Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 13
  1. #1
    Senior Member mountaingoat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    North Coast
    Hammock
    Traveller,Speer,BIAS,Hennessy Asym.
    Tarp
    OES Strd, OES Wint
    Insulation
    HG Full length.
    Suspension
    adj webbing
    Posts
    402
    Images
    16

    Snow fall from big trees??

    My upcoming trip is getting more interesting. Besides the low temps ( down to 6 Fahrenheit) they are now calling for 30 to 50% chance of snow. It is also going to snow there in the next day or so. We will be snow shoeing a few miles and all but me will use tents/ tarps. My concern now is about the possibility of big chunks of snow falling off the trees.
    Any input?

  2. #2
    Senior Member Fronkey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Grass Valley, Ca
    Hammock
    DIY The Crippler
    Tarp
    Cuben Refugee
    Insulation
    The Ex-gf
    Suspension
    Whoopie Slings
    Posts
    4,848
    Look up before you set up camp and see if there are any snow bombs already up there or if snowfall has the potential to accumulation into them. Also, shake the tree if you can and see if any snow falls.
    Have an awesome time out there and take some photos.

    Fronkey

  3. #3
    Senior Member mountaingoat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    North Coast
    Hammock
    Traveller,Speer,BIAS,Hennessy Asym.
    Tarp
    OES Strd, OES Wint
    Insulation
    HG Full length.
    Suspension
    adj webbing
    Posts
    402
    Images
    16

    Shaking the tree

    Quote Originally Posted by Fronkey View Post
    Look up before you set up camp and see if there are any snow bombs already up there or if snowfall has the potential to accumulation into them. Also, shake the tree if you can and see if any snow falls.
    Have an awesome time out there and take some photos.

    Fronkey
    Thanks Fronkey. I will look up, but as far as shaking, these are big trees, nothing that will move with my input..

  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    38.0123, -122.4900
    Hammock
    WL Snipe
    Tarp
    WB, ZPacks
    Insulation
    Incubators/Pod
    Suspension
    Whoppie/Strap
    Posts
    1,545
    Images
    57
    Site selection is going to be key. Pitch tarp with a steep angle. You will be able to find trees with less snow on them. My trip last week snowshoeing hit low temps around 7* lots of snow on the ground but none falling. Where are you headed?

    S

  5. #5
    Senior Member mountaingoat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    North Coast
    Hammock
    Traveller,Speer,BIAS,Hennessy Asym.
    Tarp
    OES Strd, OES Wint
    Insulation
    HG Full length.
    Suspension
    adj webbing
    Posts
    402
    Images
    16

    Where we are going

    Quote Originally Posted by Sidewinder View Post
    Site selection is going to be key. Pitch tarp with a steep angle. You will be able to find trees with less snow on them. My trip last week snowshoeing hit low temps around 7* lots of snow on the ground but none falling. Where are you headed?

    S
    We will be going to Dewey Point from Badger Pass in Yosemite. As far as I know these are big trees. Some wind possible too.
    Another backpacker that was going to hammock decided to go on the ground because of the possibility of snow bombs coming off the trees.
    I would love to stick to hanging, but now I question the wisdom of that.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Cannibal's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Denver, CO
    Hammock
    Warbonnet ON!
    Tarp
    SuperFly or MacCat
    Insulation
    Yetis & Mambas
    Suspension
    Webbing and rings
    Posts
    13,605
    Images
    136
    Nothing to confirm except old memories, but Yosemite is full of pines. Unless it is a heavy and wet snow, pines are pretty good about shedding snow bombs before they go atomic; more like snow grenades. A steep pitched tarp will sluff them off without problems. This is a common issue here in Colorado, but it has never caused me any real problems.

    Also, consider when you'll be in your hammock; at night. Night is when the temps fall and any snow stuck to the trees generally freezes to the tree until the morning thaw. The mornings are when I start to hear the thudding of snow grenades.

    Look up (as always) and you'll be able to spot the trees with snow problems. Look for trees shorter than the others in the canopy and they'll have less snow accumulated on them due to them being sheltered by the other taller trees. Those are the ones you want. Also, prevailing wind in Yosemite is from the west, so camping on the east side of ridges will not only give you some snow shelter, but it will be warm(er) when you are moving around in the morning. Always a nice thing.
    Trust nobody!

  7. #7
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Tupelo, MS
    Posts
    11,108
    Images
    489
    It is a concern alright. In my ground days, a branch broke off from snow load and punctured my buddies tarp! He got rudely awakened by a big snow load right in his face, but that obviously could have been worse, at least only snow dumped in his face!

    Still, unless you are going to be on the ground out in the meadow away from all the trees, what are you going to do? The snow is on the limbs, and some of the snow and the occasional limb will come down.

    BB58s long time rule: hang from the smallest ( least girth and shortest) trees available that will support my weight and get the job done, as far away from all the big trees as possible, and of course look up for anything that looks more dangerous than usual. For the 1st part of that, it may be impossible to find anything not big enough to really hurt if it comes down. And try to make camp before dark, so you can see! And look for those bug damaged trees, they are very common after so many drought years!

    As for snow falling, unless the limbs are really huge, and if your tarp has a steep pitch, it should not be a major problem. As long as the snow does not bring a branch down with it, then it can be a problem, with ripped tarps or worse.

  8. #8
    Senior Member oldgringo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    On the Rez
    Hammock
    Varies
    Tarp
    GargoyleGear Ogee
    Insulation
    UQ-varies w/season
    Suspension
    Dutchgear
    Posts
    7,335
    Quote Originally Posted by billybob58 View Post

    bb58s long time rule: Hang from the smallest ( least girth and shortest) trees available that will support my weight and get the job done, as far away from all the big trees as possible...
    qft..............
    Dave

    "Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self."~~~May Sarton

  9. #9
    Senior Member mountaingoat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    North Coast
    Hammock
    Traveller,Speer,BIAS,Hennessy Asym.
    Tarp
    OES Strd, OES Wint
    Insulation
    HG Full length.
    Suspension
    adj webbing
    Posts
    402
    Images
    16
    Thanks for the good tips guys.

  10. #10
    Senior Member mbiraman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    West Kootenays,BC,Canada
    Hammock
    Warbonnet BB DL 1.1 & Lite Owl
    Tarp
    Black MacCat Del.
    Insulation
    Yeti 3,4 & HRQ/HGB
    Suspension
    webbing/whoopie
    Posts
    4,244
    Images
    7
    Quote Originally Posted by Cannibal View Post
    Nothing to confirm except old memories, but Yosemite is full of pines. Unless it is a heavy and wet snow, pines are pretty good about shedding snow bombs before they go atomic; more like snow grenades. A steep pitched tarp will sluff them off without problems. This is a common issue here in Colorado, but it has never caused me any real problems.

    Also, consider when you'll be in your hammock; at night. Night is when the temps fall and any snow stuck to the trees generally freezes to the tree until the morning thaw. The mornings are when I start to hear the thudding of snow grenades.

    Look up (as always) and you'll be able to spot the trees with snow problems. Look for trees shorter than the others in the canopy and they'll have less snow accumulated on them due to them being sheltered by the other taller trees. Those are the ones you want. Also, prevailing wind in Yosemite is from the west, so camping on the east side of ridges will not only give you some snow shelter, but it will be warm(er) when you are moving around in the morning. Always a nice thing.
    What cannibal said.
    " The mind creates the abyss, the heart crosses it."

    “The measure of your life will not be in what you accumulate, but in what you give away.” ~Wayne Dyer

    www.birchsidecustomwoodwork.com

  • + New Posts
  • Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

    Similar Threads

    1. FS: SNOW PEAK 900 Pot, 4Dog Stove Snow Peak 600 AND 700 Lids
      By tjayblues in forum [SOLD/WITHDRAWN] Items no longer available
      Replies: 5
      Last Post: 10-08-2014, 08:47
    2. VIDEO: Boardman Lake First Snow Fall
      By nryche in forum Trip Reports
      Replies: 13
      Last Post: 12-16-2011, 09:17
    3. Replies: 27
      Last Post: 12-07-2011, 15:00
    4. Dangerous snow fall
      By mugs in forum General Hammock Talk
      Replies: 1
      Last Post: 11-28-2010, 02:26
    5. Who needs trees?
      By Scratch in forum General Hammock Talk
      Replies: 16
      Last Post: 11-29-2009, 15:56

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •