Well, being in the Greens *waves across river to Mac*, I have the same climate as Mac does, so I can only toss a few pieces into what he says. I also know we have a lot of city dwellers form warmer climes on here, so stuff that people like Mac, myself and others on here from "The Land That Global Warming Forgot" might not even think about doing is something ya'll've never had to really think about.<br><br>Wool, wool and more wool. I have some Goretex and lots of polypro, and I won't even walk my property line this time of year without wool on my feet, hands and head. I've found that, at least to me, it seems to work better than any of the wundercloths, especially around fires. (I've just recently learned firesthand the joys of having molten synthetics making contact with skin, and it one of the worst burns I've ever had. From a drop of 550 line I fusing.)<br><br>4 gloves is what I use when it gets hellishly cold. The first layer is light, cotten or silk liner glove. Then comes wool shooter's mittens for dexterity. Then normal, wool mittens over the top, followed by a shell. I wore the shooters mitts only for so long, my index fingers hurt from November to April from the cold. You won't notice that your fingers are starting to get screwed up, and many not-so-bad bites is as bad as one big case of frostbite, maybe worse.<br><br>When it's warmer, the liner, and mil-spec wool gloves, with the shell and full mitten as needed. <br><br>ALWAYS dummycord your mittens. you got picked on in grade school for it, but the spirits of the mountains don't care, and you will need those fingers later in life. In fact, dummy cord everything important and carry a backup if you can.<br><br>I know, a lot of rambling about gloves, but having perminantly screwed up my fingers from years of imporoperly insultating them in winter, prior to turning 25, has made me a bit of a zealot on the topic. If you hands fail, you die, that simple. Your hands and feet are major losers of warmth, readily damageable, and mission critical if you are going to survive. I've seen too many jokers freeze thier hands while snowshoeing or crosscountry skiing by wearing bad gloves. In a nice, warm ski shack with medical attention available is the place to learn the lesson if you're to thick to learn from other's experince, not in the back country while lost and hurt. <br><br>Don't get dehydrated in the winter. If your tissues dry out, your more likely to become hypothermic or get frostbite. (Freezerburn is basically the same thing as frostbite.) Always keep a bottle INSIDE your jacket. Never let it get below half full- that way, you know you have water. If you have fresh snow, add some after every drink- the water will make it melt faster than a bottle of snow, and you won't get as chilled by it. I use a Nagelene in a net bag made out of gutted 550 cord.<br><br>Keep your throat warm. Biggest veins that aren't normally covered in your throat, and you'll loose heat through them. A polypro neckwarmer is a good place to start. If you dno't like the prices, it's a simple sewing project. (If you can sew, you can customise your gear to no end.) A similiar one for your head will keep you ears, temples and sinuses warm if you have to go down a few layers to keep from over heating. <br><br><br><br>