Growing up in Michigan, it's cold.
No really.
It's frickin' cold.
As a kid, my mom was always worried about frostbite, but what is it and why is Jack
Frost so nibbly?
Hello my frosty friends, Trace here for DNews.
Frostbite is a medical condition where your skin and underlying tissue can literally start
to freeze - a bit like a human popsicle.
Being exposed to extremely cold temperatures combined with fast winds like those on Mount
Everest, can see frostbite set in within just 5 minutes.
So what is frostbite really like?
Well, we were fortunate enough to talk to former Everest Expedition leader Bob Hoffman
about his experience with frostbite...
...I had a couple close calls on Everest.
It's one of those mountains, no matter how experienced you are, something can always
go wrong.
Everest’s summit is located at an elevation of almost 9 thousand meters, now at that altitude,
a climber's body has a lot to contend with which may be why it’s often referred to
as “the death zone”.
Average temperatures here fluctuate between -31 (-35C) in winter to a pleasent -4 (-20C)
in summer and wind speeds during the May climbing season are usually over 100 miles per hour
(160kph).
In fact, the highest wind speed on Everest was 175 miles an hour (281 kph) recorded in
February 2004.
...On my last climb in 2003, I was on the summit and, we had some lousy weather.
It was extremely windy and very cold.
The ice was just blowing off and you felt like you were being sandblasted …
Our bodies are mostly made of water, so when the temperature is low, that water can begin
to form ice crystals -- which permanently changes the cell's chemistry and can physically
damage the squishy little guys.
Eventually, blood flow can decrease, and clots can form causing cell death and if untreated
gangrene.
Frostbite progresses in three stages: The first stage, called frostnip, is where the
surface of the skin freezes.
During the second stage called superficial frostbite, the tissue beneath the skin starts
to freeze.
And by the third stage, known as deep frostbite, your muscles, tendons, nerves and blood vessels
start to freeze.
It’s at this point that your skin may start to turn a dark blue or black indicating that
the tissue is dead and you’re probably going to lose some fingers and toes.
Normally, our core temperature is a cozy 98.6 degrees fahrenheit (37C), this temperature
is actually crucial for maintaining the critical bodily functions that keep us alive.
But, strong winds and frigid temperatures can make staying warm a constant challenge.
Which is why, if our core temperature starts to dip for any reason, the hypothalamus, that’s
the thermoregulatory center of our brain, springs into survival mode in order to protect
our vital organs and maintain that core temperature.
See, our blood carries oxygen molecules for energy but also distributes warmth, to every
part of our body.
If your core temperature is compromised your blood vessels will constrict and divert that
warmth away from the extremities and toward vital organs.
Basically, you can live without an arm, but not without lungs or your intestines.
So once the hypothalamus diverts the warmth to protect your inner organs, your extremities
are vulnerable to frostbite.
Once your body has begun protecting the vital organs, then the worry becomes hypothermia.
If the core body temperature drops below 95 (35C), people become confused, combative,
and are at extreme risk of death.
This is all pretty scary stuff.
With the right gear, you can endure cold weather for a time, without suffering from frostbite
or hypothermia, however, as Bob found out, you can’t always rely on it.
The Sherpa that I was climbing with, Pemba, motioned to me that my ... That my oxygen
mask was icing up, ... and as I tried to clear it I broke the oxygen tube going into the
mask.
Climbers also have to cope with limited oxygen in the air, which is why they always carry
their own supply.
When the body is starved of oxygen it's called Hypoxia.
Hypoxia triggers altitude sickness, leaving climbers with a shortness of breath, elevated
heart rates and feelings of confusion.
And for some reason, if a climber does find themselves without oxygen, the severity of
frostbite can dramatically increase.
When I stood up to start going down, my legs just collapsed out from underneath me.
I didn't have the strength to stand up...
All together, it's a perfect storm of awful.
Bob was experiencing something called high-altitude frostbite - a deadly combination of frostbite,
dehydration and hypoxia.
Aware of these compounding dangers, Bob knew he had to reach base camp and find medical
help as soon as possible.
For the next twelve hours, I crawled, slid, and fell down the mountain, and I knew that
if I stopped, I'd die where I stopped.
but managed to get down to a high camp, but I paid the price with some pretty severe frostbite
on my feet.
Luckily, he lived to tell the tale.
And although you may not find yourself in the same position anytime soon, it’s worth
remembering that you don’t have to climb Everest to experience frostnip, frostbite
or hypothermia.
Let's say it's zero degrees.
You could get frostbite in 30 minutes on a moderately windy day!
So if you’re planning a cold-climate adventure, make sure you wrap up warm!
Climbing Mount Everest is not for the faint of heart and seldom few have managed it without
the help of the knowledgeable Sherpa guides on Everest.
Don’t forget to tune into the premiere of Sherpa, airing Saturday April 23rd at 9/8
central as part of elevation weekend on Discovery.
The film is an in-depth look at how Sherpa community came together to reclaim Everest
following a deadly avalanche in April, 2014.