How cold is too cold?

wyoclimber

wyoclimber

Participating member
Location
Cody, WY
I’m wondering when others call work for temperature. I avoid working below 0F and I generally don’t do climbing jobs unless the temperature will be double digits most of the day. I find that the likelihood of an accident increases dramatically when it’s really cold. I think it’s also incredibly hard on equipment to be out below 0F. Anyone else have thoughts on this?
 
One cold Minneapolis winter day...we did work that day, air temp around 10f and little wind...I talked with a friend who runs a tree company in Kansas City. After I told him that we had worked that day he said his crew didn't work because it was too cold. Huh?! How cold? 30*. Lol!!!

After living below the Snow Belt for a few years I've concluded that it's a real line of demarcation for winter comfort

I would have a discussion with my crew about the upcoming work in the winter. If work was available they could choose to pick their comfortable conditions. It wasn't my decision. Work was always sparse in the winter anyway so doing it this week or next wasn't an issue

YMMV
 
Good thread. We have had our ass kicked the last 3 weeks or so here in MA (finally warmer this week). Temps hit -15f a couple nights plus wind and getting equipment that wasn't in the heated shop going was a joke. Hind sight we should have called it but we pushed through. Although the company didn't make money those days, my employees did and thats why we pushed through. Depending on circumstance I try to keep the crews going if they want to work. Honestly I think temps below 0 make for unproductive conditions.
 
Brutal cold here until past couple of days. Windy and super cold conditions are days I won't take anyone out or have an unproductive day with lots of warm truck and hot drink breaks.
 
Up here in Green Bay WI the team worked in -30F. We had almost 2 weeks of it. We pushed through. They were shorter days.


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Comes down to personal preference I guess. Cold itself can be tolerable but if it get's real windy and you have a few feet of snow on the ground and it makes things not only miserable but hard to be productive. I've heard of some guys recently whose diesel equipment isn't running properly because it's been so cold.

Jasonk said:
Good thread. We have had our ass kicked the last 3 weeks or so here in MA (finally warmer this week). Temps hit -15f a couple nights plus wind and getting equipment that wasn't in the heated shop going was a joke. Hind sight we should have called it but we pushed through. Although the company didn't make money those days, my employees did and thats why we pushed through. Depending on circumstance I try to keep the crews going if they want to work. Honestly I think temps below 0 make for unproductive conditions.
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Also in MA and ya the past few weeks have been brutal. Today it's 60 and the streets are flooding with rain and all the snow is melting. Gonna make a mud pit of many yards.
 
Where I work were sent out to do pole saw pruning of small boulevard trees

We're instructed not to run the bucket trucks unless it's warmer than 10*F

Oh...it was about -10*F this morning. Up to about 5*F by afternoon break

The horse can work but not the cart! Haha
 
Today was just above freezing and rained fairly heavily. I really wanted to push through as this job has been a hassle to knock off and I was hoping for a break in the rain at some point. We started at 730 and by 1030 I was soaked to the bone and shivering on my spurs. I kept my hands under my pits while I waited for ground work but couldn't stop shivering and the rain never let up. Got all the brush off but had to bow out of the wood, figured I had early onset hypothermia. I'm fairly comfortable working in the rain and have worked in the bitter cold all my life, but that was some of the most hateful weather I've ever experienced. My hat goes off to you west coast climbers, you guys are tough as nails. I'll take -25 degree Celsius with snow any day over a rainy 2 degrees C.
 
Yeah, I'd love to hear a discussion about climber's favorite gear to keep them warm on the cold, wet, windy days. I don't know how those Canadian and New England guys do it. I'd love to hear about their tricks and tips.
 
therianclimber said:
... I'm fairly comfortable working in the rain and have worked in the bitter cold all my life, but that was some of the most hateful weather I've ever experienced. My hat goes off to you west coast climbers, you guys are tough as nails. I'll take -25 degree Celsius with snow any day over a rainy 2 degrees C.
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On the Netflix show Atypical, the character says about polar exploration, something like, 'if you think successful exploration is all about bravery, you're wrong, it's about preparation and planning'.


Thermoses are your friend. Single burner propane stove, sets up in one minute and it's burning. Hot food delivered, or the aforementioned thermoses. Lunch out of the rain. Change boots and socks, etc.
Keep moving! Warmish and wet. Just the deal.
 
southsoundtree said:
On the Netflix show Atypical, the character says about polar exploration, something like, 'if you think successful exploration is all about bravery, you're wrong, it's about preparation and planning'.


Thermoses are your friend. Single burner propane stove, sets up in one minute and it's burning. Hot food delivered, or the aforementioned thermoses. Lunch out of the rain. Change boots and socks, etc.
Keep moving! Warmish and wet. Just the deal.
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I agree. Unless I can take something warm into my body, I just keep moving. Lunch often is a series of snacks. Good rain gear helps to a degree, but the best is straight up wool. Keeps you warm when wet, cotton and synthetics will suck the heat out of you when wet.
 
West coast climber here. Cold dry days don’t really exist much, it’s usually a few months straight of 0-5C with drizzly rain and wind.
It’s really hard to keep warm in those conditions, I keep my rain gear off for all but the worst stuff. Merino wool leggings under my saw pants, and then a short sleeve base with a long sleeve zip up layer over top made of athletic / polyester type material.
I find these materials wick away the moisture as my body builds up heat.

The worst days are being stuck in the bucket truck ... no canopy protection from rain/wind, no body heat generated from climbing, and you’re usually working in spots where you’re very exposed to the elements.

Protip: take up a 660 and let it idle in the bucket

As for climbing, wear merino wool and climb fast, come down to help ground guys with groundwork instead of just waiting “cold” in the tree

Bring lots of dry layers (socks, shirts, gloves) to rotate into periodically while your wet layers dry out (or at least warm up) in the truck

As someone else said, I’d also happily take -10/-15C and dry all day long
 
Thanks a lot for the responses, guys. Interesting about wool being liked so much over the modern synthetic materials. I was thinking the synthetics, like the stuff used in Under Armour, might wick sweat and keep a person warm. Does anyone else have an issue with wool in direct contact with skin making them feel itchy? It has been a long time since I've tried using wool, I just remember as a kid that the wool socks seemed like they irritated my skin. Maybe it deserves another look.

Tim
 
TimBr said:
Thanks a lot for the responses, guys. Interesting about wool being liked so much over the modern synthetic materials. I was thinking the synthetics, like the stuff used in Under Armour, might wick sweat and keep a person warm. Does anyone else have an issue with wool in direct contact with skin making them feel itchy? It has been a long time since I've tried using wool, I just remember as a kid that the wool socks seemed like they irritated my skin. Maybe it deserves another look.

Tim
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Type of wool means a lot, but they all can itch to sensitive folks. But you just get use to it.
 
I wear synthetics, poly propylene/ poly-pro thermal underwear under Arborwear pants (some bar oil accumulation and the factory Teflon coating help), boots with gore-tex/ similar, synthetic Wesspur hi-viz long sleeve shirts (often 2), and a synthetic fleece jacket or soft-shell. Breatheable raingear at times.

Sometimes it only rains hard when you're driving. Count those days as lucky.
 
southsoundtree said:
I wear synthetics, poly propylene/ poly-pro thermal underwear under Arborwear pants (some bar oil accumulation and the factory Teflon coating help), boots with gore-tex/ similar, synthetic Wesspur hi-viz long sleeve shirts (often 2), and a synthetic fleece jacket or soft-shell. Breatheable raingear at times.

Sometimes it only rains hard when you're driving. Count those days as lucky.
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I am hoping this is one of those days, when it only rains in the truck. Anyone else notice we are about 15 degrees above normal? I remember long long ago where our first frost was just before halloween
 
@CanadianStan; @southsoundtree; @evo; Have you guys ever considered using one of those heated jackets that warm you via carbon fiber heater elements? One guy I worked with said that he had one for awhile (before it got stolen) that would keep him warm down to 20 degrees F. wearing only a t-shirt underneath of it. I think his was a Milwaukee brand jacket. He said he bought the biggest, beefiest battery for it that was available, and it would keep him warm for at least six hours, if I recall correctly. Thanks.

Also, and I know this sounds a little wacky, but maybe one could sandwich together two safety vests and put a normal heating pad in between, with the cord hanging out the bottom, for those folks who work in a bucket, assuming the bucket has a 120 volt outlet built into it for use with power tools. A poor man's heated vest, so to speak.

Tim
 
Not a bucket boy... I do just fine. Soaked through today, chainsaw pants turned into diapers sagging off my body. 4 pair of gloves, and didn't get a chill until I rushed home to order chippers parts to get back running.
 
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