So boiling point of butane is -0.5°C(31°F) that makes it a less useful fuel for snow camping than propane. Well that one time the camp unexpectedly went below freezing and we weren't prepared for it. So long story short, we have butane, and when we woke up it was a frozen wonderland. We are hungry and needed a warm breakfast. To light the stove, we needed the butane cans to warm up at least above its boiling point to turn into a gas. The only thing warm around is my belly under my jacket. Imagine the chill of a metal can against your skin and that is what we had to get the fire doing. Once the first can was lit we can use the flame to very dangerously warm the other cans of course, but while the can is providing fume it is also depressurizing (and thus cooling) itself, (pV=nRT) so it won't work for long. So we had to keep rotating them to keep the fire going.
Staying up in the mountain you don't rely on the miracle of HVAC. It is mostly you surviving on your own wit and strength and tolerance for risk and discomfort.
7/9/2026