Thursday, October 18, 2007

Avoiding ice


There's chatter right now on 14ers.com about how to avoid ice in waterbottles on cold winter climbs. Some swear by those pricey waterbottle insulators, some say just put your bottle in your coat. One guy actually did a test in his freezer and discovered an aluminum, vaccume-sealed thermos is the best way to go.
On cold skis, I can generally get by with a Camelbak under my jacket. If it's reallly cold, I may add a little gatorade or Mountain Dew (which shares some ingredients with anti-freeze) and most times I get away with it, but if I knew I was going to be out for a long time, say overnight, the thermos might be a good idea.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Keeping the bottle upside-down can help avoid ice a little - since it will freeze where the air is first. So instead of a giant block of ice blocking the mouth of the bottle (and preventing you from drinking the water underneath), that ice will be on the bottom.

Anonymous said...

My vodka never freezes. Plus it makes for a fun winter descent. Especially on ledge routes.