Hypothermia

[Brotherton Lad]

I think fell runners in this country are especially vulnerable to hypothermia.

Used to spend alot of time in Norwegian winters with the Army. Very cold there, -38 C my record (living self-contained in the field, in case you think I was swanning it in a hotel), but you wear good kit and the knack is to manage your body temperature, both by wearing the right clothing but also by avoiding getting wet by over-heating and sweating, venting out moisture. The bonus there is that there is no moisture on the outside, it's all frozen solid.

A UK fell runner is probably at best (some try to avoid even that weight) only dressed for running or quick walking, or reliant on speedy recovery if immobilised. Sweating is the default position and UK fells have a tendency to be windy and wet with a temperature often hovering either side of freezing. Throw in exhaustion and low blood sugar and, God forbid, an injury and you have a bit of a 'mare to survive.

Editted to add. Of course, this is why we like the challenge of the sport. Just trying to emphasise the requirement to look after yourself (and each other, if needs be).

[snewby]

I would agree, me and Jake see people dressed in minimum equipment in some very poor conditions on Winter hill , its a balance of the risk of stopping and finding yourself having to walk off v weight and speed ,
Jake will constantly change layers adding or removing these depending on what he is doing , on his birthday run http://jakeofwinterhill.blogspot.de/...t-road-to.html the weather turned and Jake got soaked , we changed the wet clothing and he carried on , on the less active sections he adds to and when he is hot he will use zips etc to vent himself,
Jake because of his autism has a higher metabolism rate and will overheat and needs access to sugary foods so we have to be careful on long runs.
As Jake is 8 his smaller body mass v surface area also places him at risk, Jake normally has heaver weight kit to deal with this but that is the trade off we take on safety v speed you will normaly always see Jake with Hi Vis clothing plus whistle and also is fully aware of how to get himself off the hill /fell quickly , to us there is always another day

from Dave lane
"and at times when there isperhaps nobody else around on the moors – and in the most appalling
weather conditions! Some would call us foolhardy, but this is our choice
and what we choose to do - and we would defend our right to do just this
– so long as we are all aware of the possible dangers and we dress and
equip ourselves to minimise the risks."
for people who use the fells this is equally valuable
"In poor weather never underestimate Winter Hill. The bogs really ARE
there. The visibility really CAN vanish totally within 60 seconds. The
body surface temperature plus the chill factor for those unsuitably
dressed, really CAN drop to –10C or more on top of the Hill.
DO take care on Winter Hill ….. but enjoy it! Remember. It CAN bite"
http://www.d.lane.btinternet.co.uk/w...illthebook.htm

Simon

[Mike T]

I think fell runners in this country are especially vulnerable to hypothermia.

Used to spend alot of time in Norwegian winters with the Army. Very cold there, -38 C my record (living self-contained in the field, in case you think I was swanning it in a hotel), but you wear good kit and the knack is to manage your body temperature, both by wearing the right clothing but also by avoiding getting wet by over-heating and sweating, venting out moisture. The bonus there is that there is no moisture on the outside, it's all frozen solid.

A UK fell runner is probably at best (some try to avoid even that weight) only dressed for running or quick walking, or reliant on speedy recovery if immobilised. Sweating is the default position and UK fells have a tendency to be windy and wet with a temperature often hovering either side of freezing. Throw in exhaustion and low blood sugar and, God forbid, an injury and you have a bit of a 'mare to survive.

Editted to add. Of course, this is why we like the challenge of the sport. Just trying to emphasise the requirement to look after yourself.

Some years ago skiing in Lake Louise in Canada the temperature at the bottom of the hill was minus 30 degrees centigrade - not counting wind chill. The chair lifts had no protection, apart from the usual bar to stop a fall. We would go up, go inside, ski halfway down, go inside, get to the bottom, go inside ..... Late in the afternoon I was on a chair lift that stopped for about 20 minutes - I was with a couple and their daughter and we were just short of the top and it was windy and jolly cold - the poor young girl was so distressed she was crying - horrible. Do not believe that skiing in Canada has a higher standard of safety than Western Europe - it doesn't. Minus 30 C is as different from zero as plus 30 C is - it is totally different, and any exposed skin can freeze in seconds.