Expert tips for a successful winter hike

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Juho Niemelä is an experienced outdoorsman who has previously worked as a customer service officer for Metsähallitus, Parks & Wildlife Finland.

In the winter, basic outdoor skills do not change much on an overnight hike, but the more time you spend in nature, the more demanding it becomes. Trekking also often takes you farther out into the field, thus emphasising the need for individual survival skills in all conditions.

If this is your first winter trek and your trek routines are still taking shape, you should consider selecting a ready-made, pre-packaged trail. Maintaining your orientation on a marked trail is slightly easier, and there are also services that make the trek easier, such as huts and campsites. This also enhances safety on the trek.

Metsähallitus has winter hiking trails in, for example, Pallas-Yllästunturi and Urho Kekkonen National Park.

It is a good idea to aim for early spring, when the conditions are ideal: the snow is often load-bearing and the sun warms during the day. Especially in April, daylight lasts long into the evening.

When your early spring trekking skills are on point, you can also start thinking about winter trekking. Darkness, frigid temperatures and soft snow that cannot support your weight also pose additional challenges. Due to shorter daylight hours, you will have to hike with the aid of a headlamp and perform at least all your campsite tasks in the dark.

On a winter hike lasting one or two nights, you will mostly be able to rely on weather reports to predict the conditions you will encounter, but, on a week-long trek, weather reports become much less reliable. For example, in fell areas, localised weather and conditions can vary widely.

Anyone doing a winter trek must consider how they will proceed in freezing weather or, on the other hand, when dealing with soft slushy snow in wet weather. You must know how to find your way to the wilderness hut even in heavy snowstorms, and you must be able to set up your tent in high winds.

You must also be able to take care of yourself in all kinds of circumstances. Be ready to deal with wet socks or frozen cheeks and, if necessary, you must know how to handle any given situation . For example, you must know how to repair a ski binding that comes loose or a broken tent pole.

In short, the longer the trek, the more prepared you’ll have to be.

Weather forecast for fells in Northern Finland: www.tunturisaa.fi, in Finnish and en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi

Nearly any tent will do when camping out for one night, but on stormy, open fells, it’s a different story. Below we will discuss the features and use of key winter trekking gear.

Skis and snowshoes

When trekking in winter conditions, skis or snowshoes are virtually indispensable, which is why you should invest in them. You do not necessarily need to buy the most expensive ski package, but the quality of the cheapest models may not hold up in the most challenging conditions.

You should therefore familiarise yourself with different models and brands. If you rarely use skis, you should consider renting them, thus making it easy to get high quality equipment that can handle the conditions. You can also buy good used skis and snowshoes.

Slightly different equipment work best in different terrain and conditions.

Snowshoes are best for steep, snow-covered or otherwise difficult terrain. However, on a long trek, it is harder to make progress on snowshoes than on skis. They do still serve as an excellent backup in the event that a ski breaks.

Glide snowshoes are a sort of combined snowshoe and ski. They resemble a short ski, but the base is covered with a skin, which provides grip in all situations. Any type of footwear fits into the binding. Glide snowshoes are at their best in dense forest terrain, but they are also suitable for use in fell areas. When using them on fells, you should choose a model with a steel edge. Glide snowshoes are not the best choice when pulling a pulka. Controlling and braking with edgeless glide snowshoes on icy fells is more difficult than when using fell skis.

Forest skis are classic hiking equipment. Developed especially for Finland’s soft snow conditions, they are long and edgeless. Traditionally, the bindings are specifically designed for cross-country ski boots, but they can also be fitted with alpine ski boot bindings or universal bindings for all types of footwear. Forest skis are at their best in deep, soft snow, such as in the hill forests of Eastern Finland, Kainuu and Southern Lapland. On the other hand, long forest skis are not the best choice for use in dense forests or on the steepest fells.

Fell skis have been developed especially for crossing hard snow, such as on open fells. They are shorter and stiffer than forest skis, and usually have steel edges. Typically, alpine ski boot bindings are used when skiing on fells, but you might also see some universal bindings in use. Fell skis are best for skiing on load-bearing snow and sloping terrain. However, in deep snow, their carrying capacity is not comparable to forest skis or glide snowshoes.

In addition to skis, you will also need good, high-quality poles, which should have a sufficiently large basket, especially when skiing in deep snow. Round pole baskets made of straps or leather are more durable than hard plastic baskets.

Skis also often require climbing skins or wax to provide traction when skiing uphill or pulling a pulka. On long treks, you should pack a spare pole and basket as well as a spare ski, if possible.

When heading out on a multi-day winter trek, even the largest backpack is usually too small to hold all the gear you’ll need. And even if you could somehow squeeze all of your gear into a pack, it will easily become so heavy that you will surely struggle on your skis.

A backpack also increases the weight of a snowshoer or a skier, thus reducing the carrying capacity of the skis or snowshoes. When using a pulka, which is a sled pulled behind you, this is not a problem. In other words, it is a good idea to buy, rent or borrow a pulka for a winter trek.

Pulkas can be pulled with a rigid and rope trace. The advantages of using a solid trace are that the pulka will follow your movements smoothly and it won’t ride up on your heels when going downhill. On Finnish pulkas, which are designed specifically for use in forest terrain, the traces are crossed, thus reducing the turning radius of the pulka. Norwegian pulkas, which are intended for use in fell terrain, use a U-shaped trace, thus making them more stable on a lateral slope.

The advantage of using rope traces is that, when you’re in difficult terrain, it is easier to move the pulka with the ropes. In addition to this, you do not need to unhitch the pulka if you want to look for gear. It is also less likely that the rope will fail than the rigid trace. The disadvantages of using rope traces is that the pulka does not follow the skier as smoothly as when using a rigid trace. When going downhill, the pulka will ride up onto the backs of your skis if it is not being steered by ropes or you don’t have a brake. Custom-made pulkas that are cheaper than ready-made commercial models are usually pulled with rope traces.

The harsher the conditions and farther away from settlements you are, the greater the demands placed on your shelter, as you are completely dependent on the protection it provides. Especially when trekking in the fells, you should always choose a high-quality shelter from a reputable manufacturer.

A good winter tent is usually a tunnel tent, which is made up of an inner and outer tent connected to each other. This allows the tent to be fully pitched in one go. Winter tent stakes are longer than stakes used in the summer. Wide aluminium stakes also function as snow anchors, when they are buried horizontally in the snow and the snow is packed down around them with a shovel. The packed snow will freeze solid in a few hours.

Lined up one after the other, the poles on a tunnel tent are more resistant to wind than the crossed poles of a dome tent. However, if you are mostly camping in forest terrain, a dome tent will also work well. You can use double poles on many tunnel tents - this should be considered, especially when trekking in very windy conditions.

Snow flaps help anchor the tent and prevent the wind from blowing into the space between the outer and inner tent. However, you can manage fine even without snow flaps, and the tent sides can be sealed off with snow.

A sufficient number of adequately long guy lines make it easier to anchor the tent in the snow.

A spacious tent vestibule makes storing gear and performing various tasks easier. You can dig a little "trench" inside the vestibule in front of the inner tent door - this allows you to sit comfortably in the inner tent doorway. It is otherwise good to have an inner tent at least one metre high, so that you can easily sit up and perform tasks inside the tent.

Clotheslines or gear lofts facilitate the drying of gear inside the tent. The storage pockets sewn into the walls of the tent, on the other hand, help keep small items organised.

Choosing a good campsite also has a major impact on the comfort of winter camping. You should pitch the tent with its back end facing towards the wind - this allows air to flow through and push moisture out of the tent. Many people like to build a sheltering snow wall on the windward side of the tent, but then there is a risk that the snow will start to drift onto the tent. If you do decide to use a snow wall, build it a sufficient distance from the tent.

You can make carrying and pitching a winter tent easier by using a trick used by polar explorers. Tape the tent poles together at all of the joints except the middle one. Then, slide the poles into the pole sleeves up to the untaped middle joint. The other side of the arch is folded over the tent and the tent is rolled up.

The roll can be transported, for example, rolled up inside foam sleeping pads and then stacked on top of the pulka. By carrying the tent like this, you will not have to pack your icy tent away in its stuff sack. This also makes it quicker to pitch the tent - when you arrive at your campsite, all you have to do is unroll the tent and slide the already inserted poles into the sleeves.

In addition to the tent, the camp stove is one of the most important pieces of gear on a winter trek, because a winter trekker is often completely dependent on the heat it produces. For this reason, you should choose a reliable camp stove, whose operation is completely familiar to you.

A multi-fuel camp stove can be used in all conditions, provided that it is serviceable. A stove cleaning tool must be packed, as the jet nozzle will almost definitely have carbon build-up on it when using the stove for a long time. On some stoves, the jet nozzle cleans itself while being used.

Reserve O-rings should also be packed, as freezing temperatures can make the rubber brittle. A leaky O-ring always poses a fire hazard when using the stove.

For the fuel pump piston O-ring, it is advisable to bring along the small tube of oil that comes with the stove, as the O-ring will shrink in very low temperatures, thus preventing pressurisation of the fuel canister.

If you absolutely want to use gas, the best stove model for a winter trekker is one where the fuel line is coiled around the burner flame. This heats the gas as it flows to the burner and burns more efficiently.

A handy accessory for winter trekkers is a stove box, where the stove can be carried ready for use on the pulka. You can make your own box out of aluminium or customise an old toolbox. The box also increases stove safety and serves as a wind shield.

If you are trekking together with others, you should also have multiple stoves in the winter. Having multiple stoves speeds up the melting of snow for water, and, if one of the stoves breaks down, it will not be a major problem.

You must bring along a sufficient amount of fuel on a winter trek, especially if you aren’t sure about the availability of water along the route. Melting snow and particularly cold or windy weather consumes a lot of fuel.

In the winter, you might be able to get drinking water from a hole cut in the ice, provided that the conditions are right and you have an ice auger or axe along.

If you are melting snow for your water, use tightly packed snow for optimal efficiency. If there is no packed snow available, you can pack an old watertight bag and fill it with snow. The snow compresses in the bag and, at the same time, it is a handy way to store snow to be melted for drinking water.

If you plan to melt snow for your drinking water the entire duration of the trek, the water will lack important minerals and not hydrate as well as groundwater or tap water. However, some salt and sugar or effervescent (dissolving) vitamin tablets may be mixed with the melt water. Melt water does not always taste very good, either, so juice concentrates or various sports drinks can improve the taste.

Because maintaining a water supply is difficult in winter, drinking is easily forgotten. That is why it is a good idea to melt enough drinking water, for example, while making breakfast, and keep it in a thermos or similar container. You can also keep a small, soft cooler on the pulka, where the water can stay liquid in ordinary bottles.

On a winter trek, you should keep your food supply simple. The main thing is that you pack enough food, because you can consume more than 5,000 calories a day when trekking in the cold.

Especially in winter conditions, food preparation is easier if you prepare as much of your meals as possible at home. For example, ready-made dishes can be dried for the trek. Then, all you will need to do is let the food soak and cook it.

It is even easier to use ready-made, freeze-dried backpacking meals. Just add water and cook. You can also use ordinary store-bought freeze-dried meals and set them for trekking use. The less food that needs to be cooked, the less fuel you will need to consume. On a trek, you can prepare lunch while doing your morning tasks and put it in an insulated food jar.

You should also pack enough high-energy snacks and remember to eat them throughout the day. If your energy is depleted, you will get cold more quickly and your performance will suffer.

On a winter trek, damaged gear can have fatal consequences, as you may find yourself stuck if you break a ski or the pulka. A broken tent door zipper or pole can also pose a serious hazard, not to mention spraining your ankle on a fast descent. Indeed, winter trekkers must be prepared to take of themselves and maintain and repair their gear.

The most critical gear damage involves your skis, tent or stove.

The most vulnerable part of skis is usually the bindings. It is a good idea to pack screws, adhesive and some kind of spare straps, which can be used to hold the boot in place as a last resort. It might be a good idea to also pack a spare binding. A light backup ski binding can be fashioned from a sheet of plastic that is slightly narrower than the ski. Just cut one hole in the sheet to go over the toe and another behind the heel. In an emergency, this sheet can be screwed onto the skis to serve as a backup binding.

Skis can also break. You can prepare for this by, for example, packing a flat metal bar and screws, which can be used as a “splint” for the broken ski. If necessary, you can use any suitable object as a splint. However, today’s modern skis rarely break.

A much more difficult problem to deal with is boot failure. The most common problem encountered with standard 75 mm ski boots is the breaking of the toe piece, while on NNN boots it is the possibility of the toe bar coming loose. As it is not very sensible to carry spare boots, you must try to repair the boot with adhesive and tape. The best solution is often prevention, so it is worth trying to keep the bindings and boots as snow-free as possible.

In the case of a tent, the most serious failures are when poles or zippers break or the tent fabric tears. However, tent fabric tears are rare if the tent is otherwise in good condition, of high quality and has been properly stored. However, it is a good idea to prepare for tears by packing self-adhesive patches, a sewing kit and duct tape.

It is difficult to do anything about a broken zipper out in the field. The good thing about winter tents is that they come with two vestibules or two doors and one vestibule. In this case, a broken outer tent door can simply be sewed shut and corrective alternatives can be used. A door flapping open reduces the stormworthiness of the tent. A stubborn zipper can be rubbed with a candle - this might prevent the zipper from breaking.

The most effective way to prevent poles from breaking is to always ensure that their sections are fully seated . A poorly seated joint will break easily. Ensure that you have a pole repair sleeve packed so that you will be able to deal a pole break. Repair sleeves, which are thicker hollow cylinders, are usually supplied with the poles. Slide the sleeve over the break and tape it securely in place. It is also a good idea to pack a spare pole.

General repair equipment should also be packed for a winter trek. These include cable ties, tape, a sewing kit, wire, paracord or twine , superglue, multi-purpose tool, fabric patches and screws.

Winter first-aid equipment does not differ considerably from summer, but cold and frostbite must be taken into account in the winter. It is a good idea to include emergency hand or foot warmer packs in your first-aid kit. These emergency packs can be used to provide additional heat, for example, inside a space blanket or sleeping bag. The emergency packs can also be used to provide first-aid for frozen fingers. Remember to pack out all used emergency packs - do not burn them out in the field.

Cold also puts the electronics used by winter trekkers to the test. Essential electronics, such as a phone, should be kept close to the body to keep it warm. A good way to do this is to keep the phone in a waterproof bag and hang it around your neck. This will also protect the phone from moisture.

Keeping your phone in airplane mode saves battery life, while still enabling you to take photos and use preloaded map applications offline.

Another important piece of gear for winter hikers is a headlamp. Batteries charged at home or only one spare set of batteries may not be enough to last on a week-long trek. Therefore, you must be ready to charge the lamp while on the trek or pack a spare battery or batteries.

A good winter trekking headlamp has versatile light control features, which means that you can use a lower light setting when you need to save power. A headlamp with a separate battery pack is a good choice for winter use, as the extension cord makes it possible to keep the batteries in a warm pocket, thus extending the battery life.

If you use a GPS device on your trek, you should also be prepared to charge the device or replace batteries.

A power bank is a good source of extra power for your trek. It is a good idea to ensure that the power bank has sufficient capacity to provide enough extra power. Charging is more efficient when done in a warm place, such as a hut.

You should also take care of your personal hygiene in the winter, even though it is somewhat more difficult than in summer. However, a sweat-soaked groin or feet increases the risk of chafing when skiing.

In the tent, you can use wet wipes to maintain hygiene in intimate areas, on your legs and in your armpits. Another option is to heat a little water in a pot and wash up in the snow. Remember to wash yourself well away from water bodies, even in the winter. Never dispose of wet wipes in a dry toilet, not even if they are biodegradable - you are required to pack them out in a rubbish bag.

If possible, you should air out your wool underwear from time to time during your trek. Changing underwear and socks is a matter of taste - some need several clean pairs, while others can go for a whole week without changing.

Hand sanitiser should be reserved for cooking and visits to the toilet, as washing hands can be challenging in winter.

It is a good idea to pack a small brush for your winter trek so that you can brush off any frost on your clothes before going to the tent. This prevents moisture from building up in the tent. Moisture almost always builds up to some extent, and you can also use a brush to remove it from the tent, as long as you wait until the moisture turns to frost.

One way of doing this is to let the frost drop to the bottom of the tent during transport and then brush it off the tent floor while pitching the tent. In early spring, however, the sun can melt the frost during transport, in which case it is advisable to remove the moisture from the tent as quickly as possible. In addition to the brush, you can bring a rag with you.

It is a good idea to bring a small canister or collapsible water bucket for drinking water. When it is burried in a snowdrift, the water will remain liquid even at fairly freezing temperatures. You should also use a canister when staying in a hut, as shared water containers expose you to the risk of illness.

It is a good idea to set aside a drinking bottle that can hold boiling water for your winter trek. After filling the bottle with warm water in the evening and slipping the bottle into a wool sock, it makes an outstanding radiator in your sleeping bag. In the morning, you will have melted water at the ready.