Everybody’s Scalin’ – It’s Friggin’ Hot

I’m no sissy when it comes to scaling in the elements. I’ve done G6 competitions in the sweltering heat and long trail runs in zero degree weather with the snow falling. It’s all part of the game.

Still, the heat wave that has engulfed the midwest for the last two weeks has me crying uncle. I had been laying low, but last Saturday I came down with cabin fever pretty bad and went to a creek out in the country with my TRX-4. While it was blast (creek crawling always is), I wasn’t mindful of the 105 degree heat index and wound up dehydrating myself. I also let the truck get too hot and puffed up a softcase lipo. A real two-for-one special.

Extreme elements are not pleasant, whether the thermometer is swinging high or low. Each also has their set of negatives on a vehicle. As mentioned above, high heat can be dangerous to your batteries and electronics. At the other end of the spectrum, deep cold makes plastic extremely fragile.

Brief aside, so how did I find out my truck was too hot last weekend? I drove into the water and it made a sizzling sound. That is not good!

As for the most important part of the equation – the driver, in this case being me – there is definitely one that I prefer over the other.

Cold runs may be uncomfortable, but as long as you dress properly for it, you are ok. In my experience, people usually have a tendency to overdress for freezing temperatures so that they are actually pretty comfortable, even on long runs.

Heat is by far the worst to me. While you can always add more layers to bundle up, when it comes to 100 degree temps, it isn’t as simple as that. Sunburn, dehydration, exhaustion; you have to be mindful of it all or it sneaks up on you and then BAM.

I’ve never seen any kind of dangerous situations in the cold, but I’ve had several dangerous experiences in the heat. The worst being at a G6 event in 2013 when an older gentleman nearly collapsed. I had a friend also develop 3rd degree sunburn one long July afternoon at the local State Park.

It just seems that, for whatever reason, people do not respect hot weather as much as the cold. I’m including myself in that, by the way.

Consider this your PSA- use sunscreen, drink lots of water and be sure to take breaks. It doesn’t make you any less macho to keep the pace a little slower than normal. You also want to keep an eye on your vehicle to make sure it isn’t overheating, and that includes the battery pack.

Summer scaling is great, but be careful out there!