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The Cold Hard Facts of Freezing to Death (1997)

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Re: The Cold Hard Facts of Freezing to Death (1997)

#141

Post by nradov »

astral303 wrote: post #32
freehunter wrote: post #8

Living in Michigan, this is one of my biggest fears. Due to the massive lakes that surround us, we frequently get a blast of warm, wet air that causes rain, and of course that warm wet air is being pushed off the lake by a cold front, causing high winds and sub-freezing temps. This combined with large stands of farmland and no trees for windrows means wind blows right across the road and freezes the rain instantly, s…

The conditions you describe are tough. Going off the road in an ice storm sucks. Love your CB and snow suit suggestions. The following is not commentary on your situation, but tips to reduce chance of getting stuck: 1. I strongly recommend running a set of good snow tires, no matter whether you have an AWD Subaru or a 4x4 truck or a FWD Corolla. Yes, truck snow tires exist. The reason is that the rubber compound is m…

Edmunds did a quantitative test of snow tire performance for one common FWD car.

http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/features/tire-test-all-se...

Re: The Cold Hard Facts of Freezing to Death (1997)

#142

Post by 001sky »

andyl wrote: post #74

I teach search and rescue people how to travel on skis or snowshoes and live in winter mountains. If you are prepared, you can stay out in sub-zero for days and days very comfortably. A key skill is constant regulation of your body temperature. You never want to become too hot/sweaty or too cold. If too cold - get into shelter, drink something hot, eat carbs, add clothes, move faster. If too hot - remove clothes, or…

Lots of good points. Its also, perhaps counterintuitively, the case that wet and above freezing is almost more dangerous for hypothermia many times. Snow is a source of potential shelter and insulation, provided a minimum level of preparation. But, being un-prepared ans without shelter in cold rain is a very dangerous place to be. Your core only needs to get to 70 degrees to kill you, etc. So its all about the differential and exposure.

Re: The Cold Hard Facts of Freezing to Death (1997)

#143

Post by arohner »

munin wrote: post #94
danso wrote: post #12

This bit about how certain groups of people have somehow developed different responses to cold is fascinating: Were you a Norwegian fisherman or Inuit hunter, both of whom frequently work gloveless in the cold, your chilled hands would open their surface capillaries periodically to allow surges of warm blood to pass into them and maintain their flexibility. This phenomenon, known as the hunter's response, can elevate…

there's been some research into the Buddhist monk core/skin temperature regulation. apparently, you can train yourself to do this by using biofeedback, take a digital thermometer and a few hours a day and you can figure out how to raise your body temperature (I know people that have demonstrated this ability).

This is a somewhat common phenomenon in the martial arts that practice Tai Chi/qigong/reki

I used to teach a martial art that practiced this. In our meditation, you visualize glowing energy flowing through your body into your hands. After several months, it happens fairly naturally. Among more experienced practitioners, the skin temperature difference is very noticeable.

When we practiced this, we conflated it with hitting harder, which anecdotally seems to be true, but I'm not sure why.

My teacher claimed that doing the meditation and slowly working your way up to hitting harder materials would increase bone density in your hands, though I have no proof of this.

I'd love to see more western science studying these phenomenon.

Re: The Cold Hard Facts of Freezing to Death (1997)

#144

Post by AYBABTME »

Tichy wrote: post #101
saraid216 wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

About.com (not the best resource, but I googled the answer since I don't know it) recommends running your engine for short periods and cracking the window open. I'm hesitant to actually agree, since cracking the window open doesn't seem like an awesome idea in the middle of a blizzard but... eh. http://weather.about.com/od/winterweather/a/winter_survival....

Not sure, do cars reliably start in the cold?

They do. I've personally never had a problem starting my engine, even in -40 (Celcius) nights in Canada. It sure takes a couple of seconds, but recent cars (>1990) all start just fine in extreme cold. Given your battery is charged, and your engine is in normal conditions.

Re: The Cold Hard Facts of Freezing to Death (1997)

#145

Post by snogglethorpe »

sardonicbryan wrote: post #40
30thElement wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Assuming the exhaust pipe is clear isn't the best assumption when you're in a ditch in the middle of a blizzard. Even if the pipe is clear, rust from the all the salt on the road or damage from going into the ditch could easily put a hole in your exhaust.

So what is the best play then? Wait in the car without the engine running?

I've slept in a car (a VW bus with the seats down to make a flat space) without the heater running, in below-freezing conditions (maybe 10-15 degF) with another person.

It was actually pretty amazing how well it worked. We had sleeping bags, but woke up to find the interior of the car quite warm. It actually seemed downright cozy and luxurious compared to sleeping in mountain lodges where it's typically miserably cold in the sleeping areas outside your sleeping bag.

My takeaway: this experience seems to suggest that a few people in a small space that's wind-tight and maybe has a bit of insulation (clearly not great in a car with all that glass) can keep things reasonably warm with only body heat...

Re: The Cold Hard Facts of Freezing to Death (1997)

#146

Post by bchallenor »

freehunter wrote: post #8

Living in Michigan, this is one of my biggest fears. Due to the massive lakes that surround us, we frequently get a blast of warm, wet air that causes rain, and of course that warm wet air is being pushed off the lake by a cold front, causing high winds and sub-freezing temps. This combined with large stands of farmland and no trees for windrows means wind blows right across the road and freezes the rain instantly, s…

Have you considered carrying an EPIRB too?

Re: The Cold Hard Facts of Freezing to Death (1997)

#147

Post by phigcch »

It is actually quite amazing what it is possible to survive. The hypothermia "record", so to speak, was broken shortly after this article was written. See e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_B%C3%A5genholm http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/12/cheating.death.bage...

Re: The Cold Hard Facts of Freezing to Death (1997)

#148

Post by jlgreco »

ciupicri wrote: post #108
smosher wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The one time I fount myself at risk of hypothermia was because I had overestimated the cold. I put on too many layers which kept me nice and warm. But exertion in that warmth caused me to break a sweat. By the time I got where I was going things were just bad enough to make me feel like I had learned a lesson.

I can't say that I've been in extreme cold or dressed with lots of clothes, but I always undress in order to prevent (too much) sweat. Then I dress back as soon as I'm getting cold.

The best defense against the cold I find, up until about 10F or lower, is several layers of long sleeve tshirts. You can add or remove layers rapidly with a rather good resolution (You can easily have 5 "settings") and if you get wet they are very quick to dry (separate them to dry them fast.) If you are out for several days, you can start to cycle which shirt is closest to your body, to delay discomfort caused by dirty clothing.

Re: The Cold Hard Facts of Freezing to Death (1997)

#149

Post by dalke »

pixie_ wrote: post #78
dalke wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where did you get that information? The Inuit traditionally use a qulliq/kudlik (a lamp fueled by seal oil) for light, heat, etc. and everything I can find now says that it's not something introduced in the last couple of hundred years. For example, http://books.google.se/books?id=G49CwQpozoUC&pg=PA29&#38... says that Inuit were curious why people were hunting whales for oil for light, when they knew that seal oil wa…

Can you find anything that says fire was a necessity for survival for paleo-eskimo cultures because I remember reading it wasn't, but I'm having trouble googling a source for or against it.

I don't know about "necessity". Only that it was part of the Dorset culture for 2,000 years, and used by even earlier Arctic cultures.

A search for "dorset soapstone lamps" finds plenty of examples that lamps were used, and even pictures of the archeological finds of such lamps.

http://books.google.se/books?id=kGWuMa6sRYsC&pg=PA372&#3... says "Winter light and heat were supplied by soapstone lamps ... The previous Dorset inhabitants of Arctic Canada had used soapstone lamps for some 2,000 years. ... Soapstone cooking pots ... "

http://books.google.se/books?id=iBCc5bQlP1wC&pg=PA179&#3... has "The most conspicuous difference between Saqqaq and Dorset sites lies in the occurrence of fire-cracked rocks. These are common in Saqqaq sites ... During the Dorset culture, the heating of winter dwellings relied on the use of soapstone lamps."

(Note that "Saqqaq culture existed from around 2500 BCE until about 800 BCE", so is before Dorset, pushing back the use of fire even further.)

Or for a regular HTML link, http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/dorset-cultu... says "Dorset culture, 500 BC-1500 AD, is known archaeologically from most coastal regions of arctic Canada. The Dorset people were descended from Palaeoeskimos of the PRE-DORSET CULTURE. Compared to their ancestors, the Dorset people had a more successful economy and lived in more permanent houses built of snow and turf and heated with soapstone oil lamps."

Re: The Cold Hard Facts of Freezing to Death (1997)

#150

Post by drone »

ars wrote: post #117
JulianMorrison wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Get a hand operated winch you can sling around a tree at the top of the ditch, rather than being permanently anchored to the car? Bonus, it can live inside the car and it won't get dinged in the crash.

Get one of these: http://www.harborfreight.com/1200-lb-capacity-cable-puller-3... http://www.harborfreight.com/4000-lb-capacity-cable-winch-pu... http://www.harborfreight.com/8000-lb-cable-winch-puller-543.... http://www.harborfreight.com/manual-strap-winch-95541.html It's only $15 for the cheapest one (they have other types too that mount to the car). Also get a long strap to go with it in case the nearest tree is n…

Having used come-a-longs and hi-lifts as come-a-longs, I would never wish that agony on anyone else. It's better than nothing, but far worse than an electric winch by a long shot.

Generally speaking, if the engine can't start/run, and help is nowhere to be found, winching the vehicle out will be more trouble than its worth. The best part of an electric winch is you may use it in conjunction with the engine when solo, meaning you can generally free the vehicle as soon as you find some traction, rather than constantly advancing, re-entering the vehicle and checking for traction again.

But you're right about and additional strap: one should always have with their winch, at a minimum, a tow strap and a tree saver (plus requisite shackles, snatch blocks, and gloves if using wire rope, or rock guards with synthetic). I once got stuck deep in a ravine, and 150' of synthetic rope fell short of the nearest tree by 5 feet, but a tow strap and tree saver made up the difference and I got to sleep in my bed that night, rather than in the jeep.

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