On 12/29/2018 10:37 AM, Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:
...
Sunlight/ER keeps feet warm. Insulation to metal pedals keeps feet warm. A
"warm circulator" may help, insulation is first. Wicking away moisture is
second, anything else is a bonus. No, I have no real time in extreme flying
cold, I have dealt with hiking, camping, etc.

Damp sucks. Solar helps.

Yes, may be warm at the airport, sucks to be way up in cloud
shadows.........

Presumably every wave-pilot-wannabe RASident, SSA-member, has read and (ahem!)
absorbed Dr. Dan Johnson's Most Excellent, topically-relevant, article in the
December, 2018, "Soaring" mag? Nine pages of ad-hoc-relevant
research/wisdom...that 100% matches with my personal experiences over the years.

FWIW, the absolute coldest I've ever been in my life was a short (~60 minutes
from T.O. to landing), 100% easy, duskish, wave flight, in December, from a
ground elevation of 5,300' msl to 18k' msl and back, entirely in heavy cloud
shadow. For a westerner at an inland western-site (Boulder, CO), it was
simultaneously: visually enthralling; plain ol' fun; painless in the
'gnarly-conditions' aspect (no nasty ground winds or gnarly turbulence beneath
the wave); above-freezing (when rigging) mild temps on the ground.

How cold was it? I was too busy trying to stop the shivers as I neared pattern
altitude, so I could fly the pattern, to remember! Derigging was no help
'generating heat.' Driving home 18 miles involved intermittent bouts of
shivering. Car heat? Ha ha ha! Two bowls of hot homemade chicken soup barely
helped. I was too cold to bother with pulling a hot bath. Tripling the covers
while trying to stop the post-soup shivers in hopes of going to sleep (as a
means of getting my mind off my cold-soaked woes) eventually did the trick. I
awoke 'somewhat-less-cold' and seriously in need of additional food calories
the next morning...and swore to never be so foolish again. (I'd considered
turning around around 15k' asl on the way up, but didn't as it seemed just
'too soon after establishing a no-brainer wave climb.' Besides, it looked as
though - possibly - I might be able to climb into sunlight while remaining
beneath 18k'. It wasn't. What an idiot!)

And yes, I was wearing long johns top and bottom, had several layers of
clothing ankle to neck, had on cheapie (but effective!) moon boots (de rigeur
gliderpilot garb in the 1980s; still have 'em and they still work). knit cap,
excellent gloves. What got/felt cold was my torso...no extremities chilblains
or anything. I should've begun descending the instant I realized I was
underdressed for the evening's conditions...an option considered and
intentionally delayed.

Dumb, dumb, dumb...

Bob W.

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