Jump to content

Winter Survival


Recommended Posts

Make sure you have good snowshoes. That canadian tire junk doesn't cut it. I Broke a shoe yesterday on snow survey and hobbled back on one. NOT GOOD. Get good ones because if you don't you aren't going anywhere. Oh ya thanks for getting me new ones Bennett they work awesome 2.5 kms on them already.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Two of the guys on my survey crew used wood and rawhide snow shoes. One of the fellows uses a pair like the second ones down on the page. (click link) Like these... This picture does not give a true sense of scale but they were huge, about 5 feet tip to tail and even though he was about 220 lbs he just floats over the snow. The other fellow was about 160 lbs and wore a pair something like these... smaller snow shoes

 

Mine are 36" X 10" and are of aluminum and plastic construction. My snow shoes. I also bought a nice bag to keep them in from Mountain Equipment Co-op, keeps everything tidy.

 

Like Freddie said, pay a few bucks and get something of quality, for one they last and second if you need to rely on them in an emergency situation and they break because they were cheaply made, well on the bright side you did save a few bucks. LOL A quality pair will last you many years and can be taken out and given a test run while you wait for your crew. You get to: a) keep warm, and b ) stay in some kind of shape. :)

 

Also, that "para" cord or other similar type of heavy string someone mentioned in a previous post would be very handy in your kit to repair a broken shoe among other things.

 

I think it's safe to say that there are not many pilots who have come back to base or camp after dropping off a crew and have found that the crew off loaded your personal gear in the bush. (Last summer seemed to be extra bad for that, were they trying to drive me crazy? LOL) I now include in my briefing a quick mention of things that stay with the machine and have put some flagging tape on said items that say "Stays with Helicopter".

 

I know that there are many that don't like flying in cold weather but i don't mind, whether from a hangar or having to throw on covers. At any rate, happy winter flying and let's be careful out there.

 

W.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

In light of Skids posting of what is most likely a snow related incident i though it might be timely to resurrect this thread. Some of you are most likely already carrying sleeping bags etc in your machines while others are just making the transition from the warmer weather flying to winter operations.

 

W.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Someone had a good suggestion the other day. I've switched out my thin emergency reflective survival blankets for the SOL (Survive Outdoors Longer), Thermal bivvys and survival blankets.

 

But someone suggested keeping 4-8 collapsable water bottles. They weigh nothing. You'll want them for water anyways and if you buy a brand that can take warm/hot water, they would be great to put under the armpits for keeping the core warm. Those, inside an emergency bivvy would add a lot of heat. Plus, then you have water also.

 

http://www.groceryalerts.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/clip_image006.jpg

 

http://www.surviveoutdoorslonger.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you guys feel snowshoes are a "required" winter item, or more of a "nice to have"? Specific to flying in northern environments like tundra/sea ice, where rescue could be 24+ hrs away? Or just as indispensable in somewhat less extreme places (I'm thinking muskegy oil&gas fields).

I have a great pair of personal snowshoes, but my concern is my survival kit becoming bloated and becoming more of a nuisance taking up too much space in an aircraft where it's already at a premium.

 

I really need to reevaluate my kit contents.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Must have. You'll likely need to do quite a bit of walkng in the snow just to find suitable materials to set up camp and get firewood. If fir some reason you aren't retrieved within 24 hours, you'll find yourself walking further from camp everyday to find good firewood (as you burn up the suitable dry wood around hour camp). The most important thing in a surviv situation is conservation of your energy and walking through the snow will use up a great deal of it. The CANADORE survival course was a great practice run and that's what I remember most...walking for firewood (further everyday). Thanks SULLY!

 

Obviously space is always the issue in our aircraft and the client needs to be able to carry his day to day work gear, but one set of snow shoes packed in the cargo takes very little space along the back wall of the comparment. Obviously ideally you'd like to have a set for each passenger but that's not always possible.

I find carrying survival sleeping bags to be more of an issue as they take way to much space especially if you bring one for each passenger. Anything small enough to fit is pretty much useless anyway. I advise all passengers that they should be dressed warm enough that they could stay warm all night without a sleeping bag. At -20 or colder I generally wear my KLIM snowmobile suit (which I could sleep in a snowbank with).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been stranded a few times in the bush in a past life. And I pack my machine accordingly. And I follow a few simple rules.

 

1) Go for a flight at -20, or -30 for an hour or so, with the window open. Dress that warm.

 

2) If that works, while your waiting for your client, go lay in the snow without moving for an hour...that water proof. Maybe go for a walk first, work up a sweat, then lay down in the snow for an hour. See how attractive those snowshoes are now?

 

3) Now, get up, put one hand in your pocket, leave it there, and start a fire, (don't forget that glove you don't have on remember?) sit back down in the snow, open that thermos, have some water. Maybe try and open your survival kit....first aid kit. Or set up that tent.

 

4) Now put that glove back on your good hand.

 

 

....For me, I have found that this requires 4-5 bic lighters (with the safety caps removed) throughout the cabin, and on my person. They dry out well in your armpit after you have dropped it in the snow. And they will light with a wet thumb. Also really good for lighting those safety matches in a pile so that you get enough heat to light up the JET-A. (try lighting jet soaked wood in a snowstorm/rain with one match) A good big tarp that 3-4 guys can all roll up in together and cuddle...keep the meltwater off of those layers you should be wearing. Not to mention it keeps your sleeping bags dry. 80 bucks. And there is a good chance your axe is too dull/big to cut the small frozen dead fall you are after....try a machete. Its good for wacking open the survival kit to get to the small pot which you will need to melt snow because you can't open the thermos, or the machine has rolled over your lunch. But keep the axe,,,,that's how you get to the fuel tank

 

After that, If I have enough room, I'll pack the cool stuff.

 

As for snow shoes, I find they are a pain in the butt to use in anything knee deep or less. Any walking in the snow is just so bloody labor intensive. I spent years logging in the snow. The walk out to the truck always did me in. It would have to be pretty da#n serious for me to go for a walk for any length of time. Too much energy use. But I have bad knees now to, and one step could make an already precarious position into a disaster. I just don't know that much about them, to use them effectively. AND I've used them LOL! But I do pack them according to company ops. I reckon they would make good shovels to dig a snow hole.

 

It's simple for the Northern AB, Sask, BC etc, and is a good list to live by when you are switching from machine to machine. But I have a bit of experience under my belt, and have found that one of the hardest things to deal with in a cold stressful environment is the failure of high expectations to materialize. If I was going anywhere near the coast or arctic, or glacial terrain, I would definately ask some questions.

 

On a side note, I think Kokonutz got stranded last year and wrote something about it on this forum somewhere. I seem to remember thinking that there was some really good reminders on what the focus became after it was realized that night time was coming.

 

Zazu

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of my biggest takeaways was to have the ability to heat the aircraft. Not every emergency situation is going to be caused by the destruction of the aircraft. Had we had a method for heating the interior, it would have been far better than building a shelter since the winds were around 40kts. Inside the Heli, it would have been cold, but protected from the wind.

 

Since we had fire-logs and 15 gallons of fuel for the snowblowers, we felt the snow/tarp shelter was the best approach. Had I had a candle lantern and knowing what I know now, for sure would have picked the helicopter for shelter.

 

http://www.mec.ca/product/4008-763/uco-candlelier-candle-lantern/

 

Also, found some gel alcohol fuel based products that claim to be clean burning and safe to use indoors (would crack the vents if forced to light one in the cabin.) Have 2 small tins of these under the seat now. They are safer if they get tipped because of the gel fuel, they don't spill. They also don't throw a ton of heat, so good for making warm water or tea, but won't melt the cabin.

 

http://www.realflame.com/product.cfm?id=55&f=0

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...