Winter Tree Care Tips to Stay Warm
Sherrilltree Feb 2nd 2024When working in cold weather, it's all about layers and creating air in the layers.
This is easy when working on the ground, but it can be difficult when you need to wear a harness and climb. Here are a few tips for staying warm and dry when nature decides to run cold and wet.
When working in cold weather, it's all about layers and creating air in the layers.
This is easy when working on the ground, but it can be difficult when you need to wear a harness and climb. Here are a few tips for staying warm and dry when nature decides to run cold and wet.
Body
Most people feel that tight-fitting layers stacked on top of one another is the solution for warmth, but what you really want is some air space between layers to help insulate the body.
Sometimes this is easy when working on the ground, but it can be difficult when you need to wear a harness and climb. For this, make sure your harness can be loosened to accommodate the increased layers.
Some outwear options are also designed to be worn with a harness. For example, Arbortec jackets are cut longer in the back and shorter in the front, reducing bulk where your life support connects and preventing your harness from pulling up your jacket in the back and exposing any skin.
Hands
A great tip, when wearing gloves in cold and wet conditions is to put on a pair of nitrile mechanic or medical gloves under the work glove. If you can keep your hands dry, you'll stay warmer much longer, even when the work gloves are wet.
Feet
For your feet, I recommend a high-performance wool sock and a looser-fitting shoe/boot in the wintertime. If you have a thick sock inside a properly sized boot you should not feel like your feet are being squeezed. When your feet are squeezed, less blood flows to the surface and your feet get colder faster.
Gear
It’s a struggle to keep gear dry in the winter months. One of the easiest ways to do this is by uncoiling and unpacking ropes and either hanging them up or laying them out overnight in a heated (or at least dry) space. Leaving ropes and gear coiled and packed up in the winter months makes gear cold, stiff, and harder to work, leading to you being colder and having to work harder.
Hopefully this helps you in your winter work months!
Travis Vickerson
Technical Director
Climb safe, cut safe.