I'm coming to the end of my long tour, with one major remaining obstacle ahead of me: a mountain crossing with variable weather conditions, including snow and very low temperatures. I have attached a picture of the current forecast for the areas I will be passing through at 3-4000m altitude. (Temps in celsius). I was not really equipped for these conditions up until now so I have have added or will add some equipment: waterproof gloves, glove liners, sleeping bag liner (though I hope to avoid camping it might be necessary), extra sleeping pad, waterproofs, balaclava, thermos, etc. Whether the road will be open or not remains to be seen. Assuming it is, my other concern is the bike: tyre grip and brake effectiveness. It's the first situation where I regret not having disk brakes, partly because it means I can't use the neat trick of using cable ties to give my tyres extra grip (unless I disconnect the brakes...).

Anyone with experience of cycling in these conditions and can comment on what's possible and what's not? Any tips or tricks for improving tyre grip and keeping v-brakes working? I have about 5-7 days before I hit the worst of it.

Cheers