Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 08:58:08 -0800 From: Ann To: alpine-club AT lists.stanford.edu, redwood AT lists.stanford.edu, climbing AT lists.stanford.edu, powderbound AT lists.stanford.edu Subject: [SAC] Snow Camping Clinic, Jan 24 + Feb 2-3, 2008 Please forward to interested parties. Introduction to Snow Camping Brought to you by the Stanford Alpine Club & Redwood Outdoors Club DESCRIPTION Avoid the crowds and go camping in winter! Snow camping doesn't have to be freezing cold with the appropriate knowledge and gear. We'll be giving a Scandinavian slant to snow camping. Topics include: * winterizing your car * winter & altitude related injuries * winter clothing, gear, and nutrition * snow shelters * basic orientation skills with a map & compass/analog watch * some useful knots etc. We'll see how much we can cover in 3 hours. The clinic will consist of a classroom session (open to everyone) and a weekend on the snow in avalanche safe terrain (by application only). We plan to ski/snowshoe to some location, set up camp, spend some time building snow shelters, practice orientation skills, and take a short skiing/snowshoeing tour. The classroom session is MANDATORY for those attending the field session! WHO IS THIS FOR Anyone! You do not need any experience with snow, camping or snowshoeing to participate. However, you must be able to backpack your own gear and a portion of group gear for a couple of miles. If you plan to ski, you must already know how to ski. YOUR WORKSHOP LEADERS * Ann - A wannabe Canadian that grew up near the Canadian Rocky Mountains and has been playing in the snow since then. * Erik - A Swede from the snowy, northern part of Sweden, who was often tossed outdoors in the winter by his parents. CLASSROOM SESSION (open to all) Date: Thu Jan 24, 2008 @ 7-10pm Cost: Free! Place: Clark Center S361 Map: http://www.stanford.edu/group/alpineclub/info/clarkmap.htm (driving directions not correct due to construction) If you're coming to the classroom session, please email (so we know how many handouts to make) To bring: * a piece of rope at least 1-2 feet long, ~1/8" thick or thicker, e.g., clothing line, shoe lace, etc * a compass and/or an analog watch * gear for demos, see below FIELD SESSION (by application only) Date: Sat Feb 2, 2008 - Sun Feb 3, 2008 Place: Yosemite (tentative) Cost: * cost of renting snowshoes or XC/Telemark skis, boots, poles + any addition touring and camping gear * your share of group expenses, e.g, food, gas, entrance fees, etc To bring: See the gear list below. Included is an extensive winter clothing list. I also have some wool clothing for sale for small/short people. TO APPLY FOR THE FIELD SESSION Fill out the questionnaire at the end of this email. Due Tuesday, Jan 22 at 6pm. If you're accepted on the field trip, you will receive an email with further details. The size of the field trip will be limited so don't wait until the last minute to apply! Drivers bringing their cars on the trip and early applications may get priority. Questions: Email -Ann Stanford Alpine Club alpineclub.stanford.edu Redwood Outdoors Club redwood.stanford.edu --- Classroom Session --- To make the gear talk more meaningful, we need help finding gear to demo. If you can bring any of the following, please let me know what you can bring and make sure to label your gear: Tent: * 3-season tent, preferably self-supporting design Stoves & accessories: * solid fuel stove, e.g., Esbit * pressurized liquid stove, e.g., Whisperlite * gas/canister stove, e.g., Jetboil * aluminum windshield for stove Sleeping Pad: * any typical inflatable sleeping pad Touring gear: * snowshoes * adjustable poles * backcountry XC skis & boots * leather Telemark boots * AT skis & boots You're also welcome to bring any other gear or clothing you would like for us to comment on. --- Gear List --- Necessary gear for the trip: (discussed in classroom) Items marked with an @ sign can be rented through Redwood (redwood.stanford.edu). If you are accepted on the trip, we'll let you know when we plan to rent gear, which will be before normal gear hours. For car owners: * snow chains that fit your tires (please practice putting the chains on at home!) * ice scraper for the windshield of your car or some hard plastic that can do the same (no metal) * a spare car key loaned to someone on the trip For snowshoers: * snowshoes@ * waterproof/winter boots (hiking boots are OK) * ski poles@ For skiers: * backcountry XC skis@ or Telemark skis * boots@ that fit your skis * ski poles@ * skins for Telemark skis * boots to change into at camp (hiking boots are OK) For everyone: * personal survival kit (whistle, fire starter/waterproof matches, etc) * personal first-aid kit (fabric tape, pain killer, band aids, etc) * gaiters@ * backpack@ (min 40 L) for carrying food, water, extra clothes, group gear, etc * eye protection, i.e., glasses, sunglasses and/or goggles * water bottles@ for carrying 4 liters of water/person/day * high energy snacks, e.g., chocolate bars with nuts, energy bars, trail bars, trail mix, nuts, dried fruit, etc * sunscreen & lip balm with SPF 15 or higher, preferably sweat-proof * sleeping bag(s)@ * 2 sleeping pads@ (at least one must be a foam/non-inflatable pad) * head lamp@/flashlight * snow shovel@ * winter clothing * NO COTTON! * waterproof/windproof jacket (a shell with multiple layers is better than a thick jacket with few or no layers) * waterproof/windproof pants (same principle as the jacket) * several upper & lower insulating layers (wool, fleece or other synthetic materials) * base-layer such as thermal underwear (wool, silk, fleece or other synthetic materials) * several pairs of wool or synthetic socks (NO COTTON!) * wool or fleece hat, preferably windproof * mittens and/or gloves, preferably waterproof & windproof Group gear: tent@, stove@, fuel@, etc. Redwood will provide group gear for every 3-4 persons but bring your own if you would like to test it. Optional Gear: * neck gaiter or scarf (NOT cotton) * extra gloves/mitts (NOT cotton) * extra wool or fleece hat * camera + extra batteries * a small, personal towel * for snow shelters: a probe or something similar to check snow depth Gear Buying Tips: Exped downmats are expensive but worth it when sleeping outdoors in the winter. They have the highest insulating value of any sleeping pad on the market. We have Exped downmat 9's. We've successfully ordered online from the following places: * Sierra Tradiong Post, WY (sierratradingpost.com) * Backcountry.com and steepandcheap.com, UT * Mountain Gear, WA (mgear.com) * REI (rei.com) and REI-Outlet (rei-outlet.com) * Amazon (amazon.com) * Bent Gate Mountaineering, CO (www.bentgate.net) * Moontrail, TX (moontrail.com) * ParagonSports, NY (paragonsports.com) etc. OEP has a good list of where to buy gear locally and online: http://www.stanford.edu/class/ges7/students/buygear.html --- Wool clothing for sale --- Wool military pants (unused), 31" waist x 27" inseam. $15 Women's Icebreaker Oasis Crewe (new), 100% merino wool thermal long-sleeve shirt. Size small, red, very trim fit. Machine washable. $30 (MSRP $60). Photo: http://tinyurl.com/2obw8m Women's Icebreaker Skin 200 leggings (new), 100% merino wool thermal long-underwear. Size small, black. Machine washable. $35 (MSRP $60). Photo: http://tinyurl.com/2vwuzt If you plan to buy something, please bring exact change. --- Field Session Application, due Tuesday, Jan 22 at 6pm --- Name: Email: (Cell) Phone: Gender: Stanford Affiliation: Time left at Stanford: 1. Why are you interested in this clinic? 2. If you were offered a position in the course, would you definitely accept? 3. What outdoor skills would you be able and willing to share with others by teaching future classes? 4. Can you make it to both the classroom and weekend sessions? 5a. Do you have a driver's license? 5b. Describe your experience with driving on snow & ice: 5c. Do you own a vehicle with snow chains that you can bring on the trip? If yes, how many people can fit into your car (including gear)? 6. Do you have a sno-park pass or a national parks pass? 7. Describe your camping experience during all 4 seasons: 8a. Do you plan to ski, snowshoe, or don't know? 8b. If you plan to ski, describe your skiing experience: 9. Do you prefer group or individual meal planning? If you'd prefer group meal planning, please give us some warm, 1-pot meal suggestions. (It doesn't need to be complicated. We just want some ideas for what to bring.) 10. Tell us a funny joke or camping story or something else funny about yourself (don't skip this part - if you don't put anything here, we may not want to spend a weekend with you): 11. Anything else you want to tell us (e.g., food allergies, lactose intolerant, vegetarian, etc)?