how people in extremely cold places can survive? For example, Oymyakon in Siberia regularly gets below – 55°c / – 67°f, and I’m sure we’ve all seen those videos of people throwing boiling water into the air where it freezes instantly. How does blood not freeze? How are mucous membranes and eyeballs not frozen within seconds? How does anybody pee without it instantly freezing?
Obviously people live in heated housing, but how can people go outside/ pee outside without injury? I’ve wondered about this for years, and even more so when I see pictures of animals seemingly frozen in place mid-movement.
Thank you
In: 5357
I work outside year round in northern Alberta Canada. I much prefer the cold of winter to the heat of summer as you can always dress for the cold.
For the first weeks of winter I dress pretty cold so as to get my body used to the cold. An example is wearing a t shirt in minus temperatures.
The only thing I can’t really dress well for is high winds, I’m a laborer so I need good mobility.
Only times I took cold damage was the first couple of years when I would go inside when it was cold and dressed with everything I had in the closet so like 5 layers.
Now I use 3 layers at most. Really tight first layer and loose second layer to create a warm air pocket. Wearing a cowl is a great way to prevent cold air getting into your jacket or warm air getting out.
I wear the best gloves I can buy, even minor frostbite where your fingers go dark is incredibly painful. Putting dark fingers under warm water is worse than smashing them with a hammer for pain, only ever do that once.
Cold is uncomfortable at first and then kinda painful, later you stop feeling it and that’s when I’ve taken damage to my toes or fingers.
My job has exposure limits based on temperature and windchill so even if I’m feeling fine I still get sent inside at regular intervals.
Wool is the greatest thing I’ve found.
Latest Answers