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January 29, 2004
Professor Popsicle
Reuters: A researcher known as "Professor Popsicle" has found humans can successfully spend days on end in the bitter cold. Gordon Giesbrecht has spent the past 26 days skiing the isolated, frozen expanse of Lake Winnipeg as part of his research for the University of Manitoba on how the body copes with the cold. Temperatures averaged 15 degrees below zero and dipped as low as 31 below during his 240-mile trek on cross-country skis. "Now when I'm outside and it's -25 C (113 Fahrenheit), it's not really a big problem," he told Reuters by satellite phone on Monday night from his small tent on the world's tenth largest lake. "This has been more a test of just dealing with the cold and living with it, and getting your clothing and your actions coordinated so that you don't end up getting frostbite or anything," explained Giesbrecht.
Soft, deep snow made for some tough slogging with his backpack and sled carrying his food and gear. On two mornings, Giesbrecht emerged from his tent to find the wind so fierce that his tent was almost flat. "The most vulnerable time of the day is when you are trying to set up your tent, and I was not about to take that chance," he wrote on a Web site updated by his family.
Other than numb fingertips, which will likely take a month to return to normal, Giesbrecht said he feels fine. But he said the first thing he plans to do when he returns to Winnipeg on Tuesday is to jump into a hot tub. "It's going to feel great," he said.
With that nickname, something entirely different came into my mind. :-)
Cindy
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» Professor Popsicle from Jason E. Shao
Reassuring to know that in the event of an ice age we all will be able to survive while trekking from deserted city to deserted city via snowshoe. [Read More]
Tracked on January 30, 2004 11:46 AM
Comments
So true about the nickname thing. As far as the rest goes the first thing that popped into my mind was: what a dumbass.
Brain matter deposited by: Kat on January 29, 2004 4:13 PM
I guess if he gets cold then he'll be an "ice popsicle"?
Brain matter deposited by: Ozguru on January 29, 2004 6:09 PM
Sure. People CAN survive in the cold for longer periods of time...but WHY would they want to?
Brain matter deposited by: Da Goddess on January 31, 2004 8:58 AM
I think I agree with Kat - unless this is to help future survival of victims of disaster or accident. Darwin Award candidates excluded.
Brain matter deposited by: The Gray Monk on February 2, 2004 4:47 AM