KNOW-HOW 
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A Himalayan Clothing Primer The secret of staying comfortable while trekking in the Himalayas or any other high mountain ranges is to travel slow and light, and having the right clothing at the right moment. The less weight carried, and the slower the rate of ascent during the acclimatisation phase, the better. The right clothing can mean the difference between a great trek and a miserable one. The basic guideslines here apply to all areas of the Himalayas ( or for that matter, any high and cold mountain regions in other parts of the world ) with the most popular trekking seasons in mind: Spring ( March - May ) and Autumn ( September - December ). To fully understand and successfully incorporate a clothing system applicable for any weather conditions, you would need to understand the basics of comfort dressing as well as the functionality of various fabrics types. Above all, having a healthy dose of common sense does shorten your learning curve quite a fair bit. TEMPERATURE GUIDE Temperatures fall quickly at night - but generally speaking it's a dry cold, not a damp one, so standing around at 0 degree may still be bearable. Expect night-time temperatures of -5 degrees at 3500m, -10 degrees at 4500m, and -15 degrees at 5500m. The amount of insulation required will vary from sleeper to sleeper, and will also depend upon: whether you enjoyed a hot drink before bed; how many times you had to get up in the night; and what accommodation was being used - tent or teahouse.
CLOTHING GUIDE Up to 5500m, most people carry a 2nd warmer fleece and/or a lightweight down jacket. At these altitudes, a pair of fleece pants is a definite welcome. The most common mistake that newcomers to the cold weather scene make is one of wearing the wrong material and worsening it by over-dressing. For tropical creatures like ourselves who have to contend with hot humid climate day-in and day-out, cotton seems like a wonder fabric. Among experienced backpackers and mountaineers, cotton is referred to as "dead man's clothing". Cotton absorbs the body's moisture (unlike polyester and wool, which allow sweat to pass through, retaining only the body's heat) and when one stops working, the sweat that has been stored in the cotton freezes, dramatically reducing the body's temperature and hastening the process of hypothermia as heat is drawn away to warm the sodden cotton clothing. So if you do not want to look like a silly human freezer, avoid cotton (including underwear) like the plague unless it's blazing hot. During the day when the sun is blazing, a quick-dry synthetic T-shirt will suffice, though it is important to carry a thermal top which can be donned in the evenings as your T-shirt will no doubt be damp from sweat by the end of the day. For outer layers, a windproof jacket is more useful than a waterproof one at high altitudes as there's little moisture at such heights. A pair of trousers (fleece pants or track pants) can be handy when the wind makes conditions a touch too chilly for shorts.
Frostbite are brought on by a number of factors: dehydration, altitude and cold, and it usually affect the extremities. Keeping the body insulated is the best way of keeping the extremities warm but that alone is not enough. There is the need for gloves, mitts and warm hats. A few points to note:
If sunshine prevails, ensure that your head is adequately protected - sunny days on glaciers can feel like the inside of a furnace. Hands are also easily sunburnt so keep your sunblock lotion within handy reach.
There is a classic saying among outdoors people: "If your legs or hands feel cold, put on a warm hat ...". Few people are aware that up to 40% of the body's heat can be lost through the head, which makes it the fastest way to COOL an overheated body, or the quickest way to freeze an already cold one from the other point of view. This is especially important if there are strong winds. Always carry one warm hat, no matter how good the weather may appear for weather on the mountains is unpredictable to say the least.
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