Stove Bases for Cooking on Snow

I've never spent so much time in the "kitchen", as I do on climbing trips in Winter, or mountaineering endeavors on glacier/alpine ice.  All that snow melting for hydration and cooking.  Its an ongoing task, and it takes time.  Good to have your fuel consumption calculation down,  it takes a good amount of fuel too.  More on that on a future post. 

If you going to set up your stove on snow/ice...you better have figured out your stove base system...and there are few choices that can be actually bought, and only one manufactured base that I know of,  that is any good.  I have seen a lot of homemade stove bases in my time,  and this can be a good option, but takes some experimenting with materials.   I sourced and purchased many types of plastic,  experimenting to find a lightweight plastic that didn't crack in the cold,  and warp with some applied heat and weight.  Found that you are better off with a piece of wood.

Saw a Peruvian Mountain Guide spill nearly an entire pot of the morning's hot water for clients....utilizing a MSR Trillium.   How many times have you had a near miss on this?   Besides the risk of tipping your stove from snow melting underneath,  I think every good pot should have a pouring spout.   No fun pouring water on your hand or gloves,  while just trying to fill a bowl/mug, or transfer water into your H2O bottles. 

If you want to skip the experimentation, the best stove base I have worked with is the RDM Stove Platform designed by Kevin Slotterbeck, a former materials specialist with SMC (climbing gear company in Washington).  If you want to check on of these out,  they are available at, of course, through Bradley Alpinist: http://www.bradleyalpinist.com/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=81_82_87.  

I've tried the Trillium Stove Base by MSR,  used it with a Whisperlite and an XGK.  I think this is a good piece of gear,  but really doesn't have any business being utilized when there is snow or ice that you are cooking on top of.  I think it reflects heat well,  provides stability,  but is best used for all the other things other than what you would usually want to use it for.  The metal heats up just enough to cause the base to slowly sink into the snow,  and the holes in the base conveniently grip the snow, and if left for sometime after the stove is shut off, it will freeze into place.  That's pretty nice,  you get a tipped stove,  could spill your pourage, and you get to use your ice axe to pull it up (and could mangle it).  The Trillium is probably better utilized for sand,  or very rocky surfaces...allowing you to create a leveling system by building up the surface under the base for a more level and stable suface. 

The RDM version,  gives you heat reflection,  a grip on the snow/ice surface (and an option to stake down via one point, with a thin rounded tent stake (common aluminum tent stake),  stability,  and an option to add a beefy pot support for larger capacity pots..or just a more solid/stable cooking surface.  These platforms come in two sizes,  a 9" version for a small party (pictured above),  or a 12" style to accomodate large groups/expeditions using bigger pots.