On this side of the pond we call it the screaming barfies. You lose your hands for so long to the cold that when the blood starts to flow again the pain is so bad you scream…and want to barf.
Being cold ends what could otherwise have been an epic flight. Cold not only hurts but it can negatively affect cognition (think hypoxia), which can lead to landing or worse.
I could easily fill this article with stories of how cold has crushed some of my most promising flights: that time on a record-breaking day in Nevada (my buddy Cody went on to break the record); getting so cold in the 2019 Red Bull X-Alps that I became totally unglued while in a respectable 12th place and ended up crushing my chances of making Monaco; flying solo from my house in spring and wrecking two of my fingers for months, etc.
Spring in the American Rockies is the coldest flying I’ve experienced, and I’ve yet to come up with a sure-fire hack. It just isn’t possible to wear enough layers. But through trial and a lot of error I have come up with some things that can definitely extend flights, even on the coldest days.
Dress like a goose. Companies like Patagonia make expedition-weight mountaineering clothing with 800-fill down feathers (800 is the highest there is). A proper expedition down jacket and pants (worn over long underwear) plus a couple thinner layers of fleece...
