Transport in deep snow

We’ve had a lot of snow over the last few days, and some spells of strong wind too creating some big, soft, drifts around base. Other than skis the best way to get around is with snow shoes. And to make them easy to put on and take off what better than a pair of wellies! We’ve got quite a lot of these Dunlop thermopro wellies on base, they are incredibly warm, have thick grippy soles, and come in a fetching orange. Most BAS kit comes in orange.

These boots were great on the Fisheries Patrol Vessel last year when I had to stand outside on the bridge wing for around 3 hrs counting seabirds, penguins, seals and whales. It was flippin’ freezing, but my feet survived.

As for the snow shoes, these MSR Lightning Ascent snow shoes are great. These are a big pair, ideal for soft snow or carrying a rucksack. You still sink in quite a way, but I made the mistake of not using them once, and stepping into a snowshoe footprint I still sank another 50cm into the snow. They’re not to heavy, are easy to walk in (forwards), and go up hills with the heel raiser. The one issue is walking backwards or turning round, because they hinge off the ball of your foot the tail drops, if you don’t lift your foot high you end up tripping up, stumbling, and generally finish in a heap in the snow. All good fun!