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The perils of high winds: Frostbite
10:58 a.m. EDT May 12, 2003
Dr. Luanne Freer of the base camp medical clinic treated two cases of frostbite this past weekend. A Sherpa who was up at the South Col, 7900m, in high winds got it on his feet, (actual image of Sherpa’s foot) and another climber got it in the hand. The Sherpa was flown to Kathmandu from Lobuche yesterday afternoon, as he was unable to walk. Luanne is hoping the other climber will return to India for further care.
At high altitudes a climber’s blood becomes thick and has less oxygen in it. Circulation becomes harder, especially to the fine capillaries in the extremities. This past weekend at the South Col, 7900m, it was –27 Celsius and the wind was blowing at 13 m/s. This equals a wind chill factor of –57C. Sherpas are used to moving quickly and sometimes don’t have as good equipment at the western climbers. This particular Sherpas was wearing wet socks.
The blisters and affected areas will eventually turn black. It can take up to 3 months to determine the extent of the damage and in some of the worse cases, fingers and toes have to be amputated.
Image courtesy of BaseCampMd.com
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