Yikes!

Yikes!

A too-tight crampon strap and a last minute (bad, bad) decision to ditch my overboots left a memorable impression for years to come. The temperature down in Challis was around -20 so we guessed it was maybe -35 on the north face of Mt Borah that night. My indication of how cold it was came when I spit and it froze in mid-air and bounced off the ice like a rubber ball. I tried to repeat it but was way too dehydrated to muster up a repeat performance.
reboyles
on Feb 11, 2010 4:38 pm
Image Type(s): Alpine Climbing
Image ID: 596222

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Simnel

Simnel - Feb 11, 2010 7:46 pm - Voted 10/10

ooo...

...ouch. fab pic of the multi coloured consequences of a lack of circulation from restriction and COLD..how was the other foot out of interest and did the little pinkies ever recover?

reboyles

reboyles - Feb 16, 2010 3:23 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: ooo...

I nipped the very top of the big toe on my right foot and burned my finger tips when my dachstein mitt cracked open and I had to grab a rock hold for a few seconds. Everything but the very black tissue recovered.

Deltaoperator17

Deltaoperator17 - Feb 11, 2010 10:31 pm - Hasn't voted

When

When was this? What year??

reboyles

reboyles - Feb 16, 2010 3:44 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: When

Jan 7-8 1977. We did a non-stop approach and climb that started around 1:00 AM and ended the next morning at 4:30 AM.

SawtoothSean

SawtoothSean - Feb 18, 2010 9:29 pm - Voted 10/10

Nice

Just out of curiosity- what were the lingering effects from this, if any? Did you experience a loss of feeling for a few years? Were you more susceptible to the cold on this toe for a while? (I have a friend who got some frost bite on his thumb when we were on Aconcagua a few years back, and he still has some loss of feeling)

reboyles

reboyles - Feb 19, 2010 11:13 am - Hasn't voted

Re: Nice

I lost half of my big toe and the top knuckle of the toe next to it. I had the phantom limb effect for a few years (my toe itched like crazy but there was nothing to scratch.) I've had to be careful about the cold ever since because I don't feel the numbness when my toes get cold.

kevinhansen

kevinhansen - Oct 3, 2011 1:45 pm - Hasn't voted

Amazing

Thanks for the education.

markhallam

markhallam - Jul 14, 2013 2:31 pm - Voted 10/10

Ouch!

Had a look at this following your comments on my Expedition Medicine article. Glad you didn't lose too much toe in the end.

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