Coping With Cold

Butcher's Dog! Regular outdoor fitness tips from the canine on creatine. Cold wet nose and glossy coat guaranteed. Coping With Cold Now that summer's over and morphed seamlessly into winter, colder times are almost upon us. A relief for those of us with shaggy dog coats, but a new set of considerations for your poorly constructed humans. Never mind, here's pretty much all you need to know about cold in the UK. Wind Chill First the good news, it's rare for UK temperatures to be low enough to present a serious risk of frostbite or even frostnip, a less severe initial variation - though it does occasionally happen in accident situations, benightments etc. What we do suffer from is wind chill. Because wind strips away the warm layer of air close to our body which would otherwise provide insulation, it reduces the effective temperature considerably. The stronger the wind, the greater the reduction in effective temperature. See this chart but at around zero degrees C, a wind of just 10 mph produces an effective temperature of -7 C. The good news is that most of this data is pretty meaningless, but it points out that windspeed makes things much cooler. Parts to cover... The good news is that a combination of windproof clothing and effective insulation will minimise the impact of windchill. I'm not going to throw a load of stats at you, but covering the trunk and head are your two main priorities, the head and neck in particular since the body pumps blood continuously to your brain to keep it and you funtioning. A combination of a windproof outer shell and insulating liner works best in cold conditions. Remember too that simply drawing air into the lungs and exhaling will lose heat, so you can't keep it all in, no matter how effective your clothing system. Dampness... Damp air conducts heat far more efficiently than dry air, so even though cold air can hold only a limited amount of moisture compared to warm, it will still feel cooler than dry air at the same temperature. The UK's dampish climate means that it can often feel cooler than it would, say, in the Alps, simply because the air trapped in your insulation layers is less effective as an insulator. You can make things even worse either by getting wet from the outside or sweating enough to dampen your own clothing. Many walkers and climbers wear too much when moving and not enough when stopped. Vent and remove layers to keep yourself at a comfortable, non-perspiring level. Hypothermia - When It All Goes Horribly Wrong... If the amount of heat you're generating is outweighed by the amount you're losing, you will, eventually become hypothermic - your core body temperature starts to drop, you become unco-ordinated, slur, stumble, you die. Uncontrolled shivering is one of the first signs as the body attempts to generate more heat. The problem is that hypothermia victims often deny being in trouble and one of the main symptoms is a deterioration in the ability to make decisions. If you find yourself out with a hypothermia case, the first priority is shelter and rewarming using warm, dry clothing, food and hot drinks. Put them in a sleeping bag, if you have one and insulate them from the ground. Be wary of heating using body to body contact as it cam warm the cold, pooled, acidic blood in the exterior muscles too quickly , send it rushing to the heart and cause cardiac arrest. Once the casualty is partially recovered, either call for help, or, if he she is capable, walk out. Don't whatever you do, attempt to carry on as if nothing has happened. Strange But True... Quite often hypothermia victims are carrying all they need to survive in their packs, but lack of judgement makes them carry on regardless until they die. A drop of 4C in core body temperature results in disorientation, a drop of 7C leads to coma, and a 10C drop in temperature can be fatal. Duracell People Finally, an interesting observation gleaned from the Gore comfort guys. Apparently some people have the ability to tolerate exhuastion and low temperatures better than others. They'll still be going strong when everyone else is on the verge of collapse. Unfortuantely though, when they do succumb, they succumb very suddenly, a bit like the difference between a rechargable and an alkaline battery. One minute they're fine, the next they're out of it. So don't assume that because you or your mate seem fine, nothing can go wrong. Watch out for each other. Roll on winter. Woof! The Buther's Dog