Staying Warm If the Air If Frigid

Staying Warm If the Air If Frigid

Layer yourself with the new synthetics for maximum protection

Whether you’re out skiing the slopes, shoveling the driveway, or just walking to work, there is a science to keeping your body warm in freezing temperatures. Heat loss is directly proportionate to the amount of body surface that you expose to the environment. Frostbite occurs when unprotected parts of the body such as your face or fingers freeze. As the body’s temperature drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit, some body systems are affected. Below 90 degrees Fahrenheit the body’s shivering ability ceases and the body cannot warm itself without outside help. Uunless you act quickly, hypothermia can set in. That’s when the heart rate slows, blood pressure falls, and a person drops into a semi-comatose, then comatose state.

Dr. Warren Bowman, a physician at the Billing Clinic in Montana and a specialist in high-altitude and cold-weather care, has these tips on avoiding the problem:

Wear clothing made of appropriate fabrics. Of all the things to do, the most energy-efficient is to use proper clothing and shelter. But you have to use the right fabrics. Cotton is bad. Wool and some of the newer synthetics are better. Among your choices: polycpropylene, a treated polyester; Thermax, a hollow polyester; and garments filled with a stuffing-like down such as Dacron.

Layer your clothing. Instead of wearing one or two thick layers, wear three, four, or five thin layers to avoid overheating. Garments lose their insulating ability when you sweat. Depending on how cold it is and what the wind chill is, an inner layer of long underwear made of wool, polypropylene, or Thermax may be a good idea. Duofold is a fabric with a cotton and a wool layer. It is good for skiing, but for any other use it’s not as good as Capilene or polypropylene.

Staying Warm in Winter. Photo by Elena

The second layer should consist of pants and a shirt made of wool or some kind of artificial fabric like acrylic. Third would be a pile jacket and pants. The fourth layer would be windproof – a Cortex parks and pants, for example. A fifth layer would include a ski jacket filled with down or synthetics and a pair of quilted pants. And your feet need a pair of boots with up to three pairs of wool socks, maybe with an inner sock of polypropylene. And don’t forget a ski cap and mittens, preferably one of the three-layer systems. This should take car of you down to about 49 below zero.

Fortify yourself with extra calories. The amount of heat from a hot cup of tea is not much. An instant breakfast, powdered eggnog, or a pack of Jello makes a very nice drink and packs a lot of calories, which your body needs in cold weather.

Pay special attention to children. Babies have a large surface area compared to their volume, so they lose heat very quickly. Children also tend to lose heat faster than adults. They are not careful about keeping mittens and hats on and have to be supervised so their hands, hands, ears, and feet stay warm.

In the event of hypothermia, get the victim out of the cold and to the hospital quickly. Do not use a stove, electric blankets, or a hot tub to warm someone up. They can cause dangerous physiological changes. At the hospital, a victim can be warmed using special hypothermia blankets, warmed IV’s, and humidified oxygen. In severe cases cardiopulmonary bypass or dialysis can even be used to warm the patient from the inside-out.

When putting a finger to the wind won’t do

The Beaufort Scale of Wind Effects can help you estimate wind speed from simple observations. It also gvies the basis for converting the wind descriptions used in weather reports to wind speed equivalents, and vice versa.

Wind speed (mph), Beaufort number, Wind effect on land, Official description.

    Less than 1 – 0, Calm; smoke rises vertically. Light.

    1 to 3 – 1, Wind directio is seen in direction of smoke but is not revealed by weather vane. Light.

    4 to 7 – 2. Wind can be felt on face; leaves rustle; wind vane moves. Light.

    8 to 12 – 3. Leaves, small twigs in motion; wind extends light flag. Gentle.

    13 to 18 – 4. Wind raises dust, loose papers. Small branches move. Moderate.

    19 to 24 – 5. Small trees with leaves begin to sway; crested wavelets appear on inland waters. Fresh.

    25 to 31 – 6. Large branches move; telegraph wires whistle; umbrellas become difficult to control. Strong.

    32 to 38 – 7. Whole trees sway, walking into the wind becomes difficult. Strong.

    29 to 46 – 8. Twigs break off trees; cars veer in roads. Gale.

    47 yo 54 – 9. Slight structural damage occurs; roof states may blow away. Gale.

    55 to 63 – 10. Trees are uprooted; considerable structural damage is caused. Whole Gale.

    64 to 72 – 11. Widespread damage is caused. Whole gale.

    73 or more – 12. Widespread damage s caused. Hurricane