The cold hard facts of freezing to death

Found this interesting article over at Outside Online about hypothermia. With snow storms everywhere and record low temperatures, I highly recommend this read for people in the cooler climates.

When your Jeep spins lazily off the mountain road and slams backward into a snowbank, you don't worry immediately about the cold. Your first thought is that you've just dented your bumper. Your second is that you've failed to bring a shovel. Your third is that you'll be late for dinner. Friends are expecting you at their cabin around eight for a moonlight ski, a late dinner, a sauna. Nothing can keep you from that.

Driving out of town, defroster roaring, you barely noted the bank thermometer on the town square: minus 27 degrees at 6:36. The radio weather report warned of a deep mass of arctic air settling over the region. The man who took your money at the Conoco station shook his head at the register and said he wouldn't be going anywhere tonight if he were you. You smiled. A little chill never hurt anybody with enough fleece and a good four-wheel-drive.

reply to post by ATSmediaPRO



Good idea for a thread.
I have seen hypothermia deaths.. but NEVER anyone "frozen solid". A man was found frozen solid in Maryland. Incredible!
www.nbcwashington.com...

I remember having to read the Jack London short story "To Build A Fire" in junior high. I'm no sure I could ever not think about freezing to death since. The whole thing is about the futile fight just to build a fire to try to survive and the increasingly desperate measures the narrator takes to try to achieve that one, seemingly simple goal.

2 years ago some scrappers took a car from an abondoned houses back yard. When they got to the scrapyard the guy pried the doors open to find someone under a bunch of trash in the back seat. The guy was in hiding from the police and stayed out too long when he could have went to a nice warm jail. They had to cut the car apart to get him out

That was a sobering article.
I remember reading somewhere years ago that if stranded in the cold and not alone try to find a shelter somewhere or dig a trench in the snow to block wind, and Remove clothing and huddle all bodies together under the clothing,or blanket or whatever you have. I can't say there is truth to this because you would think removing clothing would be counter productive, however it may help all retain vital body heat and slow down the process.Perhaps another member could verify if this info is correct.

Thank you for posting this. It's an amazing read, that gave me some new perspectives.

In my country, we've got a guy who is called the Ice man. He trained himself to resist the cold, with ancient techniques.
He performs stunts to set new world records for fun, and some cash I assume.

Swimming under the Arctic ice, or climbing the Everest in only shorts, are some examples.
Interested in his story ? Visit the link I'll add.

Wiki page on the ice man mentioned above.

reply to post by ATSmediaPRO


everyone should read that article....With this big cold snap they made a point of putting a steak out in the cold...it froze solid in 15 minutes

reply to post by AccessDenied


Removing clothing would only be done to gently warm someone suffering from hypothermia. Providing as much direct skin on skin contact as possible particularly around the torso of the victim. It is most important their organs do not shut down so raising their core temperature should be the priority.
Never put hot water on frostbite areas. Tissues become frozen and will sometimes pop the cell walls if warmed too quickly.
Do not warm too quickly by fire either.
administer warm drinks but never alcohol of course (slows heart rate/drops temperature)

Oddly enough, hypothermia victims are often times found with no clothes on and supposedly it is a symptom of it. Apparently, your mind plays tricks on you which kind of reminds me of people in the desert too long who see mirages. I'm putting this link in of a woman who actually "froze" to death and I worked with her some years back. Though she did not share her story with me personally, another coworker did because she was portrayed on the tv series Unsolved Mysteries. I won't say where we worked but she chose to do something in the "human services" field.

Here is the link:

www.nytimes.com...

reply to post by queenofsheba


That's one crazy story!

When we lived in Wyoming, the rule was (is) never leave your vehicle; keep candles, blankets, and water in your car at all times; keep a bag of kitty litter in your car at all times. The reasons? If you leave your vehicle during a snow storm you are most likely to get lost and die.
If you are stranded at roadside during a snowstorm a candle and blanket will keep you warm and water will keep you hydrated at least till the sun comes up or help arrives, and kitty litter poured on the ground at your tires will provide traction over the ice to get your car rolling again. The article you posted was about a kid who grew up in Minnesota...and should've known better. Glad she came through it!

reply to post by Advantage


Did you ever hear of the broken man they found in pieces on the street? At first it was a mystery but after a while they found out that he was a stowaway on a airplane. He did hid himself in the area with landing gear. At some high altitude he froze solid and fell out of the plane...in pieces on the street.

I do not know if this bizzare incident is a myth or real but it is definitly a fact that people die as a "landing gear compartment stowaway".


"Dr Stephen Veronneau, of the US Federal Aviation Administration, has identified 96 individuals around the world who have tried to travel in plane wheel wells since 1947. The incidents happened on 85 flights"

source: BBC-News

queenofsheba
Oddly enough, hypothermia victims are often times found with no clothes on and supposedly it is a symptom of it.

Paradoxical undressing.

Asktheanimals
reply to post by AccessDenied

 

Do not warm too quickly by fire either.
administer warm drinks but never alcohol of course (slows heart rate/drops temperature)

Yeah, you are right, alcohol will enlarge the surface area of blood vesels which in turn will not be an advantage when exposed to the cold (slows heart rate/drops temperature). Thinking in these terms it will be better to smoke a cigar or cigarette.

Asktheanimals
reply to post by AccessDenied

 

Removing clothing would only be done to gently warm someone suffering from hypothermia. Providing as much direct skin on skin contact as possible particularly around the torso of the victim. It is most important their organs do not shut down so raising their core temperature should be the priority.
Never put hot water on frostbite areas. Tissues become frozen and will sometimes pop the cell walls if warmed too quickly.
Do not warm too quickly by fire either.
administer warm drinks but never alcohol of course (slows heart rate/drops temperature)

edit on 8-1-2014 by Asktheanimals because: (no reason given)

Thank you for that. Misinformation is rampant, and unacceptable in life threatening situations. I wish I could remember where I saw that years ago, because it was obviously false and dangerous information to be passing on.

Awesome stories. Good reads for sure.

missvicky

When we lived in Wyoming, the rule was (is) never leave your vehicle; keep candles, blankets, and water in your car at all times; keep a bag of kitty litter in your car at all times. The reasons? If you leave your vehicle during a snow storm you are most likely to get lost and die.

Don't use the clumping cat litter, it gets wet and turns into slimy slippery mud.
Important to know that.