Here is one-handed fire starting with a ferro rod:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l10DV95HA1I

Thanks; I've updated my post with the url of the video I originally intended to post.

Nice! I never thought of that. Training and skills are so important.

Having lit fires at temperatures well below -40c two things I always try to carry for really cold fire lighting is 'Fire Paste' and good tinder.

Here's my neck pouch for when I go snowboarding:

-Orange 550 paracord
-Black pouch
-Scraper
-Ferro rod
-Peanut lighter
-Waterproof tinder case
-Fox 40 Sharx whistle
-Fauxton

Very nice- I like it.

I see no reason to put myself in a position where one "fumble" = death? Why not have a suitable bivy and sleeping gear with you? If there's a lot of wind and no other shelter within reach, it may be a lot better to just "hole up" until the rain or snow stops, rather than waste time and body heat trying to start a fire, don't you think? Fire doesn't count for much unless you have a pile of fuel, shelter from the wind, and some sort of reflector. Otherwise, to stay warm, you have to build and maintain 3 fires, and sack out in the middle of the 3. so it's best by far to get to some sort of windbreak, preferably one that shields you from rain/snow, and which has fuel not too far away, before bothering to light a fire.

I didn't think of that. I'll certainly consider bringing both. You're not saying I should leave behind my small fire starter kit, are you?

While I couldn't see carrying a complete winter bivvy/bedding setup while snowboarding. I would at least be carrying a Heatsheets Emergency Bivvy.

I mean, the clothing snowboarders typically wear provides a lot of insulation and protection versus, say, a pair of jeans. This is already a huge advantage in making a night outdoors survivable vs someone wearing lighter and less weather resistant clothing.

Between the clothing, the bivvy helping to provide some additional insulation and wetness protection, and some pine boughs below and above providing additional insulation I wouldn't doubt it could keep a person alive down to some surprising temperatures. Comfortable, no, but still alive.

With that said, finding/building a proper shelter and building a fire is always going to be your best bet. Even with a good winter bivvy setup, you are still relying on your core heat to keep you warm and alive. This is kind of a loosing battle, as you aren't adding any additional heat beyond what your body can make. Since you probably aren't eating much, if anything, your body is going to have a tough time keeping your core temperature up. Therefore, you are going to have a tough time staying warm.

What makes a fire so important is that it adds heat beyond what your body can provide. Even if you don't have windbreaks/reflectors (which aren't really that hard to make, I mean your snowboard could work as a reflector) a fire can still provide some additional warmth. It also has a secondary psychological benefit, as it gives you something to focus your attention too. Otherwise, you pretty much just dwelling on how cold and probably hungry you are, and if you're out at night...how dark and spooky it is.

Besides that, fire has the potential added benefits of being a signal and a helpful deterrent if any animals come around thinking you might make a good meal.

Sorry, I admit to not reading this whole post. I may even be posting the same thing myself twice. At any rate, I saw a vid (maybe youtube) once where an experienced backcountry snowmobiler in some serious wilderness area was demonstrating his "last ditch" a_s-saving emergency fire-starting protocol. He was on a "frozen-over" river, and intentionally drove his snowmobile into one of those areas covered by snow where the river ice had cracked and liquid water had come through forming a large puddle just under the snow. His snowmobile got caught in the slush and he found himself seriously wet and cold from the dunking.

His a_s saving firekit was:

a roll of toilet paper in a plastic bag, a can of lighter fluid, a pile of sticks, and a sparking tool.

He squirted the lighter fluid on some of the toilet paper, and had it blazing away in seconds. He piled some sticks on top of this and stripped down in front of the fire and had his wet clothes drying out in just a couple minutes. I found this to be a very impressive demo.