Winter outdoor emergencies: cold water, getting lost in snow, whiteouts, and staying warm until rescue¶

Winter outdoors is beautiful and unforgiving. A fall through lake ice, a sudden whiteout on a ridge, a sledding crash on an icy slope or a wrong turn at dusk can become life threatening within an hour, because cold takes away strength, judgment and heat all at once. Most people who survive winter emergencies do three things well: they stop and think before they act, they protect themselves from cold and wind, and they make it easy for rescuers to find them.

This guide covers cold water immersion, getting lost in snow, hiking in a whiteout, sledding and skiing accidents, building a shelter and signaling, staying warm until rescue arrives, and the preparation that makes all of this easier. It builds on wilderness hypothermia and cold, 从冰中掉下来 和 lost while hiking or camping。

现在就这样做¶

1. Stop moving if you are lost, disoriented or in a whiteout. Do not keep walking in the hope of finding the way. Sit on your pack or an insulating layer, out of the wind.
2. Call your local emergency number (911 in the United States and Canada, 112 across the European Union, 999 in the United Kingdom) if you have a signal, or send a message with a satellite messenger or personal locator beacon. Text messages sometimes go through when voice calls do not. See 紧急号码 对于其他国家。
3. Put on every dry layer you have, including a hat, gloves and a windproof shell. Get out of the wind and off the snow, and insulate yourself from the ground.
4. If you have fallen into cold water, follow the steps in the cold water section below: control your breathing, keep your head above the surface, and get out and warm as fast as you can.
5. Eat and drink something warm and sweet if you have it. Your body burns food to make heat.
6. Make yourself easy to find: stay in one place, use a whistle, put bright items in the open, and keep your phone warm and switched to low power mode.

Cold water immersion¶

Cold water kills in stages, and the first stage is not hypothermia. The sudden shock of cold water causes an involuntary gasp and fast breathing, which can lead to drowning in the first minute. The widely taught "1-10-1" rule from Canadian water safety groups gives a good picture of how events unfold in water around 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) or colder.

时间因水温、服装、体型和健康状况而异，因此请将其视为指导而非保证。人们在冷水中存活的时间更长，而其他人在冷水中的死亡时间则更少。救生衣可以大大提高你的机会，因为当你的肌肉停止工作时，它可以让你保持漂浮。

如果你掉进冰里¶

1. 不要惊慌。期待喘息反射，并在第一分钟保持冷静来控制呼吸。
2. 转向你来的方向，因为那块冰曾经把你抱住过。
3. 将前臂放在未破裂的冰面上，然后踢腿，使身体平放在水面上。
4. 像游泳一样打腿，用手臂将自己拖到冰上，然后滚离洞口。在远离破损区域之前不要站起来。
5. 沿着你来时的路径爬行或滚回岸边。
6. 即使您感觉良好，也要前往避难所并开始热身，因为寒冷会继续消耗您的身体热量。

有关冰面安全、救援技术和冰层厚度指导，请阅读 从冰中掉下来。冰的厚度从来都不确定。许多机构建议步行时至少要有 10 厘米（4 英寸）的透明硬冰，但河流、泉水、水流和积雪可能会使某些地方的冰层变得脆弱，因此请咨询当地政府并避免使用您不了解的冰层。

如果你无法出去¶

如果您穿着救生衣，请保持“帮助”姿势（避暑姿势）不动：将膝盖靠在胸部，手臂紧贴身体两侧。这可以将热量保留在核心中。如果你和其他人在一起，就挤在一起。不要长距离游泳，因为游泳会加速热量流失。仅当船、海岸或漂浮物体靠近时才游泳。

救别人¶

不要跑到冰上。首先拨打您当地的紧急电话号码。然后，如果安全的话，从坚实的地面上拿一个长的物体，如梯子、树枝或绳子，或者扔一根绳子、环形浮标或漂浮的东西。如果必须继续的话，请保持身体低矮，并在冰上展开身体，并用一些东西来分散体重。许多救援人员成为受害者，因此不要将自己置于危险之中。

当你离开水后¶

1. 避开风，进入避难所、汽车、建筑物或帐篷。
2. 脱掉湿衣服，因为湿衣服会带走身体的热量，换上干衣服。如果您没有干衣服，请拧干湿衣服，然后用毯子、太空毯或睡袋包裹自己。
3. 将身体、头部和颈部包裹起来，与地面绝缘。
4. 如果患者清醒并且可以吞咽，请提供温暖、甜的饮料。避免酒精和咖啡因。
5. 轻柔地对待这个人。对于寒冷的人来说，粗暴的动作可能会引发心律问题。
6. Call your local emergency number for anyone who has been immersed, even if they seem fine. Water in the lungs and a falling temperature can show up later.

For full steps, see 体温过低和冻伤. If the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally, start CPR and continue until help arrives. Cold victims can recover after a long time without a pulse, so do not stop early. See 心肺复苏。

Snowmobiles, ATVs and vehicles on ice¶

Vehicles break through ice far more easily than people. If you ride or drive on frozen lakes, check ice thickness and conditions locally, wear a flotation suit, carry ice picks around your neck, and avoid riding at night. For what to do after a breakthrough, see snowmobile or ATV broken through lake ice. For boats and open water in winter, read boating capsizing and cold water survival。

Getting lost in snow¶

Snow hides trails, flattens landmarks and covers footprints, and short winter days leave little time to correct a mistake. Cold and tiredness also reduce clear thinking. The aim is to avoid making things worse.

Use the STOP method¶

• Stop. Do not take another step. Sit down, drink, eat and breathe.
• Think. Where did you last know your position? How long ago? How much daylight, food, water and clothing do you have? Who knows your plan?
• Observe. Look at the weather, terrain, wind and your battery. Check your map, GPS and phone. Note any shelter nearby.
• Plan. Decide whether to stay or go, and what to do first. If in doubt, stay put.

留下还是走¶

大多数搜救队建议失踪人员留在一个地方，除非他们处于危险之中或确切知道如何到达安全地点。静止的人更容易找到并且消耗的能量更少。仅在以下情况下移动：

• 您确切地知道最近的安全地点在哪里，并且可以在适当的时间和安全的条件下到达那里。
• 您当前的位置不安全，例如在雪崩路径中、檐口下、薄冰上或洪水区。
• 您必须移动一小段距离才能到达避风处或找到空旷的区域来发出信号。

如果您要搬家，请用棍棒、石头或颜色鲜艳的物品标记您的路线，以便您可以返回；如果您要下车，请留下便条。当你能看到它们时，沿着你自己的足迹回去。除非您知道溪流或山脊的通向，否则请勿沿着溪流或山脊行驶，并避免在能见度较差的情况下走上陡坡和飞檐。

如果您有电话覆盖¶

拨打或发短信给您当地的紧急电话号码，提供您的详细位置，并告知您在雪中迷路了。如果您的手机可以显示您的坐标，请分享您的坐标，并将手机靠近您的身体以保持温暖，因为电池在寒冷中会很快耗尽。发送简短的消息而不是拨打长时间的电话。如果您想节省电量，请调低屏幕亮度，关闭其他应用程序并在消息之间使用飞行模式。在某些国家/地区，您可以发送紧急短信。如果您携带个人定位信标或卫星信使，请将其激活并将其放在视野开阔的地方。

白化和能见度差¶

当吹雪或落雪以及平面光消除深度和对比度时，就会出现白化。人们失去了上下的感觉，他们在原地打转或从下降中走下去。

What to do¶

1. 如果您看不到自己的脚、地平线或前方的人，请立即停下来。不要走向看不到的地方。
2. 呆在一起。如果情况严重，用绳子拴住人群或与人群保持联系，并经常清点人数。
3. 多穿几层衣服并戴上面罩。在雪中的岩石、树木或沟渠后面避风。
4. 使用地图、指南针和 GPS 来检查您所在的位置，不要在白茫茫的天气里相信自己的方向感。人们在不知不觉中沿着曲线行走。
5. 如果必须移动，请选择安全路线，缓慢移动，并用滑雪杖或滑雪杖探测前方地面。避免斜坡、边缘和开阔水域。
6. 如果踪迹仍然可见并且路线安全，请按照您的足迹返回，或者等待天气好转。
7. 不要离开队伍或派一个人单独去前面侦察。

对于在暴风雪和吹雪中驾驶，请阅读 地面暴风雪、吹雪白化和避难绳系绳。如果您在车内，请留在车内并查看 汽车故障。

雪盲症¶

即使在阴天，明亮的雪也会在数小时内灼伤眼睛。佩戴具有全面紫外线防护功能的太阳镜或护目镜。如果视力模糊并且眼睛感觉有沙砾，请用湿布盖住眼睛并在黑暗中休息。参见 雪盲症。

雪橇和滑雪事故¶

每年冬天，雪橇、滑雪和单板滑雪都会造成数千人受伤，其中大部分是跌倒和碰撞造成的。头部损伤和脊柱损伤最为严重。儿童和初学者面临的风险更高，在道路、树木附近或冰坡上滑橇尤其危险。

预防受伤¶

• 当您滑雪、单板滑雪或雪橇时，请佩戴专为雪上运动设计的头盔。自行车头盔不能承受同样的影响。
• 坐在或躺在雪橇上时，脚先着地，避免头先着地。
• 选择坡度清晰、平缓、没有树木、岩石、栅栏、道路、水或停放的汽车的斜坡。
• 避开结冰或拥挤的山丘，不要在没有灯光的夜间拉雪橇。
• 与他人保持安全距离，并在开始之前先观察。
• 请勿在车辆后面拖曳雪橇。
• 将活动与您的技能相匹配，并学习课程。
• 检查山区的情况和任何雪崩警告。如果您打算留下标记的路线，请携带正确的训练和装备，并与训练有素的同伴一起旅行。

发生车祸后¶

1. 停下来查看现场。确保您和受伤者远离其他人，并通过跨越受伤者的滑雪板或雪橇上坡来标记位置。
2. Call for help from ski patrol or your local emergency number. Give the exact location.
3. Do not move anyone with possible head, neck, or back injury. Keep the person still and warm, and support the head in the position found. See spinal injuries。
4. Check breathing and begin CPR if the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally.
5. Control bleeding with firm pressure, and treat for shock by keeping the person warm and lying down.
6. Insulate the person from the snow with a pack, a coat or a sleeping pad, and cover their head and neck.
7. Watch the person for signs of head injury, such as confusion, vomiting, drowsiness or worsening headache. See head injuries。
8. Treat broken bones by splinting in the position found when you must wait a long time. See broken bones and sprains。

For more on slope injuries and what to do, see skiing, snowboarding and slope accidents. For the particular danger of falling headfirst into snow around trees, read tree well immersion and deep snow suffocation。

Avalanche terrain¶

Avalanches kill people who travel in steep backcountry terrain without training. If you leave controlled areas, check the local avalanche forecast, take a course, and carry a transceiver, probe and shovel, and know how to use them. If a companion is buried, switch to search mode and begin the search at once, since survival chances drop rapidly in the first 15 minutes. This guide does not replace avalanche training.

Shelter and staying warm until rescue¶

When rescue will not come for hours, shelter becomes your first priority. It stops wind, keeps you dry and reduces heat loss. Do this before you are exhausted, and before dark.

Choose a location¶

• Pick a spot out of the wind, away from avalanche slopes, cornices, cliffs, flood zones, and dead or heavy laden trees.
• Look for natural windbreaks such as a large rock, dense evergreen trees, a hollow or a drift. Avoid tree wells, which are dangerous pits around trunks.
• Stay visible if you want to be found, for example at the edge of an open area rather than deep in the woods.

Build a quick shelter¶

1. Insulate from the ground first. Snow and cold ground take heat faster than air. Sit or lie on your pack, foam pad, spare clothes, a layer of evergreen branches or any dry material.
2. Make a windbreak. Use your tent, a tarp, a space blanket or a wall of snow blocks. Even a simple wall helps.
3. Dig a snow trench. In deep snow, dig a trench slightly longer than your body, cover it with a tarp or branches, and pile snow on top. Leave a vent.
4. Build a snow cave only if you have training. It takes hours and wet clothing, and you must keep a ventilation hole open and the entrance below the sleeping platform. Do not seal yourself in.
5. Use a bivouac sack or emergency blanket. A bivy bag keeps wind and moisture out. A space blanket reflects some heat but works best inside a bag or under a jacket.
6. Share heat. Sit close with others, back to back or side by side, with the smallest person in the middle.

Stay warm¶

• 耐磨层：吸湿底层、绝缘中间层和防风防水外壳。羊毛和合成纤维在潮湿时可以保持温暖，而棉则不然。
• 遮盖头部、颈部、手部和脚部。穿上干燥的袜子并保持靴子宽松，以免血液循环受阻。
• 避免出汗。开始努力之前脱下一层，停止时再穿上。
• 经常吃小零食，尤其是脂肪和糖。尽可能喝温热的液体，即使不渴也要喝水。
• 天冷时不要吃雪。它可以降低体温。首先使用炉子将其融化在容器中，如果没有炉子，则将其融化在密封瓶中的衣服下。
• Avoid alcohol and tobacco. Alcohol widens blood vessels and speeds heat loss.
• Move your arms and legs and tense your muscles in short bursts to generate heat. Do not exercise to exhaustion.
• Keep dry. Brush off snow, and dry gloves or socks near your body.
• Use heat packs inside clothing near the core, not directly against skin.

Fire¶

If you have a lighter, matches and dry material, a fire gives warmth, a signal and a morale boost. Build it on a platform of green logs or rocks over snow, keep it small and sheltered, and keep it away from your shelter and tree branches that drop snow. Never burn a fire inside an enclosed snow cave without ventilation, and never use a stove inside a closed tent. See 一氧化碳。

Signaling for rescue¶

Rule of three is the international distress pattern: three whistle blasts, three shouts, three fires or three flashes. Use it, then listen for an answer, which may be two signals.

Recognizing cold injuries¶

Check yourself and your companions often. Cold impairs judgment, so a sleepy or confused person may not know they are in trouble.

参见 体温过低和冻伤 和 wilderness hypothermia and cold 用于治疗步骤。不要摩擦冻伤的皮肤，不要直接加热，如果必须在冻伤的脚上行走，也不要让冻伤的脚解冻，以免有再次结冰的风险。

户外出现问题时的决策流程¶

flowchart TD
    A["冬季户外紧急情况"] --> B{"在水中还是在碎冰上？"}
    B -->|"是的"| C["控制呼吸，漂浮，踢到冰边<br/>然后出来然后热身"]
    B -->|"否"| D{"受伤或无法行走？"}
    D -->|"是的"| E["寻求帮助，隔离人员<br/>并保持他们不动"]
    D -->|"否"| F{"迷路还是陷入白茫茫？"}
    F -->|"是的"| G["停下来、思考、观察和计划<br/>留在原地，除非不安全"]
    F -->|"否"| H["查看天气和日光<br/>并早点返回"]
    C --> I["庇护所、干衣、热饮"]
    E --> I
    G --> I
    I --> J["用哨子、灯光和明亮的齿轮发出信号"]
    J --> K["节约能源和热量<br/>等待救援"]

出发前的准备工作¶

冬季最好的紧急情况是永远不会发生的情况。准备成本很低，并且使上述一切变得更容易。

计划并告诉某人¶

• 查看天气预报、雪崩公告、冰情报告和白天时间。当情况发生变化时返回。
• 向可靠的人留下旅行计划：路线、团体人数、车辆描述、预计返回时间以及迟到时该怎么办。
• 尽可能与其他人一起旅行，并保持团队团结。
• 选择与经验最少的人的能力相匹配的路线。
• 尽早开始，设定周转时间并坚持下去。

携带必需品¶

• Map, compass and a charged GPS or phone with offline maps. See offline smartphone survival if you want a phone based option.
• 额外的绝缘层、帽子、手套和防水壳
• 紧急避难所，例如露营袋或大型重型袋子以及泡沫垫
• 带备用电池的头灯
• Whistle, mirror and a personal locator beacon or satellite messenger for remote areas
• Food and a hot drink in an insulated bottle, with more than you expect to need
• Fire starters, a lighter and waterproof matches
• First aid kit with a space blanket and heat packs. See first aid kit。
• Knife or multitool, and repair items
• 防晒和护目镜
• Ice picks or rescue spikes if you travel on frozen water

Keep spare batteries and your phone inside a warm pocket. Lithium batteries last longer in cold than alkaline cells. Store essentials in a pack that you carry, and not in the car.

Match gear to the trip¶

For vehicle travel, keep a winter kit in the car. See vehicle winter blizzard survival kit 和 car emergency kit. For going out on foot, a day pack with the items above takes only a few minutes to prepare.

Checklist before a winter outing¶

• I checked weather, ice and avalanche information.
• Someone has my plan and return time.
• I carry map, compass and a charged phone, plus a power bank.
• I have extra layers, hat, gloves, and a shell, plus an emergency shelter.
• I have food, a hot drink, a whistle and a headlamp.
• I have a lighter and fire starters.
• I wear a helmet for snow sports, and ice picks if I will cross ice.
• I know how to treat hypothermia and frostbite.

常见问题¶

What should I do first if I fall into freezing water?¶

Keep calm and control your breathing for the first minute, because cold shock causes gasping that can lead to drowning. Keep your head above water, turn toward where you came from, place your arms on the ice and kick to pull yourself flat onto the surface, then roll away from the hole. Get warm quickly and call your local emergency number even if you feel fine.

Should I stay put or keep walking if I am lost in snow?¶

Stay put in most cases, since a person who stays in one place is easier to find and loses less energy and heat. Move only if you know for certain where safety is, if your position is dangerous, or to get out of the wind. Make a shelter, insulate yourself from the ground, and signal with a whistle, bright items and your phone.

How do I stay warm until rescuers arrive?¶

Put on dry layers, cover your head, hands and feet, insulate from the snow, and get out of the wind. Eat small snacks often and drink warm fluids, avoid sweating and alcohol, and huddle with others if you can. Keep moving your arms and legs in short bursts, and keep your phone warm so that it works.

What are the warning signs of a serious sledding or skiing injury?¶

Treat any head strike with loss of consciousness, confusion, vomiting, severe headache, neck or back pain, numbness or weakness, or a bent limb as serious. Keep the person still and warm and call ski patrol or your local emergency number. Do not move someone with a possible spinal injury unless they are in immediate danger.

来源已检查¶

This guide was checked against the National Weather Service (United States) winter weather and wind chill pages, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (United States) guidance on hypothermia and frostbite, the National Park Service (United States) winter safety advice, the American Red Cross winter safety and first aid pages, the Canadian Red Cross and the Lifesaving Society of Canada cold water guidance, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (United Kingdom) cold water shock advice, the National Health Service (United Kingdom) hypothermia page, the Met Office (United Kingdom) winter weather advice, Mountain Rescue England and Wales guidance on lost and stranded walkers, and Health Canada winter safety pages. Where agencies differ on times or distances, the more cautious figures are used.

学习急救¶

A hands-on first aid course gives you the practice that makes a real difference in the cold, when fingers are numb and thinking is slow. The Red Cross, St John Ambulance and local providers teach wilderness first aid, CPR and hypothermia care. Take a course before winter and bring a friend.

相关指南¶

• Wilderness hypothermia and cold
• 坠入冰层
• Lost while hiking or camping
• 体温过低和冻伤
• Skiing, snowboarding and slope accidents