Good planning takes bite out of frostbite

One morning last week, 4 inches of new snow waited at Silver Mountain. The resort’s Web site reported 3 degrees, winds at 10-15 mph with bright sunshine. Forecasts showed this was the last fresh powder the Inland Northwest could see for two weeks.

I hit the road. Even with a wind chill factor of about minus-15, the weather outlook made my decision a no-brainer. But I wasn’t stupid. Enjoying a chilly day on the mountain required a little extra preparation.

“As long as you’re dressed right, the skiing is fabulous when it’s cold,” said Dave Alley, director of patrol and risk management at Silver Mountain. “Avoid exposed skin and use a layering system with materials like Capilene, polyester or fleece – absolutely no cotton. Next to the skin, it retains moisture from sweat and stays wet and cold.”

Dialing in

My setup included extra poly layers top and bottom, extra poly liners for my hands and feet, neck gaiter, balaclava and a Seirus neoprene mask (seirus.com).

I lined my boots with Grabber Heat Treat foot warmers (warmers.com). I also loosened the buckles slightly. Ski boots get really stiff in that kind of cold. A set of Grabber hand warmers went in a pocket just in case.

The warmers create heat by a chemical reaction with air. They contain iron, carbon and salt. When exposed to air, the iron oxidizes, producing heat. Salt acts as a catalyst, carbon helps disperse the heat, generating up to five hours of warmth.

For better sliding, Alley recommends blue wax for these temperatures.

But I’m lazy and enhance my all-in-one wax with a liquid Teflon product called Zardoz that works great in extreme cold.

I was dialed in for the conditions. The new snow was light as down under a brilliant blue sky. From the top of Wardner Peak I could see Mt. Spokane and Schweitzer sparkling in the far distance. The Silver Valley sprawled out a mile below.

Frozen tears

When the temperature drops and the wind kicks up, Alley makes sure the wind chill is stressed in the snow report. He also orders current temperature – wind speed and wind chill to be displayed on chalkboards at the chair lift unloading areas.

As cold as it got, Alley said the Silver Mountain ski patrol didn’t deal with serious problems.

“There haven’t been any cases of frostbite, but we have had a lot of frostnip,” he said. “And a kid did come in who touched his mouth to metal on the chair and pulled skin off his lip.”

Mama told me to never do that.

Alley said frostnip is the earliest stage of frostbite, when the cold freezes the epidermis, or first layer of skin. Frostbite affects the second layer of skin – the dermis. In extreme cold, blood vessels close to the skin constrict to help preserve core body temperature.

This protective strategy reduces blood flow to dangerously low levels in body parts farthest from the heart, such as fingers, toes, ears and nose. Frostbite can kill tissue and lead to the loss of these appendages.

When Alley’s team pulls someone in affected by the cold, they throw wool blankets in the dryer and keep hot water bottles handy.

“Frostnip is the first sign that you’re headed for frostbite and you have to come in right away,” he said. “Sometimes it takes a full day to recover. You have to take your time, try to slowly re-warm fingers and toes, because it”s going to be painful. Frostnip will make a grown man cry.”

Dress right for the weather and go. Missing a great day in the mountains could bring you to tears.