Snow Trip B - Camping trip - August 7-10th

[OHY34H]

HI Guys,
having never camped in the snow what will i need to bring?
cheers Owen

[greyghost]

here are some notes Steve posted a few years ago, they are still very relevant to any snow camping trip.

SNOW TRIP PREPARATION NOTES

Stuff for the 4WD
Tyres with reasonable tread
A healthy battery, alternator and starter motor
Plenty of antifreeze in the radiator
A decently sized shovel, well secured
A tyre pressure gauge
A snatch strap and shackle
A can of WD40 or similar
A can of Aerostart (especially for diesels)
When we reach the snow remove vulnerable mud flaps
You can bring chains if you wish, but I will not recommend when or if they should be fitted
You may want some rubber floor mats if you have carpet
For diesels - Add anti-waxing agent or have a majority fill of alpine diesel at Mansfield
Don't leave your handbrake on when parked in the snow

Stuff for You
Sunscreen, Sunglasses, Lip balm
Gloves ie fleece/thermal gloves better than ski for dexterity
Beanie
Warm, WATERPROOF jacket
Overpants (optional) they don't have to be bling ski style ones, nylon is fine
We do not recommend jeans as outerwear. They can be worn under overpants, but I would recommend looser fitting cargo style pants, tracksuit pants or fleece pants.
Extra pairs of socks (at least four pairs)
Thermals- modern thermals will wick moisture away for the skin, to keep you dry and warmer.
More thinner layers are more effective than one thick layer. . Keep your warmest clothes dry for Saturday night/ Sunday mornings when we are less active.
FOOTWEAR: We highly recommend hiring SORELS CARIBOU snow boots. They are guaranteed waterproof and warm. They have 9mm thick wool felt lining that pulls water (sweat) away from the foot. ALL other boots used for general hiking etc will leave the foot damp due to sweat and you will have really cold toes. Once the boot is wet inside and out it A) tends to leak and B) tends to freeze solid overnight. Snowseal will not stop this. SKIMAN in Hawthorn is one source for hire SORELS, but not the only. Do not bring Gumboots or Runners with plastic bags in them. If you must bring your own boots, please make sure they are good quality high lace up boots (6-8") and ensure you have at least two pairs.

Stuff for Camping:
The smaller the tent the better. I would SERIOUSLY DISCOURAGE anyone from bringing a canvas tent, being cold, bulky and very hard to pitch in snow. Small dome tents are the best.
We are effectively mountain camping and can experience very bad weather, with high winds and snow loading. It is best to beg, borrow or hire at least a rated 3 season tent. Some cheap domes are acceptable, but most will not remain stable in high winds - unstable tent = no sleep.
DO NOT PLAN TO SLEEP IN THE CAR.
Swags are OK if you are an experienced swag camper and are confident in your setup.
The general idea is to pitch the tent on packed down snow and bank the snow up between the fly and the outside to seal in the warm air. This works a treat.
Stuff for Sleeping:
You need to insulate the cold of the snow from coming up from below. On the floor of your tent, we recommend a blanket (rubber backed, fleece, thermal or wool). On top of that place your mattress. DO NOT USE AIRBEDS. Use a ¾”foam sleeping mat or a therma rest. Foam mattresses are OK but not ideal. Place another blanket over this, and your sleeping bags on top.
I would hesitate to recommend a bag rated at warmer than -10 degrees. It is ok to add blankets to boost the warmth of a bag, or a fleece liner. Do not open up a bag to use it as a doona, you will likely get cold.
Pay special attention to this if you are sleeping alone- a single person in a tent is very much harder to keep warm.
I do not recommend taking a hot water bottle to bed- it will get cold quite quickly, without even considering the possibility of a leak.
Clothes left inside the tent overnight against the edges will get damp as there will be significant condensation on the walls of the tent in the morning.
We recommend sleeping in your thermals that you changed into at around dusk and warmed up in around the fire. Do not change into "fresh" read "cold" clothes to go sleep in. Sleep with a beanie on if your head feels at all cold.

Stuff for Eating:
Flasks for warm drinks or instant noodles etc are a nice treat during the day in the snow.
You will be exercising more than you imagine. Walking and digging etc in snow is hard work, not to mention recovering stuck cars. The air will likely be very dry and the thinner air increases your work rate. Drink lots of food and caffine free drinks. You will be quite thirsty.
It is best to not to bring preparation intensive food. If the weather is bad, you will not have the chance. Something hearty that can be reheated is ideal. Pack another days worth of food, even if just canned stuff. This will take the pressure of us if something goes awry.
NOTE: Butane aerosol type burners do not work in the snow. Even LPG can be a bit unreliable. We will have a fire, but recommend a petrol/shellite stove, metho trangia, hexamine stove or similar.
Be aware that alcohol adds to dehydration. Just because it is cold, does not mean you will be immune. Please also consider your safety and the group when drinking on Saturday night. It is easy to get disoriented and pass out or fall through the snow and out of sight. Please be a little bit more thoughtful than usual. We have a large group this year and it will be easy for someone to go unnoticed.

Other Important Stuff:
EVERYONE MUST BRING A BAG OF DRY FIREWOOD!
There are no facilities on the mountain. We have to take all rubbish home
You are welcome to bring snow toys such as X-country skis and toboggans, however let the trip leader know if you are skiing away from the group.

Steve.

[Rod_Muddytrail]

Hi jonno,
I have to pull out of the snow trip due to medical issues.
Thank you for all the running around

[OHY34H]

Hi i will be by myself for the trip no passengers.
Cheers owen

[Jonno]

Trip report:

Attendees:
Jonno - Sierra LWB Styleside
Dougie - Sierra LWB Ute
Owen - Vitara SWB Soft top
Shaun - Sierra SWB Hardtop

The trip began in Jamieson on Thursday, Owen and I met at the caravan park and set off towards Mt Selma via Woods Point and Matlock. After a solid drive for a couple of hours we made it through the valley and up to the summit of Mt Selma where we met Dougie and Shaun who had come up from Gippsland. Unfortunately there was no snow this year on Mt Selma so we didn't stay long and set off towards the Jamieson-Licola road to get to our destination for the night which was an old loggers hut. We arrived around 4pm, got the fire going and settled in for the evening with a pretty easy first day (other than a lot of driving)

On Friday after a bit of a slow start, we left the hut and set off for one of the more difficult tracks nearby that takes you down into the valley to a creek crossing and up the other side, after a long and difficult descent, we crossed the creek and on the other side found that we had a few issues. My air compressor had stopped working which meant no air-lockers, and Owen had broken a CV in the Vitara coming out of the creek. After a few short winches we were on flat ground and able to diagnose the issues. My issue turned out to be a bad relay, so I swapped it out with the one on my lightbar, and Owen replaced his CV with a spare, and we were back moving again in no time.

After a little more driving and some other short winch pulls for a few cars on a few sections, Owen heard something go bang and presumed it was his other CV, so we had lunch while Owen replaced the other CV trackside. Unfortunately this didn't seem to fix the problem (despite us then replacing the FWH and some other items) so we suspected the auto locker had broken inside the diff and wasnt going to be fixed in the bush. With Owen down to 3 wheel drive, this track was looking a lot more difficult, after a few long winch pulls, we then hooked Owen up to my car and towed and winched him out of the track. With the day getting on, we decided to head back to the hut before it got dark, and settle in for another night. Owen also broke a strut at some point on the way back which he replaced that evening.

On Saturday, we packed up and headed off from the hut to the summit of Mt Skene, the Mt Skene road is a 2WD road in summer but due to the high altitude (1570m) it often sees more than 1m of snow for a few km near the top, some years we have snow for tens of km in either direction, but unfortunately this year it wasn't to be and we only had minimal and very icy snow. We arrived at the summit around 10am and met the attendees of our other club trip (day trip) only a few minutes later in an act of precision planning (luck). We did some tobogganing and threw snow at each other before deciding that driving some tracks would be more interesting.

We set off down Lazarini spur track towards the Goulburn river, opting to hear towards Webber spur for an easier and shallower crossing than we had done in the past. We very cautiously proceeded down the slippery and steep track to the river and all made it without any issues (some of the vehicles were stock and on road tyres). We had lunch and a few of us decided to drive a short, difficult section of track, nearby with others walking up to watch us which was good fun, and then headed off to the Woods Point road. We aired up and convoyed back into Jamieson.

Dinner that night was at the courthouse hotel, where many beverages and great food was consumed for a nice end to our annual snow trip to Mt Skene!

Note: The Jamieson-Licola road is closed in winter and requires a special permit to be issued by 4WD Vic for any trips utilising this road. Permits are available to any club members who want to run a trip and meet the permit conditions.