Hypothermia

[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.