Welcome back, everyone! With winter very slowly approaching, comes an emphasis on risk management. More than ever, it is important to make certain all participants have adequate gear prior to going out on a trip.
Along with checking gear, the pre-trip and safety briefings need to be thorough and complete. Tackle those few tasks and you’re already minimizing so much risk as a leader!
One of the projects OPO is trying to complete this year is creating a leader field manual for each sub club. We really want to lockdown some consistent leader training procedures and responsibilities. We also want to look at creating procedures for environmental and activity hazards. Creating consistency & fluidity in the leader community and managing risk are our main goals. During this term, I will be working with chairs to help create field manuals for their clubs. Each field manual will be a tangible resource for leaders to access training guidelines, responsibilities, club policies and procedures, and how to deal with potential activity & environmental hazards in the field. It’s assumed that most clubs already possess these components but let’s brainstorm and put them into a field-friendly manual!
Tips on winter footwear from Rory “Hot Foot” Gawler:
Welcome to Winter!
This is a special time for the DOC. As you'll notice, the organization's logo consists of crossed skis and snowshoes. The main impetus for its founding was to help people enjoy this most spectacular of seasons. Indeed, we often posit that
it is impossible to be truly happy in the winter unless you get outside!
Winter does have its challenges though. Staying warm and dry is a skill and an art, but it is not beyond anyone. I'd like to take a moment to address one of the more important parts of this art: footwear.
Good socks and boots are essential to winter happiness. It can be tempting to think that your summer hiking boots will be sufficient and in some cases, they may be. Consider the following: are they truly water-resistant? If the outdoor
temperature is hovering in the 30s, you will undoubtedly be exposed to significant wetness. This is the surest way to be unhappy.
If you're lucky and it's colder, is there room in your boots to wear insulating socks? One of the most common mistakes of winter adventurers is thinking that simply wearing thick socks or multiple pairs of socks will make their feet warmer.
If your boots fit comfortably with thin summer-weight socks on, then stuffing two pairs of smartwools in there will do one thing only: cut off much-needed circulation. This is a quick trip to cold feet.
What's the solution? Couple things:
- Get good boots. There are myriad options, but a little googling should suffice. Insulation, water-resistance and traction are important, as is good fit (but remember to leave room for thick socks or multiple pairs of thinner socks).
- Borrow some comfy winter boots from someone else. Fit is not quite as important as with summer boots as those thick socks you're wearing will help cushion. Do watch out for blisters still, and use tape and moleskin to address hotspots.
- Borrow some larger hiking boots from a friend. As long as they're waterproofed and have room for some thick wool socks, you should be fine.
- Properly fitting and adjusted gaiters are magic. They keep snow out of your boot tops and provide significant additional warmth.
- If you're going on an official outing with the DOC, DOR has a couple options. Mukluks are great for cold weather (they're not waterproof, but if it's cold, won't matter) and snowshoeing in moderate terrain. They won't be comfortable for
steep terrain or crampons). We have plastic mountaineering boots which are great for serious terrain and make your feet virtually invincible. They are heavy and inflexible and are overkill for moderate trips. For everything else, we have overboots that while
a little clunky, are actually surprisingly comfortable and fit over anything. I wore them over a pair of running shoes in deep snow and was quite comfy. Try them out. Bring some on your trip.
Here's some additional resources for winter. Check them out, and as always, come see us here in OPO if you have questions!
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