I'm not familiar with the exact term but I am familiar with the concept of undressing when you are confused with the temperature.

I noted with some interest when I first read the story about what the temperatures and locale were like because I would compare that to my local conditions. Every year, people attempt to walk out, away from their vehicle and to safety and sadly do not make it and pass away.

About 4-5 weeks ago, a similar local story where a native fellow went off road and got stuck in a snow bank (recent first snows of the year) and decided to walk out. They found his body about 2-3 kms away from his vehicle, the temperature was "only -5*C" but he was inadequately dressed. Not knowing when to stay with your vehicle or being poorly equipped often leads to tragedy.

Contrast that with 2 hunters who were on a gravel road (not far from where I was also travellling that day) got caught in a snowstorm and their vehicle went off the road. They did the smart thing and stayed with the vehicle and kept warm by running the engine and were found the next day. Happy ending.

Now - back to James Kim. Their vehicle was stuck off road in a infrequently travelled area. And they DID stay with the vehicle for several days until ultimately they ran out of fuel and their measly provisions and still were not found. He made the go/no go decision to leave even though he was poorly equipped. In hindsight, yes it was the wrong decision, but at the time, he and his family were probably desperate and he was weakened by lack of food. Being in their situation, most people would have done the same thing as he.