Montana Winter Vacations - Safety

Winter landscapes in Montana provide the outdoor adventurer with breathtaking beauty, quiet solitude, unique opportunities to observe wildlife and miles of untracked snow to explore. And while the low winter sun sparkling on fresh snow makes for a beautiful landscape, there are certain dangers that come with recreating during this time of year and you need to be prepared take to ensure your safety.

The Montana winter vacation season can bring freezing temperatures, winter storms, and avalanche danger. Being well prepared is always the best way to start a trip onto the winter landscape. You start by wearing and packing proper clothing and food, carrying the necessary emergency equipment, and studying the terrain you will be traveling for possible avalanche danger. Recognizing the symptoms of hypothermia and how to treat it is important also.

And finally checking the weather before you head out will give you a safe start on your winter adventure. Below are some links to help make your winter trip a safe and enjoyable one. By learning all you can about enjoying the winter season safely, it will give you the confidence to go out and explore our magnificent winter landscape!

Proper Clothing

Wearing the proper clothes for your Montana winter vacations and recreation is essential for your safety. Whether you are snowshoeing, cross-country or telemark skiing, all of these activities generate a lot of body heat and sweat. And while your body may be warm while moving, freezing temperatures and winter winds can quickly lower your body temperature when you stop.

Selecting the proper fabrics and layering your clothing will help you to maintain a constant body temperature.

There are three basic layers of clothing to have with you while recreating in the snow. The base layer, middle layer and outer layer. You regulate your body temperature by taking these layers on and off during your time outdoors.

The base layer is the one next to your skin. It needs to be made of lightweight moisture wicking thermal material (generally Capilene) that keeps you warm and helps wick moisture away from your skin. This base layer applies to a top and bottoms, as well as glove liners.

The middle layer includes a down vest or fleece jacket and pants, to put on when you stop moving. A wool hat, neck gaiter and fleece lined gloves or mittens are also essential. Your hat should be able to cover your ears. This layer will keep you warm and prevent too much body heat from escaping.

The outer layer consists of a good breathable, wind and rainproof jacket and pants. This layer is important protection against winter winds and driving snow that can cut through other layers.

Making sure your feet are warm and dry is essential also. While various activities require different type of footwear, your boots should be waterproof to keep your feet warm. Socks should consist of at least one layer of thick wool.

One final piece of clothing to think about is gaiters for your legs. These are made of durable water-repellant material that wrap around your upper boots and ankles to keep snow from getting in your boots.

And remember, cotton fabrics are a poor choice for winter vacations and recreation. Cotton soaks up moisture, does not dry easily and is a poor insulator when wet.

Hypothermia

Hypothermia is "a decrease in the core body temperature to a level at which normal muscular and cerebral functions are impaired." - Medicine for Mountaineering. This condition can be brought on by a variety of factors when recreating outdoors, especially during the winter months. Winter recreation enthusiasts should be familiar recognizing the symptoms of hypothermia as well as treatment, to ensure a safe outing in Montana.

Hypothermia is caused by exposure to cold temperatures and combined with exhaustion, winter wind and wet conditions, can kill a recreationalist if they are not careful. Hypothermia begins when your body begins to lose heat faster than you can produce it, and you begin to use up your body's reserves. After these reserves are used up, cold reaches the brain making tasks such as speech and simple motor skills (zipping up a jacket) almost impossible.

There are three types of hypothermia- mild, moderate and severe.

Mild hypothermia (core body temperature 98.6 - 96 degrees F) symptoms include shivering (not under voluntary control), and the inability to do complex motor functions (skiing, etc) but a person can still walk and talk.

Moderate hypothermia (core body temperature 95 - 93 degrees F) symptoms include slurred speech, violent shivering, loss of motor coordination, confused thinking, and irrational behavior (person taking off clothes, unaware they are cold).

Severe hypothermia (core body temperature 92 - 86 degrees and below- which is life threatening) symptoms include person falling to ground and curling up in a fetal position (to conserve heat), pale skin, shivering in waves then pauses (body has burned up glycogen in muscles to try and heat body), dilated pupils and pale skin.

Treatment of hypothermia varies with the severity of the symptoms. It is very important that everyone recreating in the winter be well informed about this possible condition and knows how to spot and diagnose the symptoms.

Avalanche Awareness

Heavy Montana winter snows can bring an abundance of fun in the form of winter snow skiing and snowshoeing. It can also, depending on the terrain, bring the danger of an avalanche. Every year dozens of people are killed or seriously injured in avalanche related accidents.

Avalanches occur when loose snow or a slab of snow begins moving down a hillside. Avalanches are triggered by a variety of conditions, including human impact, the condition of the snow layers, weather conditions and the steepness of the slope.

It is important to be well prepared with the proper equipment in the case of an avalanche, and to know what to do if you or a member of your party is caught in an avalanche. There are many things you can do to ensure your safety before heading out to adventure in the snow. Checking out snow and avalanche conditions beforehand is a must, and it is a good idea to talk with park rangers, forest officials or other area experts regarding current avalanche conditions. Be sure to travel with a group and make sure each person is carrying a durable collapsible shovel and digital avalanche beacon, and knows how to use them. Classes on avalanche safety are offered by the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center. Classes are cheap ($25.00 for the full session) and conducted by national avalanche specialists. For more information, contact ASMSU Outdoor Recreation Program at 994-3621.

- contains info from the Montana Wilderness Association