http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46010767/ns/...r/#.TxWwWvmguHc

The article is short on details, but a couple of things are worth mentioning. The most obvious is that if he'd had a PLB he'd most likely have been rescued more quickly. He apparently was the only one in the group who knew exactly where they were, so this is a reminder to all of us that having more than one navigator is a real good idea.

He must also have had a good head on his shoulders, to be taken out not just alive but warm and in no need of a hospital, even though he was not equipped to be out overnight. I'm willing to bet that he had a PSK on him and used it.

Sounds like it. He had fire starters at least.



Did he have $20 bills as well? One wonders whether he had to weigh warmth against a substantial sum of money. Well, I'm glad to hear that this accident (he got separated from the group when he fell off a slope) did not turn into a tragedy.

A few friends had to snowshoe all night in -40C but they made it back to the cabin.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2012/01/16/north-whitehorse-snowshoers.html

It is good to hear about those incidents that go well and therefore (almost) doesn't make it into the headline news...

I'd LOVE to hear more about this gentleman: How many fires did he lit? Did he sleep or doze off? Did he have anything to eat and drink? Did he melt snow? Did he improvize some kind of shelter? What exactly DID he have of gear?

If he knew where he was - why didn't he hike out? Was he injuried? Or was that option blocked by terrain features?

Due to the lack of details, I'm guessing here, but I'm thinking he lost his snowshoes in the fall and correctly decided to wait for rescue rather than trying to get out without them.

BRRR!!! -40 and skiing doesn't sound like fun. In my opinion, skiing stops being fun somewhere around 0F (somewhere in the range -15-20C). The shoes are simply not warm enough (unless you use dedicated "expedition boots"). Keeping your feet warm is the single most complicated issue when skiing in very cold weather.

I haven't done much snow shoeing, but my impression is that the bindings leave much more flexibility for you to use whatever boots you like, including those that are rated -40C or colder.

According to the article, this group had no exceptional trouble except having to walk throughout the night to return to their cabin. It simply was too cold for them and their equipment to stay outdoors that long.

The thing that strikes me about this story is the ineptitude of the "group;" With the expertise concentrated in the leader, they didn't even accurately describe the location of the incident, thereby slowing up progress and materially hindering the search. It isn't always true that it is safer to be out with a group; sometimes you are effectively alone...

Yipes. Hope the frostbite wasn't too severe.

HJ

They are all at home now and haven't lost any toes yet.

If they had known the area, they would have followed the unfrozen creek back 500m to the dam and cross at that location. Instead they walked back 8km.

[quote=MostlyHarmlessBRRR!!! -40 and skiing doesn't sound like fun. [/quote]

Skiing is not practical at -40. The skis don't glide. Snowshoes are the ticket for cold weather. Good bindings do allow for footware appropriate for the temperature. My wife thinks I am crazy but I enjoy a trip out in those temps :-) It makes the hot chocolate REALLY GOOD!!

Respectfully,

Jerry