Before you head out, make sure you know what you're doing. As in any wilderness pursuit where help is not just a phone call away, you are in charge of your well-being... and in wintertime, the margin for error is very small. So hook up with someone experienced, hire a guide, look for a teacher, because little mistakes add up quickly, and you can wind up in a very dicey situation without even realizing it.
While I'm at it, let me point out that I don't think you can learn to winter-camp safely from a book, and I certainly don't thik you can learn from a Web site -- including this one. In other words, this site is in no way a substitute for professional instruction in winter-camping techniques(a fact that will become grossly apparent as you explore further). It's composed almost exlusively of my own personal opinions and subjective experiences, and I may as well tell you now that I am both confused and incompetent.
Which leads me to one Fundamental Rule of wilderness exploration: know your limitations. Assess them honestly. Search around for all the things that could potentially go wrong. If you don't know what you don't know, you're heading for trouble. Don't be a hero. You've got limitations. We all do. Such as:
Humans have no fur. Our lives depend on our clothes (I don't mean that in a social sense, either).
Humans are plantigrade bipeds. We tend to flounder in the snow. We are well-served by aids to transportation.
Humans (mostly) do not have nests/burrows/dens. We need shelter.
Humans are not browsers or scavengers (buffet lines excepted); we are hunters and gatherers. To keep moving we need to bring along food.
Humans are, by and large, helpless -- which is why we invented so much cool gear...
...But we're still vulnerable to a lot of hazards.
The most valuable survival tool a human has is his or her brain, which can be a remarkable repository for useful information, the kind you get from reading.
Now that you're ready to head out, stock up at the one and only Sastrugi.com hand-picked gear store!
As long as you're sitting in front of your computer, you may want to check out some links.
And if you've been through the whole site and you're still bored, see who to blame.
(c) 1997-2008 A. Dundas. Original content and artwork (I use that term loosely) are copyrighted and may not be used without permission.
Celebrating ten years on the web (more or less)! I'd like to take a moment here to reflect on the decade that Sastrugi.com has spent promoting our fine pastime of winter camping online...
