VOLUME 1, NUMBER 10. FEBRUARY 2001

For all outdoor winter activities please bring the essentials: warm, waterproof clothing (remember to dress in layers!), warm waterproof footwear, gaiters, water, thermos with hot drink, sack lunch, winter hat and gloves, sunscreen, chap stick, and sunglasses.

By Randy Burks

A number of years ago archeologists were stunned by a discovery made by two hikers who were crossing the Italian Alps. They found the perfectly preserved corpse of a man that forensic experts later determined had died when the first pyramids were being built in Egypt over 7,000 years ago. More recently, an expedition climbing Mt Everest found the body of George Mallory. Both of these people died from hypothermia.

Hypothermia is a condition caused by the lowering of body core temperature. It leads to death if not treated. It can be caused by a drop in environmental temperature, poor choice of protective clothing, emergency conditions, or alcoholic impairment. If a person falls into cold water, hypothermia quickly sets in. Levis and other cotton clothes soak up sweat and hold it. When the temperature drops, this accumulated sweat starts to freeze against your skin and lower your body core temperature. And alcohol actually has the tendency to drop the body's temperature if imbibed in the cold.

Symptoms of hypothermia include: apathy or lethargy, confusion, drowsiness, loss of coordination, pale and cold skin, shock, slowing of breathing, slurred speech, uncontrollable shivering and weakness. The onset of symptoms is usually slow; there is likely to be a gradual loss of mental acuity and physical ability. The person experiencing hypothermia may be unaware that he or she is in a state that requires emergency medical treatment.

To treat hypothermia in the outdoors, get the victim out of the cold and wind. Handle the victim gently. Cover their head, and insulate them from the cold ground. If at all possible, get the victim inside to an area at room temperature. Take off any wet or constricting clothes and replace them with dry clothing, and cover the person with warm blankets. The best way to warm the victim is to slip into a sleeping bag together with both of you completely nude. If the victim is alert and can easily swallow, give warm, sweetened nonalcoholic fluids.

To prevent hypothermia, wear windproof and water resistant layers of clothing. Wear a hat and mittens. Do not wear cotton while exercising in the wintertime. Other fabrics such as wool, polar fleece, and poly/rayon hybrids allow you to sweat, wicking the moisture away from your body and dissipating it into the atmosphere. Keep warm liquids at hand if possible. Always, always, always have food because your body will burn those calories and keep your temperature up. When in an emergency situation, the one thing that will keep you alive is staying calm and moving.

I hope that none of us will become famous specimens for a forensics lab thousands of years from now due to our own stupidity. Hope to see you on the slopes!