least pliable enough to back on depending on the circumstances.  I also use wool with gortex/neoprene oversocks to isolate my feet from the heavy wet, though you have to be careful to dry your feet/sox well or you risk other issues.

Great video about frazil ice.

Calvin Rutstrum wasn’t a fan of modern snowshoe bindings for that very reason, falling through ice and being unable to get the snowshoes off without requiring your hands.