Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

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redefined_cycles
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Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by redefined_cycles »

Basically how cold a bivy can you get through. Please dont die in the process as you won't win...

Rules coming up and hopefully people will input but as a provisional...

Provisional rules (feel free to suggest)

1. If you win you win a Crikey, how much item of clothing and/or gear
2. You need evidence that you actually managed to get through that temperature during your bivy ride... So it doesn't need to be the temp recorded during the actual sleeping time but during the ride in total.
3. We need reports and inspiration... lows and highs and what fors etc etc etc. Feel free how to display your ride. Winner will be voted for at the end so just because you showed one pic of -9 and a Strava activity... It just aint/won't be good enough (sorry).
4. Ride needs to be in the UK and not an ITT or some other organised event that you were gonna go ride anyway. If that makes sense... It needs to be a proper bivy a month ride where you went out to sleep in a ditch and ride yer bike (lets add minimal of 25 miles total ride distance and road bikes need not apply here)
5..... erm.. the prize giver is free to withdraw at any point (just in case I suddenly becoem really poor or otherwise cannot afford to fund the comp) :-bd
6. No mention of public houses nor pics stood about looking good with a fag/pint in hand :grin: (sorry... just trying to not miss out anything :smile: )
Last edited by redefined_cycles on Fri Dec 06, 2019 12:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
redefined_cycles
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by redefined_cycles »

Obviously all comps must come to an end so lets call it provisionally, end of Jan (unless we notice theres worse weathers enroute
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by redefined_cycles »

:???: so I guess the question is, who's in?? Maybe its a daft idea, I mean who on earth would want to go out on the coldest day they could find to do a bivy just to win some swanky cycling related item (it doesn't have to be ra@pha btw and it'll be something posh that I can afford and suitable for the winner :-bd )...

Anyway, if we don't have at least 3 contenders willing to give it a shot (stating their intentand then a report post the 'happening' then I guess its a waste of thread and this message will self destruct...

Its all very confusing and alot to take in I know :-bd
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by Borderer »

Ok I will play, (but hopefully not win as I won your last one! :roll: )

Joe and I did our BAM on Saturday in temps of at least minus 7C. The nearest weather station at Eskdalemuir recorded an overnight low of -7.1C that night and when we got back into Hawick an hour after sunrise (when things had started getting warmer) folk there told us that their car thermometers were showing -7C. So I think it might have been colder out in the countryside where we were but I can't prove it, so -7C it is.

Image

I had a see-through bottle of water under my blanket with me in the tent that was completely liquid, but when I took it outside and put it in my bottle cage in the morning it literally froze solid in seconds right in front of my eyes. I have never seen anything like it. :shock:

Image

There was freezing fog the night before so everything was covered with a very pretty layer of ice crystals.

Image

The loch was completely frozen over with a 3cm thick layer of ice.

Image

We got cold arses on the way home - can't think why....

Image

For those thinking of doing something similar I will detail our sleeping gear. We both slept in our cycling longs + pyjama bottoms and on our top half had merino tops, cycling jumper then thin down jackets. We both wore thin wooly hats, buffs and thin liner gloves to bed.

We were inside thermolite liners in our down sleeping bags. These were very cheapo ebay bags with 1kg of down plus we both had a down blanket with probably about 150g of down quilt-style over the top. We slept on exped down mats. I had a reflective groundsheet under mine and the whole lot was inside a bivvy bag (I am a very cold sleeper!). Joe didn't have the groundsheet or bivvy bag and was fine. I was cold - not enough to stop me falling asleep but enough that I kept waking up every time a shiver shook my body. I could feel the cold coming up from the ground even with all my layers! I was reminded often of John Climber's 'series of naps' comment.

We got up at 8am, when it was just light but the sun had not yet risen, so that would have been peak cold time. The sky was clear, as it had been overnight after the freezing fog had cleared.

We ate our dinner at home and even brushed our teeth before we set off so that we had the minimum to do once we stopped. We threw the tent up and got into our bags as quickly as we could before we lost the warmth from our ride.

Sleeping out in such temps (I knew what we were in for before we left) seemed utter madness but it was actually really great fun and gave Joe some serious bragging rights. Not many people get to experience such things.
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by redefined_cycles »

Thats ace. I suppose we could count that as a 'yes I want to enter' as well as a 'here's my report'...

Thanks Borderer. Just one thing, any evidence of it having been -7 on said date (just to fulfill criteria 2... a screenshot of data from that weather station would do I guess. Not that anyone would doubt you at all and the icicles and everything else says it all I guess but... :-bd

Just 2 more 'hands up' to say 'I'm in' and I suppose the comp can run :grin: it'll be well worth it (if one doesn't die in the process and we do hope one doesn't) I think...
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by redefined_cycles »

Btw. On a side note Bridget. -7 must've been horrible so really well done to you and the little one. We managed -6 once outside a trail centre but at the campsite. We knew it was -6 cos we noted it on the car dash during middle or end of night. Twas orrible :smile:
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by Borderer »

redefined_cycles wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 1:47 pm
Thanks Borderer. Just one thing, any evidence of it having been -7 on said date (just to fulfill criteria 2... a screenshot of data from that weather station would do I guess. Not that anyone would doubt you at all and the icicles and everything else says it all I guess but...
The screenshot of the weather station is on there. It's the first pic.
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by redefined_cycles »

Borderer wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 1:52 pm
redefined_cycles wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 1:47 pm
Thanks Borderer. Just one thing, any evidence of it having been -7 on said date (just to fulfill criteria 2... a screenshot of data from that weather station would do I guess. Not that anyone would doubt you at all and the icicles and everything else says it all I guess but...
The screenshot of the weather station is on there. It's the first pic.
Aha.. it is too. My bad
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by RIP »

Reckon you need some sort of 'handicap' system based on latitude and height Shaf - chances of a Highlander (or Alpiner!) winning are gonna be pretty guaranteed otherwise :wink: .
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP

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redefined_cycles
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by redefined_cycles »

RIP wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 5:12 pm Reckon you need some sort of 'handicap' system based on latitude and height Shaf - chances of a Highlander (or Alpiner!) winning are gonna be pretty guaranteed otherwise :wink: .
Reg... Did I just see a hand up that yer in?? Remember its til midnight we need another 2 hands up that they're gonna try :-bd

Yeah, regards the highlanders and lowlanders, I did consider a little (hence only UK including Ireland and the Isles) but didn't wanna lose too much contenders in being picky :grin: feel free to suggest something Reg... can't promise itll make it though :smile:
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by pistonbroke »

Reckon you need some sort of 'handicap' system based on latitude and height Shaf - chances of a Highlander (or Alpiner!) winning are gonna be pretty guaranteed otherwise :wink: .
The lowest temp of -27.2 °C is shared between 30 December 1995 and 10 January 1982. On the 10th January 1982, 26.1 °C was also recorded in Newport (Salop) in the Midlands. January 1982 was the most widespread occurrence of temperatures below -20 °C.Oct 16, 2012
Not necessarily Reg, I lived in Stafford when the 1982 record was set and moved to Newport in the 90's when there were several cases where the coldest place in the UK was RAF Shawbury at -20 plus. Ok if you've taken up residence in Svalbard then this would seem balmy but not sure there's many on here that radical.

Btw, I won't be featuring, the January temperature here this year was in the +20's :-bd
Ride needs to be in the UK
Bit parochial there Shaf?? Do you know something about next week's vote that we don't?
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by RIP »

Interesting! Well we're in Salop next weekend and that's almost Staffordshire so mebbes we'll get lucky - last year it was blimmin icy during the day on the Mynd.
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by redefined_cycles »

pistonbroke wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 6:05 pm
Reckon you need some sort of 'handicap' system based on latitude and height Shaf - chances of a Highlander (or Alpiner!) winning are gonna be pretty guaranteed otherwise :wink: .
The lowest temp of -27.2 °C is shared between 30 December 1995 and 10 January 1982. On the 10th January 1982, 26.1 °C was also recorded in Newport (Salop) in the Midlands. January 1982 was the most widespread occurrence of temperatures below -20 °C.Oct 16, 2012
Ride needs to be in the UK
Bit parochial there Shaf?? Do you know something about next week's vote that we don't?
Thats a fair point. Make a suggestion that kindof keeps a level playing field...

Voting next week you say :o really... :lol:
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by pistonbroke »

A non-serious suggestion, the only way I stand a chance is if the recorded temp has the greatest difference from the highest temp recorded in the area during 2019. We topped out at 40° in July so a variance of 35° is doable. It's only dropped to freezing twice since we've lived here. Cue coldest winter on record :roll:
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by fatbikephil »

RIP wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 5:12 pm Reckon you need some sort of 'handicap' system based on latitude and height Shaf - chances of a Highlander (or Alpiner!) winning are gonna be pretty guaranteed otherwise :wink: .
Aye right enough, we'll all post loads of cold bivvies up then Scotroutes will nonchalantly stroll by and ace the lot of us.
I'm in, see if can't get some use out of my -30 bag
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by redefined_cycles »

Im not gonna do an official headcount and gonna assume there's at least 3 people put their hands up for this. I had mine up from the start :-bd so winter comp of reporting a cold ride is on...

Dont forget to readeth the rules :geek:
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by MuddyPete »

RIP wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 5:12 pm Reckon you need some sort of 'handicap' system based on latitude and height Shaf - chances of a Highlander (or Alpiner!) winning are gonna be pretty guaranteed otherwise :wink: .
How about..."maximum altitude 1345m"? :-bd https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8& ... vis+height

I'm quite tickled at the thought of the high altitude members of this parish going to extreme efforts to do something very ordinary :lol:.

It's wonderfully incongruous :wink:.
May you always have tail wind.
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by PeterC »

htrider wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 11:36 pm
RIP wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 5:12 pm Reckon you need some sort of 'handicap' system based on latitude and height Shaf - chances of a Highlander (or Alpiner!) winning are gonna be pretty guaranteed otherwise :wink: .
Aye right enough, we'll all post loads of cold bivvies up then Scotroutes will nonchalantly stroll by and ace the lot of us.
I'm in, see if can't get some use out of my -30 bag
ht, you might very well need it!
From my climbing log book: 13th January 1979, Milehouse, Kincraig. Estimated temp -25 Celsius. Took us most of the morning to get the cars rolling. Exercise limited to walk round Loch an Eilean. Following day climbed Oui Oui (III) at Creag Dubh, Newtonmore. ( iirc recorded temp at Braemar was -26 that weekend.)
Think Colin could scoosh it :grin:
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by fatbikephil »

PeterC wrote: Sat Dec 07, 2019 8:53 am
htrider wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 11:36 pm
RIP wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 5:12 pm Reckon you need some sort of 'handicap' system based on latitude and height Shaf - chances of a Highlander (or Alpiner!) winning are gonna be pretty guaranteed otherwise :wink: .
Aye right enough, we'll all post loads of cold bivvies up then Scotroutes will nonchalantly stroll by and ace the lot of us.
I'm in, see if can't get some use out of my -30 bag
ht, you might very well need it!
From my climbing log book: 13th January 1979, Milehouse, Kincraig. Estimated temp -25 Celsius. Took us most of the morning to get the cars rolling. Exercise limited to walk round Loch an Eilean. Following day climbed Oui Oui (III) at Creag Dubh, Newtonmore. ( iirc recorded temp at Braemar was -26 that weekend.)
Think Colin could scoosh it :grin:
Heres hoping :-bd
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by The Cumbrian »

How are you defining a bivvy? Having spent many long, boring winter nights kipping out in a bivvy bag in my youth, I'm not keen to repeat it. If tents count, then count me in.

Cheers, Michael.
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by redefined_cycles »

The Cumbrian wrote: Mon Dec 09, 2019 1:04 pm How are you defining a bivvy? Having spent many long, boring winter nights kipping out in a bivvy bag in my youth, I'm not keen to repeat it. If tents count, then count me in.

Cheers, Michael.
Does indeed... anything that satisfies the BAM (see that thread, 1st page) rules would count in terms of the sleeping out aspect
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by redefined_cycles »

RIP wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 5:12 pm Reckon you need some sort of 'handicap' system based on latitude and height Shaf - chances of a Highlander (or Alpiner!) winning are gonna be pretty guaranteed otherwise :wink: .
Just realised Reg.. handicap has already been built in: it needs to be a minimal total distance of 25 miles remember :- see point 4 in 1st post
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by tobasco »

“Reckon you need some sort of 'handicap' system based on latitude and height Shaf - chances of a Highlander (or Alpiner!) winning are gonna be pretty guaranteed otherwise”

It was -26 in Shropshire this week about 25 years ago........
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Re: Winter bivy comp: How cold can you go!

Post by RIP »

-26c, blimey. I managed -12c in Shropshire at Christmas 1981. Convinced the newly ensnared Mrs (Ms at that time) Perrin that a romantic thing to do would be ride on one of the Severn Valley xmas trains then crash out under a thick quilt in a tent on some roadside verge near Arley. Bloody insane idea, surprised we didn't freeze solid. That was a month after our first date - not a candlelit soiree for two, but a day up Helvellyn in the pissing rain after riding our bikes from Oxenholme station over Kirkstone to Patterdale. Ah the folly of youth. Haven't learned my lesson in the ensuing 39 years I have to say - back to Shropshire this weekend :-bd

Strange woman is Mrs Perrin.
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