We’ve been doing a lot of detail work on our met tower, final checks before we raise it. Little nuts and bolts, setting anchors into the ice, taping up cable connectors….. all of these things require some level of fine motor skills. Thin gloves are sometimes useful, but often when it comes down to it, bare hands are the most effective approach. If you can get the job done in half the time with bare fingers, sometimes it is worth it. But temperature management becomes a more serious issue then. Hands frequently in and out of pockets or bigger gloves. We luckily have a warm “Met Hut” nearby to warm and prepare the next set of nuts and bolts or whatever the task. Without that, the approach would have to be much different, and would take much longer. In the last days, my fingers have been very cold a few times. Always in control, but cold. And combining this with the dryness, the little cracks in the skin on the sides of my thumbs, leads to sore hands.
