How To Survive A Ski-In Winter Camping Experience
Baldface Valhalla near Nelson, BC is one of the most legendary cat-skiing destinations on the planet—a bucket-list experience for any powder enthusiast. So, when The North Face invited me to experience this iconic terrain firsthand, my initial reaction was pure excitement—testing their new PFAS-Free GORE-TEX Summit Series gear on the slopes of Viking heaven in the Kootenays? Yes, please. But my excitement was quickly tempered when I read the next part: “while winter camping.”
Butterflies of a different kind set in. I’ve never gone winter camping before. While I’m a seasoned adventurer born and raised in some of Canada’s coldest climates, I’ve always preferred ending a ski day with a warm bed—or better yet, a hot tub. That said, as a travel journalist, one of the things I love most about this job is how it pushes me outside my comfort zone.
I’m a little nervous about winter camping. I value being warm and comfortable after a big day in the cold. Baldface Valhalla turns out to be the coldest place I’ve ever camped, but it doesn’t feel like my coldest camping experience thanks to The North Face’s top-notch gear. Outdoor adventurers love the saying, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear.” And on this trip, that couldn’t be more true.
I spend the first morning of our trip in Nelson with a selection of media and athletes from The North Face as well as GORE-TEX Retail Marketer Marshall Balick, learning how GORE-TEX has achieved a PFAS-free product. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are synthetic chemicals once common in outdoor gear for their water resistance but are now banned in states like California (starting January 1, 2025) to reduce environmental contamination and protect public health from these toxic “forever chemicals.”
“Fortunately for GORE-TEX, we started addressing this challenge over a decade ago,” Balick explains. “We began by identifying where PFAS existed in our products—primarily in our laminate and durable water repellent (DWR) coatings—and asking if we could move away from them. Could we develop a new membrane platform that’s PFAS-free while maintaining the same performance? And could we create DWRs that work just as well? The answer was yes.”
Balick notes that while developing their new ePE membrane was relatively straightforward, the real challenge came with reformulating DWR coatings, where the chemistry is more complex. “All of our products, except for the Pro line, are now made with ePE. By fall 2025, every product we make will be PFAS-free. The Pro line is taking a bit longer because it’s designed for extreme conditions where lives depend on its performance, and we didn’t want to rush it to market.”
I analyze the innovations under microscopes and juggle water molecules around with the new GORE-TEX membranes before putting them to the test in the real world. We head up to Baldface Valhalla, suit up and hit the slopes.
My skis are the Saba Pro 117s, crafted by Certified B Corp Icelantic. My North Face gear includes the Summit Series Verbier jacket (available in men’s and women’s) and Verbier bib snow pants (also in men’s and women’s), paired with the Summit Series GORE-TEX Gloves to keep my hands warm. These gloves are the warmest, most comfortable pair I’ve worn. My avalanche gear is safely stowed in the Slackpack 2.0, while my base layers consist of the Summit Series Pro tights and top. For mid-layers, I’m wearing the Winter Warm Pants Pro and the Summit Series Breithorn jacket (available in men’s and women’s). Together, this setup keeps me warm, comfortable, and ready to take on the legendary powder of the West Kootenays. Gliding through tree runs, bouncing off powder-covered rocks, and carving down gullies, then sharing stories of the day’s runs with fellow skiers during the cat ride back up, is exactly the adventure I’m here for.
Beneath my ski run, I spot a cluster of yellow tents dotting the snow, looking like a Canadian version of Everest Base Camp. It’s our home for the night, and thin trails of smoke from campfires curl into the frosty air.
Rumour has it there’s a stash of Nelson Brewing beers waiting for us down there, and suddenly, my legs find a whole new gear. I skid into camp, zero in on the YETI coolers and pop one open—only to be completely baffled. Why are the beers in a cooler? Then it hits me: they’re in there to stay warm enough to not turn into frosty beer popsicles. Winter camping is hitting different already, and I’ve only just arrived.
Adding to the Himalayan vibes, we each receive one of The North Face’s signature Himalayan Suits. These suits, designed for the pros braving the highest and coldest places on Earth, certainly live up to their reputation. Wrapped in one of these, I feel invincible, like a Michelin Man who could summit Everest before breakfast and then swing by the South Pole for lunch. They’re stuffed with enough insulation to make me wonder if I’m actually wearing a sleeping bag, a jacket or a portable sauna. It’s the kind of gear that says, “I’m ready for anything,” even if the most extreme thing you’re doing is trying to keep your beer from freezing in a YETI cooler.
After an evening filled with drinks, laughter and reliving the day’s adventures, the part I’ve been dreading finally arrives: winter camping. This is where I quickly learn the key differences between camping in winter versus spring, summer or fall. I swap the Himalayan Suit for a -40 C rated Inferno sleeping bag, minimizing the time I spend outside the cozy down layers (though I later discover many of the other campers sleep in their Himalayan Suits inside their sleeping bags). Surprisingly, I get a decent night’s sleep and wake up the next morning a little wiser thanks to a few mistakes from the night before.
If you go winter camping, take it from me and…
- Keep your water bottle in your sleeping bag to prevent it from freezing.
- Sleep with the tent vents wide open; otherwise, the condensation from your breath will freeze into ice crystals.
- Keep your duffel bag zipped up or store it outside the tent—any exposed clothes inside will get damp from condensation.
- If you’re charging devices, like a phone, with a portable charger (I use the BioLite Charger), keep it inside your sleeping bag. Cold temperatures will stop anything from charging.
After packing up the tent and having some breakfast, we get to shred another day before heading back to Nelson for some celebratory aprés. With these lessons learned, a new appreciation for good gear and a new appreciation of winter camping, I’m ready to take on another day of adventure in the snow.
