Tent pegs into frozen ground?

[doggy]

Just wondering if anyone has ever been away camping and struggled to get the pegs into the frozen ground?

What did you do or recommend ?

Thanks.

[Mal Grey]

I've never actually had a problem on frosty grass, pegs go in well normally, but if it was solid ice, it would be difficult.

[Sgurr]

This is all culled from friends, as I hate going winter camping.
First, ensure your pegs won't buckle as near as possible by having titanium pegs.
Second, if they won't go in, put rocks on them.
Third, you can try boiling water, pouring it on the spot and hammering them in quick before it freezes again. Not really recommended unless you are desperate, as it takes too long and there us no guarantee you will get them out again in the morning.
Four, take a bivvy bag and forego the tent. The friend who did this didn't reckon on an overnight thaw, and once woke up in a puddle.

Good luck. I am sure that people who have actually DONE it have a far better idea than me.

[stuart mclovin]

heat the pegs on a fire?

[doggy]

Thanks all.

My pegs are titanium from a force ten helium but they look flimsy.

It appears there's quite a lot of options online, or I could just make my own from steel rod.

[weaselmaster]

Not cheap, but they do the business

http://www.climbers-shop.com/6675606/products/hilleberg-stinger-titanium-pegs-6-pack.aspx

I also quite like the hilleberg Y pegs, which - though aluminium rather than titanium - are pretty robust for hard ground

[Caberfeidh]

Take extra cord (paracord is good but expensive, that orange nylon stuff used by commercial fishermen is cheap but not so good) and you can tie your tent's peg-loops and guys onto big rocks or trees, or sacks filled with ice and snow. Or build an igloo so wind is not a problem for the tent pitched inside it. Or better still, stay in a hostel.

[dav2930]

...if they won't go in, put rocks on them.

This works well if your tent is geodesic or even semi-geodesic. It worked for me in the Alps when camping on rock / ice with a semi-geodesic. But it probably wouldn't work so well with a tunnel!

[CharlesT]

Get some thatching pins, come in various lengths, unbendable, sharp and can be hammered in hard. Getting them out might be an issue though in deeply frozen ground.

[Caberfeidh]

I found some nice pegs at Sligachan which were X-shaped in cross-section, felt like titanium. You would have to hammer them in with a rock or mallet. They seem rock steady but I guess there's a limit.

[Michael Thomson]

For hard frozen ground, I tend to use Titanium nails from Vargo. I use my axe to dig a wee starter hole, then hammer them in to final position. For snow I use a mix of snow stakes and clamcleat y-pegs.
Sometimes you have to get creative. I've used skis, poles and ice axes as anchors many times and on a couple of occasions when climbing I've used warthogs and ice screws.