Frostbite prevetion = Good

[cushetunk]

Between a few comments here, and my own experience being out in the cold wind lately, I'm reminded that preventing frostbite before it happens is pretty awesome.

Numb toes or fingers are something that I make it a point to always stop and fix right away. I like to stop and do exercise in place to get toes warm, instead of just continuing to hike, because it focuses me on dealing with a problem. I always worry that continuing to hike to get warm means I might forget about the numbness while things get more frozen.

When I'm out in cold wind, I also like to have someone look at my face fairly often to make sure nothing looks white and frozen, and vice versa.

Happy arctic air mass, everyone!

 

[David Metsky]

We used to call this the "Fro Po - Frostbite Police". You'd occasionally stop the group and check out noses, ears, cheekbones and any other exposed skin.

 

[paul ron]

Frost bite is not something to take lightly adn happens very quick when left unchecked.

Just a post script... I use a heavy cream that contains bees wax on my face, ears, hands, called Badger Cream otherwise any heavy lanolin type cream will help keep wind n cold from biting the exposed skin.

 

[Mongoose]

I pay constant attention to any parts of my body that are cold. If anything gets numb, I stop until I warm it up. Sometimes this means loosening up my boots, putting on another layer, putting my hands in my jacket, etc... If I can't warm it up, I go back to camp. Leave lots of good food at camp, it helps motivate you to turn around.

When I get above tree line, I'm constantly stopping and fidgeting with my clothes and gear to get rid of any cold spots. Anything not taken care of now, can get much worse later. Also, don't go above tree line with the thought "If things get really cold, I can turn around." You have to re-hike through all the wind and cold you already went through to get back to camp, which means you'll be even colder. What was numb when you turned around may be frostbite when you get back to camp. Plan accordingly.

 

[Pig Pen]

Maybe it's just me, but I'm having some difficulty with the concept of "stopping to warm up". When it's cold I like to keep to moving with very very very short stops to do necessary clothing adjustments and drinking and eating.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I'm with Pig Pen. If my hands get cold, speed up. In fact, pretty much every time I've ever hiked or XC skied in cold weather, if I'm not cold at the start I'm overdressed. Same with a bike ride, even in warmer weather. I want to delay the inevitable fact that I will get wet with sweat for as long as possible.

My one concession is a hat -- very big payback for wearing it and trivial to remove and stick in a pocket once moving.

The very last thing I want to do if at all chilled is stop.

Tim

 

[Frodo]

When my hands or feet get cold, I look at adding a layer to my body or head to keep my core temp up. When the body's core temp goes down, the first thing the body does is conserve heat by minimizing blood flow to the extremities, which is why it is possible to get frostbite while not having any exposed skin.

Now skin exposure is a different story... Since the nerve endings are typically frozen with frost bite, most people don't even realize they have a problem unless some notices it, or they notice the dead tissue a day or 2 later...

 

[DougPaul]

Another tip--don't wash your face etc before going out in the cold. The oils in the skin help to protect it.

Doug

 

[cushetunk]

Maybe it's just me, but I'm having some difficulty with the concept of "stopping to warm up". When it's cold I like to keep to moving with very very very short stops to do necessary clothing adjustments and drinking and eating.

I agree, movement is the trick to staying warm. Well, food and water and movement is the trick.

My thinking is more that if something is numb, you need to stop and do aerobic exercises in place until you are warmer. My worry is that if you just continue hiking, it is easier to ignore something that is staying numb. You're just too focused on the trail and can zone out. The price for this mistake could be high, as recent stories indicate. This seems much more critical on the downhill than the uphill, because you generate less heat.

For myself, sometimes I do just keep moving, but I think I have a pretty good sense of what is "momentarily numb and cold" versus "dangerously numb." Also, if my toes or fingers at all feel numb, I constantly flex them to see if they feel more or less responsive -- hiking or not.

 

[Paradox]

Avoiding the use of hiking poles seems to help me keep my hands much warmer. The aluminum +/or hard plastic of the handles really sucks the heat out of my hands.

 

[marty]

Avoiding the use of hiking poles seems to help me keep my hands much warmer. The aluminum +/or hard plastic of the handles really sucks the heat out of my hands.

I noticed that too. I really like using poles, though. When my hands get cold, I will just carry the poles under my arm pits for a few minutes. My hands will warm up pretty fast. I then start using the poles again and it takes quite a while for my hands to get cold.

Marty

 

[DougPaul]

Avoiding the use of hiking poles seems to help me keep my hands much warmer. The aluminum +/or hard plastic of the handles really sucks the heat out of my hands.

Use the straps--you should only need to grab the pole tightly for a short part of every stride. On the level, you don't need to grab them at all.

This same issue occurs with metal ice axe handles. In extreme cold, holding anything continuously in one's hand will reduce the circulation. Same with standing (shuffle your feet).

Doug

 

[--M.]

I was having this concern all weekend.

==Poles: Essential for skiing & shoeing, so I gotta use 'em. I figured it was the restricted circulation with the straps, the cold of the handles and the continuous elevation of my hands.

==Calculus: Movement, insulation, unrestricted blood flow (socks too thick? gloves too small?), food & water, rest. There seemed to be a pattern to it: start off chilled from sitting in the car; warm up & de-layer; chill in the fingers, toes & ears; stop to layer & eat; work up a sweat again; stop again; (and here's the point) after all this, I usually then slipped into a perfect state. Warm enough, no frozen extremities, ready to go. This could last a while, but then the adjustments would have to start again. By the end of the day, I was exhausted enough that I could no longer manipulate the variables and I knew it was time for camp. [Besides, the first half (of the Pats game) would have ended by now and I wanted to catch the end of the game!]

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I have cork(like) handles on my trekking poles. I haven't tried an experiment to see if my hands are warmer w/o them, but I can't say they make my hands cold. XC relies on a similar grip/strap usage and as I said early I am often starting out with cold fingers--from standing around--and once I get going and warm up (5-10 minutes) the fingers are fine.

Maybe all those years of XC have trained me to have a light grip and rely on the wrist straps.

Tim