Winter Wise: Travel and Survival in Ice and Snow

Monika Rohlmann is an environmental consultant in Victoria, B.C.

Monty Alford knows about cold-weather travel and survival. For over 50
years, he has lived and worked in the Yukon as an experienced
hydrometric surveyor, wilderness traveler, and mountaineer. He was a
member, consultant, and guide for numerous expeditions into cold areas,
including the Antarctic.

Winter Wise is about travel and survival during the winter months,
particularly in extreme cold-climate locations like Northern Canada. The
chapters describe principal areas of concern: ice, snow, trip planning,
clothing, food, and survival. Alford describes in scientific detail the
characteristics of ice and snow, the effects of body-heat loss, wind
chill, calorie intake, and so on. He provides plans and step-by-step
illustrations for building every conceivable winter-survival instrument,
such as a sled, ice chisel/auger/saw, fire starter, signal mirror, and
his own clever personal invention, the YuCan stove, which is a compact
all-in-one survival kit. Further detailed diagrams and text describe how
to construct snow shelters such as the trench, quinzee, and igloo.

The book is important for its emphasis on cold-weather survival. It is
an excellent resource for northern travelers and should be used in
tandem with other books such as Dr. Forgey’s Wilderness Medicine.