Cold Hard Lessons That Parents Learned From Ice-Hiking

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Last weekend, an extraordinary number of people were seen trekking out on the frozen river at 龙云山 (Lóng yún shān) Dragon Cloud Mountain in Miyun District. Among the hiking troops present were the indomitable Beijing Hikers and brave Cub Scouts, and my family was among them. Like many in our group, it was my first hike on ice, and it was quite an eye-opening adventure for all of us. Here are some of our takeaways from the experience.

Michael Tye, Senior Director of Space Design at Li Auto and dad of Christopher, 6, discovered that “Beijing has some very nice spots for families in the winter. I also learned a lot about ice safety and how thick ice needs to be to walk on (it’s 10cm). Oh, and that dogs need shoes to walk on ice!”

Sun Huijie, General Manager of Beijing Hikers and mother to 5-year-old Hayley shared her insights gleaned from numerous ice hikes over the years. “Kids of all ages love ice; they like watching the running river in the midst of the thick frozen ice; they like running on it and sliding on it; they like ice! These aforementioned kids will forget how cold the weather is and forget about their parents as long as they have companions and friends to play with them.”

Some of the other folks who joined Beijing Hikers over the weekend also readily shared what they learned, all of which I agree with 100 percent.

• Pay attention to the surface of the ice! The deeper the color, the more slippery the surface!

• Gloves must be waterproof!

• Layer, layers, layers! Two pairs of socks are recommended.

• Wear clothes that you are ready to get dirty in. Ice may look nice and white, but it’s actually really dirty.

• Bring a power bank because cold temperatures mean your battery dies faster.

Ray Wu, father of Cyanne and Ruefus, 7 and 5 said: “The kids kept on saying they have been to Alaska since the ice hiking trip. The frozen water fall is one of their favorite as they never experienced it before. Also it is such a relief to know we have some good day trip options when traveling becomes tricky lately. And of course a good opportunity to take some nice shots! One more thing: People will eat whatever they are given when they are hungry and cold.”

As for myself, my takeaways were firstly, that I absolutely hate being cold. It will make me extremely cranky, enough to want to smash in a car window because the driver inconsiderately left his car parked in the way of two coach buses, trapping 55 adults and children for over half an hour. Secondly, while you might be tempted to layer up with sweaters and coats, it’s really the extremities that need the most protection and the parts that will feel the cold the fastest, so truly invest in gloves, socks, and shoes. Crampons are usually provided by the tour groups, or can be purchased for cheap on Taobao.

I am also very proud that I had the foresight to prepare two thermos bottles of hot ginger honey drinks, which kept me going when the going got cold, which it did. Editor Julie Wolf had a couple of recipes for delicious winter mocktails, which you can always turn into cocktails as long as you can hike while inebriated…

And last but not least, do have fun. The reason kids don’t care about the cold is because they’re too busy having fun to be bothered by it! So keep moving, laugh, and just let it go…

According to expert outdoorsmen YMCE, the best season for ice hikes In Beijing is generally from early January to early February, depending on weather conditions of course.

Images: Courtesy of Ray Wu, YMCE, Vivienne Tseng-Rush

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