Doesn't work when your missing one of your hands or they're are so cold you don't want to take your gloves off. The nice thing about a whistle is it doesn't require your hands, so you can still signal even when your hands are frost-bitten and you're too tired and beaten up to yell.

Hmm... I see the point now. The last thing people continue to do is breathing. So, why not to exhale through the whistle then? Though, in such a cold weather, I'd be very cautious to put a whistle in my mouth if it's as cold as the air. Also a single hand and fingerless whistling technique do exist.

Seems to me that if it is already freezing, the last thing I want to do is take my glove(s) off, stick my fingers in my mouth, and blow on them. On the other hand, I can take my plastic whistle out of my pocket, where it is semi-warm, and stick that in my mouth, even wearing gloves. That was I can blow my brains out while keeping both hands warm. But finger whistling could be a handy skill to learn anyway...

Alex, if you're unconscious and discovered by a couple of 60-yr-old women, would you absolutely INSIST that they use your fire piston and whistle with their fingers to get help to you???

"What do you suppose this funny tube with the knob on the end is for?"

"I don't know, I've never seen such a thing. Look through his things and see if there's something useful, so we can build a fire. Look! There's someone way down there! Can you whistle?"

"No, can't you? I wish he was carrying a regular Fox40 or something. He doesn't even have any matches or a lighter on him!"

"Maybe we should just leave him here and pretend we didn't see him?"

"Oh, we can't do that! I guess one of us will have to hike back down to the ranger station, but that's going to take a couple of hours..."

IOW, sometimes YOU are the victim instead of the hero.

Sue

In Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, Alder works.

-john