“Sitting in the back of a freezing cold military vehicle, we are parked up on the edge of a forest.  It is the middle of the night; the skyline is lit up by moon light and there is no wind – it is deathly quiet.  It is cold because we are somewhere within the Artic Circle…………” from:  https://leadershipintheraw.org/2021/03/29/leaders-lean-back/

The winters of 1985 and 1986 involved me leaving my family for three-month deployment with ‘3 Commando Brigade’ in North Norway.  During the deployments we were required to complete:  a ‘Arctic Survival Course’ (85) and ‘Artic Warfare Training’ (AWT. 85) qualification.  Our instructors were from the SBS and Royal Marines ‘Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre.’  I picked up some tips along the (hard) way:

Twenty Top Tips:

Clothes Recommendations –

  1. Wear multiple layers rather than one big jumper.  Multiple layers allow warm air to circulate.
  2. Invest in ‘Helly Hanson’ Lifa base layers.  We were issued with H.H. clothing as part of our Artic kit.  They keep you warm, wick away moister and dry quickly.  This is also essential running kit for the winter.  Expensive, but it lasts several years of regular wear.
  3. ‘Gortex’, jackets, sleeping bags were issued to us for our Winter Deployments to Norway.  100% waterproof.  (Joyce has gortex trainers from ‘Hotter’)
  4. Wear mittens not (finger) gloves.  Your fingers are extremities and can be exposed.  For flexibility we wore thin five aside football gloves inside our mittens, so off came the mittens if you needed dexterity, e.g., if you needed to touch metal.  
  5. Old socks as mittens for running.   
  6. Do not wear jeans if it is snowing or raining.  Jeans soak up the wet and take longer to dry out.
  7. Socks – wear two pairs also, not only does it keep your feet warm it prevents friction from inside your shoes/boots preventing blisters.  I wear a pair of thin socks inside a thicker woolly pair.
  8. Brushing snow off your clothes and keep on doing this as snow gathers on your trousers.  Snow turns to water very quickly.
  9. Blow into gloves and socks before putting them on – must every time.
  10. Woolly Hats – Your head, face ears are extremities it is essential they are covered.  Wear a scarf and pull it up over your mouth and nose.

Eating and Drinking –

  1. In the Artic we were encouraged to consume five thousand calories a day – you need to eat more if you are going to be out in the cold more.  Now you have an excuse!
  2. Bags of energy in your jacket pockets.  We kept two plastic bags in our left and right jacket pockets which included:  Dextrose tabs, marzipan, garibaldi biscuits, raisons, pieces of mars bars (because I love mars bars) mixed up together.  Dipping into the bags on the hoof. 
  3. Do not go out without a flask full of a hot drink.  Make sure it is a Thermal double walled flask.  You can pick these up in ‘Mountain Warehouse.’
  4. Take a water bottle with you so you do not dehydrate taking sips on your walk.  It is not just in the summer I take a water bottle on my runs.

Self-Care

  1. Moisturiser – Something I picked up from some of the more experience team members in our squadron.  If you are in the outdoors….to put on (usually nivea) on my face the night before so I could have a wet shave first thing in morning.  (Saved me ripping in to dry and tight skin from the cold and it has kept me looking young too!)
  2. We carried a toothbrush and toothpaste in our top pocket and regular cleaned our teeth on the march.  In the intense cold your teeth can become loose.
  3. Do not tense – relax your muscles and wriggle your toes.  Do this constantly – it works.
  4. White Outs – This only happened once while I was in Norway.  I could not see the horizon, the only thing you can do is sit down until it passes.
  5. Running until it -15c.  The military believed below -15c effects your health.  I am a little kinder to myself now and don’t run below 4-5 c. 
  6. When you know it is below -10c.  This may only work in the dry cold e.g., Norway.  I thought some of my more experience colleagues were having me on when they told me that your nostrils stick together when it reaches -10c but it was true.  Test it out and let me know. 

On 31 December 1986, Joyce, Jennifer, and I arrived in Berlin for a 2-year posting.  It was one of their coldest winters for decades with the weather falling to -20c on a regular basis.  Those twenty tips came in handy.

Racing through Spandau Forrest shortly after our arrival in Berlin.  I am sporting old socks as mitts and wearing a HH LIFA base layer.

I hope these cold-weather tips help you this winter, let me know if they do.

Steve Raw