Alaskans know a thing or two about handling day-to-day activities in freezing temperatures, where below-zero rarely means staying inside. While people in the Lower 48 are shivering in Alaska-like temperatures this week, residents of the coldest state offer these five tips:
1. LESS IS MORE, IF LAYERED
Piling on more clothes is not the best way to stay warm, said Staff Sgt. Zachary McGee, a Kentucky native who is a senior instructor at the U.S. Army’s Northern Warfare Training Center in Fairbanks. More clothes cause a person to sweat, and once you stop moving the moisture freezes. Instead, the secret is to dress in layers.
And for your hands? “Mittens over gloves any day,” McGee said, noting gloves separate fingers while mittens keep them together and warm.
Related: Polar freeze settles over US South, East
2. THE RIGHT MATERIAL
Cotton kills, or so goes the old Army cold weather instructors’ saying. Cotton clothing soaks up sweat and moisture from snow and takes a long time to dry.
“It’s like trying to keep your body warm wearing an icicle,” McGee said.
Tim Doran, principal of Denali Elementary School in Fairbanks, runs outside all winter. He forgoes cotton underwear for “wind briefs,” which include a synthetic panel. After that, he dresses in layers and then tops it off with fleece to trap body heat. He has no qualms about running 90 minutes at minus 40 to minus 50. Continue reading…
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