Ever seen this book?

A few years ago I read this book and don't remember the title.

The protagonist and maybe three friends did a lot of mountain climbing and camping in the coldest weather. Later he went to Antarctica for a job. He was called a Carhardt because he wore their clothes. He got dirty doing his job.....

I would have thought the author was Kim Stanley Robinson it wasn't. It was not in his bibliography. I don't remember it as part of trilogy.

Has anyone seen this book?

Richard