Hey, I am a pretty newbie NOer, I've been on two ops total, and I was just wondering, is it realistic to pull off a winter op? I mean, Its kinda noisy wearing all the clothing so you don't get hypothermia, and it isn't like they sell arctic cammo at target...

Any advice?

-Build a snowman
-Snow angels
-Sledding
-Snowball fight

Sneaking around in the dead of night in the wintertime can have its advantages.

1. Heavy/face concealing clothing isn't as suspicious.
2. Most people who would otherwise be out to ruin your time (security, morons walking their dogs at 2 AM...) will be less likely to be arsed to go out in the cold.
3. It gets dark earlier in the wintertime, and stays dark longer.
4. The holidays keep most people too busy to give as much of a shit as they would the rest of the year.

Just watch for, ah, leaving footprints in the snow...

Yeah sounds like a good idea just don't leave footprints in the snow. Also it gives u an excuse to wear gloves etc.

Wearing gloves doesen't attract attention.

Security and cops would rather sit in a warm car than do their patrols throughly.

People leave their cars running with keys in the ignition.

The only downside is footprints. Snow is a real pain in the ass when I try to UE secure places in the winter.

I'm a new opper, too, but there's never anything to do! I need a target... >_<

I might start this Christmas vacation, sounds like a fun time to start. Except its really fucking cold.

Thermal underwear will keep you very warm. You can wear jeans over them.

Besides snow winter opping is quite good for all the reasons mentioned above. Thankfully I live in a place where it gets superbly cold each year but not much snow.

Copy and paste from elsewhere:

Having a car can help big time. You can park elsewhere besides home and walk through snow and leave prints. Put it this way:

Your neighbor (for example) notices his favorite yard gnome got decapitated. He sees footprints in the snow and follows them over to the fence. He sees that the prints go to and from your house's door.

Extremely obvious example there, but it gets the point across. Now let's say you park in some random, out of the way location. Some would-be sleuth is going to follow the prints and... see some slushed over tire tracks leading to the road. That won't do them a damn bit of good. You win.

Leaving prints is inevitable in certain cases, unless you can hover. Prints can give away info such as your height, where you were going, where you were coming from, and entry points. Might not seem like much, but it can leave a profile.
When possible, move along rocks, fences, anything to keep yourself off the ground. Even if snow should be on a fence, these things can go completely unnoticed in comparison to footprints.
When not possible, one idea is to distort the ground by moving along with an umbrella behind you. It destroys the prints. I personally think the idea sucks and never use it, but it's an idea.

Roll up sleds will help you hall ass down hills in a relatively small package. I guess if you made a strong enough one/waterproofed the cardboard, the mylar shield concept could double as a folding sled lol. (Joke)

Iced over rooftops require special gear, no two ways about it. You need anchors and ropes for certain sloped ones, and you may have to face the fact you will have to leave evidence to use these roofs, albeit minimal and likely unnoticeable evidence.

Compacted snow balls have uses. Distractions, first-strike weapon, breaking tools, etc. Not much but it helps.

Snow muffles sound in the air, but unfortunately walking through it makes more sound. So you win some, lose more. Technically snow shoes could alleviate both this and the prints problem (provided enough snow falls to cover the tracks) but then you've got the obvious issue of night ops in snow shoes. Maybe some slick engineering here could solve the issue?

Snow seems to increase visibility for me. What little ambient light there is in even the darkest areas increases as it reflects off the snow and/or light clouds above. Snow on ground with a full moon and light overcast? Bright as fucking day almost.

When moving in groups, you can follow each other's footprints to make the illusion of a one-man job if you expect the prints to be seen.


Hmm... that's all I can think of right now. Generally it sucks ass because you have to wear more bulk/weight and if you plan on doing certain things, you need extra gear. On the plus side, the "good guys" seem just as lax as us in the winter time, so it's primetime for your biggest ideas.