Temps in which certain body parts freeze

[Pete_Hickey]

Willie Warmers

I suspect that is more fashion than function. (Wonder if I'd look good in one????)

They are rather loosly woven For something to be effective, it must have a tight weave to be effective.... Although maybe if worn with a VBL. They sell them all over the place.

 

[dr_wu002]

Willie Warmers

JohnL

I would have to pull my pants down, all the way, to go to the bathroom when I was using one of those. It would be much harder to wipe because there'e not a hole in the fabric.

-Dr. Wu

 

[king tut]

A possibly cheaper solution is a third sock... At least in my hours, the washer/dryer frequently eat a sock, and I am left with a bunch of single socks.
As a person who is extremely fashion conscious, I have no use for a sock without a mate, except to use for insulation.

There used to be a company that made something called "The Hand" just for that purpose, but I don't know if they're around any more. When I google them, I get.... Well, you don'T want to know.

Or zip lock bags. The zip lock bags are useful for brass monkeys to pick up the parts that have frozen off.

either you own small socks or women run from you in fright when they see that you are "happy". My feet are too big for this sock approach to work. I guess i'll have to borrow some of my female friends socks.

 

[Tom Rankin]

I suspect that is more fashion than function. (Wonder if I'd look good in one????)

They are rather loosly woven For something to be effective, it must have a tight weave to be effective.... Although maybe if worn with a VBL. They sell them all over the place.

Hey, Pete:

1: That doesn't look like Napoléon any more!

2: Maybe you could use one of those horns for the 'warming' purpose.

 

[vegematic]

Yeah, the -40 thing sticks in my mind as an important checkpoint. Not exactly what I was looking for, but I found this.

-Edit: Found link!

Neat site! Keep in mind that it is Canadian and so the temps are likely in degrees Celsius. It didn't specify in the chart but based on the symptoms they describe I'm pretty certain its C and not F. Also, -40 is the same for both scales. Yaay Metric System!
-vegematic

 

[Pete_Hickey]

either you own small socks ..... My feet are too big for this sock approach to work.

No, No, no, you don't put 'it' in the sock. You roll the sock up and put it in front of it. It is only the front that needs protection.

 

[king tut]

ah ha! Thanks for clearing that up, i was feeling a bit inadequate for a moment. I was wondering if you had to be on Viagra for that approach to work. It does sound a bit like false advertising to me though. Kind of like the padded bra.

 

[DougPaul]

One can get wind blocking underpants.

Eg http://www.ems.com/catalog/product_...older_id=2534374302869506&bmUID=1139962025842

Perhaps not as amusing as some of the other suggestions, but hopefully more practical...

Doug

 

[Pete_Hickey]

One can get wind blocking underpants.

Eg http://www.ems.com/catalog/product_...older_id=2534374302869506&bmUID=1139962025842

Perhaps not as amusing as some of the other suggestions, but presumably effective...

I have a pair. They block the wind well, but are light on insulation. Very good on a long descent in fairly cold weather, but don't work as well in very cold (say, below -20F)

The problem is with multi-day use. One does not want to have a whole bunch of them, nor does one want to wear the same pair every day (yes, you could wash them, lay them out on the snow and put them on in the morning. I'm not going to try that in my yard, though)

An old sock is effective and inexpensive.

Oh yeah. When you're stuck on a bicycle, and it's much colder than expected, stop at one of those free newspaper boxes. Newspaper makes fairly effective insulation. Wad some up and shove it down your pants, and take a few sheets and put it under your shirt, to prevent frozen nipples.

 

[mubb]

Neat site! Keep in mind that it is Canadian and so the temps are likely in degrees Celsius. It didn't specify in the chart but based on the symptoms they describe I'm pretty certain its C and not F. Also, -40 is the same for both scales. Yaay Metric System!
-vegematic

Yeah, Miss Margaret PMed me about that but I'm glad that someone posted it for other people to see. At -40 I'm pretty sure either way you're pretty effin cold even if they weren't the same.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Pete, now that's an interesting development! I'll have to convene an Executive Session of VNB to see if we we will allow pets into the club!

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Pete, now that's an interesting development! I'll have to convene an Executive Session of VNB to see if we we will allow pets into the club!

Woooooaaaaa! Are you implying that Views & Brews is only open to HUMANS? There are those who would say I'm not qualified. Bummer.... Hey wait.. It's the Views and Brews I want, not the patch!!!! Hey Tom... I'll bring you one of MY brews next weekend.... See what you think.

Back more on topic...


Those wind chill/skin freezing charts aren't really accurate.. at least for me. Yes, I know I have bery good circulation, (I frequently walk barefoot in the snow.) I have spent many hours at temperatures where the chart says that skin freezes in a half hour, and I have spent an hour in temperatures where they claim the skin freezes in 5 minutes. I also suspect that there are those who would freeze parts in LESS time than the charts indicate.

Point is, that you have to learn how things work for you. The only place on me that freezes EASILY, is the bottom of my ears, when they stick out from my toque, because my bicycle helmet pulls it up somewhat.

 

[Neil]

OK Neil here is an opening to make a joke about the snack size baggie versus the quart size baggie.

Gee, I missed out on this thread. What's a quart?

Yeah, the -40 thing sticks in my mind as an important checkpoint. Not exactly what I was looking for, but I found this.

-Edit: Found link!

Thank god that chart didn't exist when I was going to school and playing hockey outdoors in Winnipeg. People and radio announcers love the wind chill factor. Too bad no one told them that a wind breaker nullified the effect.

If you took a bunch of vftters and sat them outside in neg 40 for long enough you'd have a bunch of frozen members. Socks or no socks.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Woooooaaaaa! Are you implying that Views & Brews is only open to HUMANS? There are those who would say I'm not qualified. Bummer.... Hey wait.. It's the Views and Brews I want, not the patch!!!! Hey Tom... I'll bring you one of MY brews next weekend.... See what you think.

There's going to be a LOT of beer on that Santa/Cliff/Redfield weekend!

Don't worry, I'll bring some myself!

 

[spider solo]

breaking teeth

I must say that in reading some of the great Antarctic epic journeys of Shackleton or Scott...they endured a lot, but there is no mention of them freezing their genitalia off or that the problem ever existed.
Now one would think they were not down there running around in tights so perhaps that is the reason.
(...Perhaps it could now be best known as the "Mick Jagger Syndrome")

I think it was in the Apsley Cherry- Garrard book " The Worst Journey in the World" that it got so cold that their teeth were breaking...and I think Shackleton might have mentioned it in his writtings also.
That has always seemed such a painful thing...anybody know at what temps that happens ?

 

[Pete_Hickey]

I must say that in reading some of the great Antarctic epic journeys of Shackleton or Scott...they endured a lot, but there is no mention of them freezing their genitalia off or that the problem ever existed.
Now one would think they were not down there running around in tights so perhaps that is the reason.

Combination of clothing and body position. I think I had mentioned that it happened to me skiing and on a bicycle. Note position of legs on bicycle, and how wind hits. It is also a problem with snowmobilers.

... teeth were breaking......anybody know at what temps that happens ?

I would suspect that it does not happen with healthy teeth. Dentistry in those days, wasn't as good as it is now, and metal fillings with gaps where water may collect could have an effect.

 

[DougPaul]

I think it was in the Apsley Cherry- Garrard book " The Worst Journey in the World" that it got so cold that their teeth were breaking...and I think Shackleton might have mentioned it in his writtings also.
That has always seemed such a painful thing...anybody know at what temps that happens ?

They recorded a (real, not windchill) temp of -77.5F.
(That's -60.8C for the Fahrenheit challenged...)

And camped out for several weeks in Antarctic winter darkness. Between 1910 and 1913 (part of Scott's Last Expedition) so they didn't have "modern" gear...

All to collect some penguin eggs which were ignored back at the museum...

The book is well worth a read--available online from Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/14363

Doug

 

[spider solo]

Not to be completely gross but....I"m trying to remember if on those early Antarctic expeditions there were also references of some coughing up what in actuality was the lining of their lungs or tracheia (sp) from breathing such fridgid air.
I know I've seen references of this on various expedition climbs like Everest and what not...so I'm a bit uncertain if it is from the extreme cold or if I'm confusing the various expeditions and Everest and those are related to elevation only..?

 

[DougPaul]

Not to be completely gross but....I"m trying to remember if on those early Antarctic expeditions there were also references of some coughing up what in actuality was the lining of their lungs or tracheia (sp) from breathing such fridgid air.
I know I've seen references of this on various expedition climbs like Everest and what not...so I'm a bit uncertain if it is from the extreme cold or if I'm confusing the various expeditions and Everest and those are related to elevation only..?

I don't recall reading of such problems from cold, but they do occur from breathing cold dry air at altitude. Don't forget that one has to breath more heavily at altitude which only makes things worse. Stuff dries in your throat and trachea and it can be very hard to cough it out. People have broken ribs from coughing...

Doug

 

[JohnL]

Remember that the Antarctic Plateau is at an elevation of about 10,000 feet. There's your combination of cold, aridity and altitude.

JohnL