Winter and cold temperatures came quicker than expected and I am now reducing my SOTA activations for the next 2-3 months to almost zero becaue my body can’t handle cold temperatures very well.
In fact I like to be outdoors in winter, loving snoeshoe hikes and cross country skiing. But then I pause just for a few minutes to prevent me from getting too cold. I can put on several layers of clothing (merino, down jacket, hardshell jacket, …) and still freeze almost immediatly.
I’m impressed of other activators that can handle cold temperatures much better like @OE5EEP. I wonder if there are other activators that are going into some sort of SOTA hibernation?
Not planning hibernation, but I share your respect for those activators that can spend hours on a summit in snow & ice & sub-zero conditions. My limit once I stop moving is 10-15 minutes before hands are getting so cold I can’t dismantle the radio & antenna and my speech starts to become muffled by the fact that I can no longer move my jaw!
Don’t like freezing either , but sometimes unavoidable as I have to take those rare SOTA slots that present themselves between all my other obligations . Also there are some summits I enjoy more in winter, such as crossing the / border in a beautiful winter forest to get to OK/JC-020 „Kamenec“.
Enjoy your hibernation and looking forward to hear you on the bands in spring .
Not indoor hibernation, but I have already put outdoor ham radio on pause. Falling on that ice on Chamberlain Mtn this month didn’t help.
I really enjoy going out in winter as long as I can stay active. I scoop snow from my 240-meter driveway. Like shovelling but I don’t actually lift the snow.
This year I also need to take down maybe 50 trees. Dropping the trees is exercise but cleaning up the branches is twice the exercise. Some are sawlogs so a fellow will truck them to the sawmill.
But the idea of connecting battery to radio to antenna and tuning around for 5 minutes gives me shivers.
I also went always in hibernation (only 1 winter bonus in March) but now my hibernation goes until summer and over (heart issues). I ever preferred warm weather on mountains. Have a good winter at home! 73
I have Raynauds which is in my case is hereditary. It mainly affects the fingers and toes as the small blood vessels contract with the cold and shut off the blood supply. Even with medication I have cold fingers. White fingers in cold weather are a sign of the syndrome. Some people’s fingers and toes actually go blue.
As for a wider intolerance of low temperatures, I don’t have any real issues, often remaining on summits for well over an hour in sub-zero temperatures. I’ve carried out many joint activations with Paul G4MD and as far as I can tell, we have a similar tolerance, even though i am on Aspirin due to cardio-vascular disease. Of course Paul doesn’t suffer with cold hands like I do.
It is certainly worthwhile getting checked out. After suffering a number of health issues, I believe in being proactive in respect of my health and working with health professionals to get the best out of life certainly works for me.
I actually prefer cold weather activations because I don’t have to deal with bugs and snakes (copperheads and rattlesnakes are common) and because with the leaves down the bushwacking is easier. In this part of the country, winter typically means temps from the teens Fahrenheit up to low 40s.
There a good number of peaks here in Oregon and Washington that require miserable bushwhacks in the summer. I look forward to easy snowshoe expeditions on these peaks during the winter. They also have the added bonus of +3.
HI!
I try to keep me warm. SOTA offers also short hiking distances or goals with a low RHC rating (Austrian HAMs know the joke it means there is a restaurant near by). My important learning was: as soon as my hands feel cold, stop operating. You need the “warm capacity” to shut down and disassemble the antennas.
I plan to do a Sylvester activity on OE/DL/OK area, should bring 50 points or more. Just chase me - chasing is also a SOTA activity important for every activator
I’m glad I used the word “almost” in my previous comment … there are several days of unseasonably warm temperatures ahead. So I will probably do one or two activations this week!
I was 32 years old when I started doing SOTA activations. I am now 55. As some will be aware, I do plenty of night-time operating in VHF contests, from SOTA summits. On the first Tuesday of the month (for instance) there is a 55 minute 2m FM Activity Contest immediately followed by a 2m UK Activity Contest (mainly SSB). Therefore my stay on summit, including setting up and packing away, is typically just over 4 hours.
After 3.5 hours sat on the ground operating, I am starting to notice it becoming slightly more difficult to get back to my feet as I get older. I am fearful that one night, in a few years’ time, I might not get to my feet at all and be stranded at night in frezing temperatures!
It’s a grim thought, and hopefully many years away. I guess the trick will be to wind-down that aspect of my portable operating BEFORE the time where that risk becomes real!
Many may justifiably consider that I am worrying unnecessarily at this stage. But that 23 years from age 32 to age 55 has flown by … and if/when that happens again I will be 78. Should I still be contesting on cold winters nights in the dark from summits at age 78???
Meanwhile, in other news, this week I am planning Tuesday night 1900-1955 70cm FM, 2000-2230 70cm SSB, Wednesday night 1900-2100 70cm FT8 and Thursday night 2000-2230 6m SSB…
I was 55 (ish) when I started, now 73 and still going. Sitting in the snow, in the dark, is a bit less attractive than it was, but I wouldn’t rule it out. Daily exercises prescribed by my physio following surgery have actually made it easier for me to sit on the ground and get up again, which is an unexpected bonus!
, but sometimes unavoidable as I have to take those rare SOTA slots that present themselves between all my other obligations 
. Also there are some summits I enjoy more in winter, such as crossing the 
/ 
border in a beautiful winter forest to get to OK/JC-020 „Kamenec“.
