Resurrecting a thread, I suppose. Sorry about that.

Here where I live (Finland) winter is really cold, regularly dropping below -25°C (-15°F) during the day. There's luckily not strong winds, but still.

I don't actually carry any specific kit, unless you count general clothes and camping gear. So, a good sleeping bag, thermal mattress, wind barrier (space blanket, poncho, tent) and towel or sponge for drying yourself. There are, however, steps we take when crossing over ice or other high-risk endeavours.

I might consider carrying waterproof matches and solid or waterproof fuels (esbit, fire gel, candles) and easy-to-use heat packs (either ones you snap to activate, tear the foil (with numb enough hands, might be impossible) or those rechargeable one where you just flick the metal button inside (but these solidify in freezing temperatures and thus might not work when needed).

I wouldn't trust on anything requiring fine motor skills (even something as simple as butane lighters can be difficult to operate, let alone stoves you need to fill, pump, assemble or anything like that)

1. Stay dry. Remove excess clothes before an activity to avoid sweating. If you sweat, do not put clothes back on for a few minutes. You will cool down and the sweating will stop.
2. Always keep a set of dry clothes, with you or with your partner (see point 3).
3. When moving on ice, move in pairs and keep your dry set of clothes in your partner's bag. Keep a distance of about 5 metres between everybody. Stay out out areas of thin ice (steep embankments, river mouths, places with cat tails and whatnot poking through).
4. Check regularly yourself each other for signs (thumb to pinky finger is a good test). White, waxy skin surrounded by red ring is a sign of frostbite, but can also indicate hypothermia. Numb skin in another (especially toes, fingers, ears, nose and shins).


As treatment:
Stop any heat loss at once. Get the patient out of wet clothes, dry and inside a shelter (tent, space blanket, sleeping bag). Let them drink warm (not hot) liquids, the more carbohydrates in it the better).

Never check for temperature of any warm/hot liquid with your finger if you are hypothermic. Your fingers will be numb, and you can easily get 1st and 2nd degree burns without even knowing it. Same goes for metal cups and fire. The safest is to remember how long it took for water to heat up and count. (This goes for Thermos flasks too. Hot contents will burn you rather than warm you, so it might be a good idea to store warm liquids rather than hot ones).

I've seen people burn their mouths with beverages they thought we're only lukewarm, as well as turning red from soaking their hands in what turned out to be really hot water (as hot as you get from a tap) A few years back I got myself blisters on my toes when "slightly" warming them by the fire. I even remember thinking when I rested my feet to warm that the stones seem surprisingly cool for being so close to the fire. Not my smartest moment. (Definitely made the 15km hike back to civilisation the next day a more memorable experience).

A friend, who's runs a snow sledge safari once told me that the best treatment is to put the patient in a tent, on a mattress, and cover his torso only with blankets and give warm liquid to drink. That way the core temperature is supposed to heat up faster, reducing/removing the dip in core temperature as cold blood starts circulating again. Don't know if sure, haven't tested, and haven't seen it printed in any medical or survival book.

-jh