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The "Winter Friendly" Attribute


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Ever since the big blizzard of 2011 hit our state last week I've been giving the "winter friendly," attribute a bit more thought than I ever have in the past and I was wondering how others use this attribute ?

 

I think you can use it in a few ways. Your cache may or may not be winter friendly if it's hidden in a local park that's closed in the winter months OR if it's hidden in a section of a forest preserve that's closed off in the winter months.

 

You can also use it to let players know ( this way pretty much gives your hide away ),your cache is on the ground and will be more difficult to find after it snows.

 

There's a 24/7 attribute but there isn't a "seasonal," attribute so the "winter friendly," attribute can logically be used for the park closure example.

 

If the "winter friendly," attribute IS meant to be used for caches that are hidden on the ground then shouldn't there be a similar attribute for autumn when the same cache can very easily be just as covered by leaves ?

 

I've unburied ground hidden caches from under tons of leaves and tons of snow and in my opinion finding caches in both conditions can be equally challenging. Granted leaves are lighter and the temps are warmer but it's still a natural blanket that completely conceals.

 

thanks for any input....

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As of now, I don't, becuase of the confusion around it. There is a thread on this subject in the Feedback Forum.

 

There should be two Attributes:

 

Snow Friendly/Not Snow Friendly - Means that if there is snow on the ground, it will be harder to find than if there was no snow

 

Available Year Round / Not Available Year Round - The cache or location is not accessible the entire year. Usually would mean that the area is closed in the winter, but there may be areas that are closed during high fire risk seasons, etc.

 

The splitting into two Attributes would definitely clear things up.

 

(edited for spelling)

Edited by BBWolf+3Pigs
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Like BBWolf+3Pigs I often don't use the attribute because it means different things to different people.

 

"Available during winter" (as the attribute is currently named) could mean "the area containing the cache is accessible during the winter". ie: No seasonal closure. This doesn't necessarily mean the cache is findable when the snow flies.

 

I would prefer the terminology "Winter Friendly" -- meaning the cache location is accesible during the winter AND the cache is not likely to be buried under snow.

 

I think I have used the attribute on only one of my caches -- it is hidden in an area where the road is closed for six months of the year and it is hidden on the ground as well. While technically someone could hike in, I suspect the distance involved would deter the vast majority of cachers so it seemed like an appropriate place to use the attribute.

 

Since most of my caches are hidden on the ground, I don't use it since it would confuse those winter seekers who arrive at ground zero and find three foot snow drifts. Most of our locals tend to use the Snowflake attribute to mean "Findable in winter".

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If my cache is not reasonably accessible in winter, then I'll note that in my cache description. Even though the attribute label reads "not available for winter," I ignore the literal and use it to indicate whether or not my cache is "winter friendly."

 

Since not everyone uses this particular attribute in similar ways, it's generally unwise to give it too much weight. I agree it would be better to have two attributes: "winter accessible" and "winter friendly."

 

Yes, autumn can make ground caches more difficult because of fallen leaves, but it has been my experience that pushing away leaves usually is much easier than digging through snow. I just assume that a "winter unfriendly" cache could be a bit of a challenge to find in the autumn as well.

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It would be pointless to have an attribute that means the area is accessible in the winter, but where the caches are all under 15 feet of snow.

 

Besides very few places are not accessible in the winter if you have the proper equipment. Just a few weeks ago I was snowshoeing in a state park that was closed for the winter. By "closed" they mean there are no amenities open, the roads and parking lots are not plowed and the park is not staffed. It doesn't mean that it's illegal to use the area. I suspect the number of areas that are actually illegal to enter in the winter are few.

 

To me the attribute means that someone would have a reasonable chance of finding the cache with snow on the ground. It's the only sensible use for the attribute.

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To me the attribute means that someone would have a reasonable chance of finding the cache with snow on the ground. It's the only sensible use for the attribute.

 

So, if I hid a cache in an area that gets snow, and I used this attribute, wouldn't that be telling searchers that it's on the ground, thereby eliminating several possible hiding locations the other months of the year?

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It would be pointless to have an attribute that means the area is accessible in the winter, but where the caches are all under 15 feet of snow.

 

Besides very few places are not accessible in the winter if you have the proper equipment. Just a few weeks ago I was snowshoeing in a state park that was closed for the winter. By "closed" they mean there are no amenities open, the roads and parking lots are not plowed and the park is not staffed. It doesn't mean that it's illegal to use the area. I suspect the number of areas that are actually illegal to enter in the winter are few.

 

To me the attribute means that someone would have a reasonable chance of finding the cache with snow on the ground. It's the only sensible use for the attribute.

...but you have to understand that there are places that have 15 - 20 feet of snow all winter long and it is sort of implied that caching will be difficult in that no matter how or where the cache is hidden. So the only reason to use the "Available in Winter" attribute is to indicate that the area is not closed to winter visitors. Areas near several of my caches fit that.

 

Poor wording.

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I agree it would be better to have two attributes: "winter accessible" and "winter friendly."

Just because you can get to the location in the winter doesn't mean you can find the cache under a few inches of snow. Using the winter attribute should mean you can do both. If the cache is nearly impossible to find in the winter (or the area is closed), use the crossed out version.

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