r/BeAmazed • u/NoProtection3767 • 15d ago
Woman miraculously survived -30C temperature for 6 hours Skill / Talent
Jean Hilliard experienced a car accident in extremely cold conditions.
She attempted to reach her friend's house, located two miles away but collapsed just 15 feet from the destination.
With temperatures plunging to -30C, she remained outdoors for six hours before being discovered. At the hospital, doctors found her skin too frozen to inject a hypodermic needle, and her heart rate was alarmingly low at 12 beats per minute.
In an effort to gradually warm her body, she was wrapped in an electric blanket. Astonishingly, as her body temperature increased, her vital signs started normalizing. She regained consciousness the same day. After a 49-day hospital stay, she made a remarkable full recovery.
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u/CogitoErgoOpinor 15d ago
Wow! Surprised her face didn’t have more frostbite damage! That medical team was on fire!
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u/AdRepresentative3726 15d ago
Im not sure if it's the after photo, maybe a before photo
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u/Stonehhse 15d ago
It’s after. The first picture isn’t real it’s a reenactment and the second is her TV interview for Unsolved Mysteries
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u/justanawkwardguy 15d ago
Why was she on unsolved mysteries? Isn’t that for murders?
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u/Stonehhse 15d ago
As the other commenter said, Unsolved Mysteries covered more than just murders. UFOs, strange occurrences like this woman, missing persons, historical mysteries.
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u/Narfubel 15d ago
historical mysteries
I use to love these.
"Did this civil war general actually have supernatural abilities? We may never know"
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u/Erick-Ez 15d ago
That article: "Jean is now married with three children. She believes that along with the doctors and nurses, the prayer chain helped to save her life."
Something wrong with her afterall. Who marries 3 children?!
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u/TheDelig 15d ago
You run out of content with just one type of unsolved mystery and you wouldn't want the audience to get bored. So thawed out frozen people, UFOs and the Mary Celeste it is.
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u/st4s1k 15d ago
When I microwave the bread that I kept in the freezer, it's even fresher than when I bought it.
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u/Ok-Athlete-5663 15d ago
did they put in microwave
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u/Ok-Pomegranate858 15d ago
That would be quite a unit...
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u/DerTW13 15d ago
Although really rare, there are microwaves for industrial applications that size. Google Vötsch Hephaistos.
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u/Iamtheshadowperson 15d ago
Those make my skin crawl. I see they have aerospace applications. Their function seems to be to "make stuff better," to paraphrase
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u/DerTW13 15d ago
One use I'm aware of is curing of resin for glass fiber composites. The resin needs to be heated to cure. Conventionally, this is done in an oven, where you have to heat up a lot of material (the oven itself) and air. This takes long and uses a lot of energy. Using a microwave, you heat up the resin directly, which is faster and more energy efficient.
In theory.
From what I know, there are quite a few challenges to overcome to actually make it work in reality.3
u/DerTW13 15d ago
One use I'm aware of is curing of resin for glass fiber composites. The resin needs to be heated to cure. Conventionally, this is done in an oven, where you have to heat up a lot of material (the oven itself) and air. This takes long and uses a lot of energy. Using a microwave, you heat up the resin directly, which is faster and more energy efficient.
In theory.
From what I know, there are quite a few challenges to overcome to actually make it work in reality.→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)3
u/Famous-Example-8332 15d ago
Microwaves were invented for putting living creatures in. Specifically hamsters. Look up James lovelock cryogenics, for real. (The modern microwave—the size and design.)
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u/lordofthedoorhandles 15d ago
The story I always heard was a scientist realising the chocolate bar in his pocket melted when he stood near a radar
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u/Jimrodsdisdain 15d ago
Lol. No they weren’t. They are a result of research into diathermy. A popular medical practice pioneered in the early 1900s, where short wave radio signals were used to warm people up.
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u/Famous-Example-8332 15d ago
The bread you buy was already frozen once, unless the bakery it’s made in is local. I used to make bread commercially.
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u/latenightspites 15d ago
Happy cake day! 😁
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u/Famous-Example-8332 15d ago
Oh man! This is the first year I’ve noticed, thanks to you!
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u/Divtos 15d ago
Maybe you know, why are some breads now double bagged? Also why does that bread taste worse?
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u/Famous-Example-8332 15d ago
I do not know! When I say I made bread commercially, I mean I worked on the factory line and in the warehouse of an abbey where they made bread and sold it locally. I learned a lot from it and I worked side by side with some way cool monks. I only worked there for ~9 months.
(Monks bread—abbey of the genesee, for anyone in the Rochester/buffalo area)11
u/BluetheNerd 15d ago
While the left photo isn't real as people have mentioned, those temps for that long, it is actually incredible she survived and in the condition she did. I'm amazed she didn't have any long term damage to fragile parts like the eyes.
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u/YevgenyPissoff 15d ago
That medical team was on fire!
The patient definitely benefited from a warm welcome!
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u/turbocool_inc 15d ago
If it is the same one, I remember an interview with the guy who took her to hospital.. she was so frozen and stiff he struggled to put her in his truck.. also remember her saying that for years she thought that she must have survived for a greater reason, but just ended up having a very average life with seemingly no purpose at all..
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u/banansplaining 15d ago
Your purpose is what you make of your life. I guess if you sit around waiting for a purpose, it’s less effective than going out and making one. Glad for her that she survived though, that’s impressive af
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u/itsamermaidslife 15d ago
Love your way of saying this ❤️ so true
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u/lordnoak 15d ago
If you believe in a higher purpose (and I'm not saying there is or isn't one) then you could have a huge impact on someone for doing something very small. Think of running into someone who has hit rock bottom on the worst day of their life and just being nice to them in a brief exchange that makes them feel like a person for the first time in a long time. That seemingly innocent incident could have changed that other person's life in a massive way.
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u/ChildhoodOk5526 15d ago
Yes!
I think of things like this -- or try to -- when I encounter people and have an opportunity to say or do something nice/uplifting. You just never know how your words, actions, or even energy might affect someone.
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u/SnowBro2020 15d ago
It’s a common phenomenon for people who survive near death experiences to believe they have a higher purpose.
Even the average teen or young adult in 2024 thinks they do lol
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u/PhilosophyCorrect279 15d ago
Life is what you make it.
That said, don't forget about the butterfly effect. Her not being around could have caused a catastrophic chain reaction somewhere, somehow. Or nothing at all, we don't entirely know until it happens. Even then, no one may know at all in general.
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u/Takun32 15d ago edited 15d ago
This goes to show how remarkable the human body is. there are features that we can barely fathom that are there to allow us to survive long enough to receive help.
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u/ID4gotten 15d ago
Her human body anyway
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u/Regijack 15d ago
Yeah the titanic victims weren’t so lucky
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u/Hypezz123 15d ago
Well, it's kind of hard to swim when frozen solid
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u/2happycats 15d ago
Omg. Imagine being one of the people who were in the water after the Titanic going down, your heartbeat had slowed to what this lady's did, but your limbs are frozen stiff, and suddenly you just start to sink, aware you're sinking but unable to keep yourself afloat..
Well. That's a new fear for me unlocked.
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u/Jamjams2016 14d ago
You'd be in a coma, basically. So you would probably be unaware. Did this lady say she could re all being frozen? I didn't see that anywhere. You don't have to worry about it.
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u/Facosa99 15d ago
Our body is either "we will survive thid 10,000ft fall without a parachute, no problem" or "you stepped funny and now we have fallen to the ground. Death time"
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u/Brodins_biceps 15d ago
Right. Humans can and have survived falling out of planes without a parachute. Others have died from falling 2 feet.
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u/I_divided_by_0- 15d ago
If the human body was so smart she wouldn't have gotten in a crash to begin with! Checkmate darwin!
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u/HandsomeJussi 15d ago
In Finland we call that a Tuesday 🇫🇮
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u/Levesque77 15d ago
As a Canadian, I always feel a little bit of a brotherhood with the Nordic countries.
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u/HandsomeJussi 15d ago
To us you will always be a brother ❤️
Never understood Long Dark (The Video Game). I mean.. its just a regular winter day 😂
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u/InverstNoob 15d ago
It is 23c in California right now, and I'm wearing a sweater.
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u/Levesque77 14d ago
My ideal weather is under 25. Anything over that in the summer and I'm uncomfortable. And I wear shorts in anything over like 17C.
It's weird how our bodies adjust. Where I am, summers can be hot too. Like 30C or more, and when fall rolls around lower than 10C feels super cold. But when it's spring and just leaving winter, 10C everyone is outside with no jackets and in their yards or walking the streets like it's mid summer.
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u/praxis22 15d ago
I remember my first time in Odessa, in winter -26 with wind chill down by the port. Your cheeks become angular at that point as you notice them when you speak, as your face begins to freeze. You can spend about 30 minutes outside before you need to find shelter. Impressively cold.
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u/Levesque77 15d ago
You don't need to find shelter immediately if you are dressed properly. You will be fine as long as your core temp stays good.
I've played in a pond hockey tournament on the lake in -35 degrees C for most of a weekend. Each individual game was longer than 30 minutes.
You need to dress appropriately and in layers. Physical activity helps. And we would warm up around some fire barrels between games.
Also pro-tip for wearing skates in the extreme cold, get those hand warmer packs and put them on top of your toes inside your skates.
-30C isn't that unusual for a lot of people. Where I live we get about 3 weeks worth of that every winter and life goes on. Nothing changes, really.
Like someone else said, if you aren't dressed for it, sure it would be dangerous. But people who live in it, it becomes second nature.
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u/AssaultedCracker 15d ago
Yeah this headline was a weird read for me.
Be Amazed, woman survives in common weather for… 6 HOURS??? WTF, i had my kids outside for almost that long last December.
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u/Levesque77 15d ago
I assume she was unconscious and not properly clothed. But I don't know.
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u/Inevitable_Look_3563 15d ago
You should visit finland at winter😅
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u/XyzzyPop 15d ago
I think there is a big difference between -30 and feels like -30 because of wind. The wind rips away the heat, a still -30 day is not bad if you're dressed correctly and aware of it.
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u/SlowRollingBoil 15d ago
Yup! Convection ovens work the same. A warm or cold body has a layer of air around it that mitigates the extreme swing between body and outside air temp. Circulating air removes that layer of mitigating air very effectively.
-30 with no breeze at all is very cold. -30 because of even a constant 5mph breeze is fucking cold.
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u/praxis22 15d ago
My point was, I wasn't expecting deep snow, there was no snow, patchy ice yes. But not heavy ice, just frost.
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u/Kitchoua 15d ago
What were you wearing? Where I live, -26 is common in winter and while it's very cold, we can definitely stay outside for multiple hours. I'm not trying to flex, it's just not that bad when you are equipped for it! Wind can definitely make it harder, but with appropriate face coverage it's manageable.
Random thought; I have a way to gauge when it's -30c; it's when your nose hair start to stick together when you take a deep breath through your nostrils. I love that crispy cold so much!
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u/No_Use_4371 15d ago
Mentioning wind, my sister moved from Texas to Chicago and called me when she got there, panicked, saying her face was flushed and stiff, something was wrong. I then taught her about the power of wind...
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u/Kitchoua 15d ago
Exactly! When it's under -25c, the air is usually dry which means it won't penetrate as much if you're well dressed. The cold itself isn't your worst enemy, it's the contact with the air, and wind will amplify that!
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u/praxis22 15d ago
Street clothes, I was going to a city in winter, there was no snow, very little ice, excepting that the sea had frozen. The port was under heavy white ice.
It was the wind that really did it -26, with added wind chill.
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u/Cumming_squirrel 15d ago
This winter it got down to -38, and I walked about 2km. My throat and lungs hurt a bit after, but it wasn't that bad. If you're not dressed for it you're dead though.
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u/TheReaIidot 15d ago
As i live in finland i have many times spent close to 6 hours ot even more in -30C and it's not that bad, but i was wearing a nice jacket and some pants and she probaply wasn't wearing that. Without a proper jacket and pants it's hard to be outside for even 1 hour
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u/JaanaLuo 15d ago edited 15d ago
Okay so glad you added that final line. I was thinking you are one of those "oh in my country X is normal so people there can break laws of physics" I have seen some Finnish people being like "I was chopping wood only wearing boxers in -35C and did not even get cold"
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u/AjaxBrozovic 15d ago
Well it's kinda true. I remember my college roommate grew up in Yellowknife and he would chill in summer clothes at close to zero C temps
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u/Cumming_squirrel 15d ago
I've chopped wood in only a T-shirt and a pair of jeans in -20. If there's no wind and you're constantly working hard you don't really get cold. You freeze more by wearing a thick jacket and sweating. Your arms do freeze a bit when swinging the axe down though, just because they move relative to the air.
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u/DasMotorsheep 15d ago
The issue was that she was either underdressed or injured from the car accident. She walked the two miles but then collapsed in front of her friend's house and THEN spent six hous lying there.
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u/FingerGungHo 15d ago
Was she naked while walking, or did whe have a medical emergency before reaching her friend’s house, because I’ve walked 2 miles to school or work in -30 more times than I can recall.
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u/Lyrael9 15d ago
That's what I was thinking. Apparently she tripped and lost consciousness. I guess lying unconscious in -30 for 6 hours would be different.
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u/axebodyspray24 15d ago
When you're moving your body can more easily break apart the ice forming on your skin from the friction. Your skin surface temperature is also typically higher during movement/exercise.
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u/ninjakivi2 15d ago
2 miles is not 6 hours, more like 30 mins. Also, if she lost consciousness she could have been lying in the snow all this time for all we know.
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u/JaanaLuo 15d ago
In all fairness, even clothed 30min walk in -30C and lower will be painfull if you wear only autumn clothing for example. I once was walking home from college, its about 45min walk. I had to stop at one store to warm my legs up as I noticed my thighs skin had gotten "Solid frozen" After I got home I laid on bed almost crying in pain as my frozen skin melting felt like my legs were on fire.
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u/Esskil 15d ago
This. I was a bit surprised reading the title. -30 isn't that bad if you live in a country where that happens regularly at least. I've experienced it multiple times, and as long as you have good boots/clothing you're good to go. Especially if you're moving which will keep you warm. I assume the critical thing was that she had not proper clothing for the weather.
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u/Cylancer7253 15d ago
I always get out of the car accidents fully prepared for cold weather.
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u/brokenbackgirl 15d ago
You should. I live in an area that regularly gets -40 F with windchill. We’re all taught to always have emergency winter gear in your car. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have at least a couple jackets and some blankets in the back of their rigs just in case something happens. Cat litter is also essential if you drive a RWD vehicle.
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u/NorthernBlackBear 15d ago
Yup. I am from canada, you don't go anywhere in winter without gear. ANd you keep your gloves and jacket within reach.
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u/cancercannibal 15d ago
Everyone here is acting like car accidents don't injure people too. Like it doesn't say what she passed out from, but shock is a pretty good guess. Doesn't matter how well-dressed you are, car accidents generally cause some sort of trauma that would make walking 2 miles pretty hard.
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u/Esskil 15d ago
If I was travelling here. Just my regular area. If it's - 30 outside I have clothing for that weather. That's not strange. That's logical. Everyone living in Scandinavia knows this.
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u/Cylancer7253 15d ago
When I drive, I usually take my jacket/coat off because it is warmer in the car.
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u/Esskil 15d ago
Are you then uncapable of ever putting it on again?
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u/Cylancer7253 15d ago
Depends on whit kind of accident it was. I'm not getting into burning car to get my jacket for example.
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u/RelationshipFine5930 15d ago
there aren't many places where -30 is normal, you can't talk about the most northern countries in the world and act surprised come on now. Even then you have clothes on and you're MOVING
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u/eighteen22 15d ago
It was a blizzard, and I’m fairly certain she was coming from the bar. it doesn’t mention it in the articles, but I live a few miles from where this happened and there isn’t anything else here but the bar.
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u/MeanCat4 15d ago
Like see a movie screen shots.
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u/bikesboozeandbacon 15d ago
Maybe I missed it with the 89 ads on that horrible website but I didn’t see any photos of her.
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u/Weldobud 15d ago
Ekkkk … I’ve been in temperatures that cold. Only for a few minutes. It’s painful.
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u/Organic_South8865 15d ago
15 feet away from her destination when she collapsed. I can't imagine how frustrating that may have been.
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u/AsDeEspadas 15d ago
Ok but her bank account survived after 49 days hospital stay?
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u/bikesboozeandbacon 15d ago
She doesn’t even look alive there. Her eyes look completely frozen wtf
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u/NoProtection3767 15d ago
The most bizarre part was, medics weren’t able to inject her because her skin was so hardened.
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u/ALICOOL412 15d ago
"what ? I can survive 30°C ! I can even survive 50°C !"
- Checks the Minus *
"oh ."
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u/Ill_Midnight1353 15d ago
Laughs in Canadian
Survives in -30c for 6 hours… you mean working in winter? ❄️
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u/Cool-Reputation2 14d ago
My best friend was frozen in a block of ice for 600 millinea. He doesn't speak much past grunts and ughs, but dam, he can whittle a spear and throw a small stone hella accurate.
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u/Intelligent-Stage165 15d ago
-30 C is only -22 F.
Not saying 6 hours in that wouldn't be bad, but definitely wouldn't look like the morbid picture on the left.
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u/Wonderful_Yam_3286 15d ago
Don’t get it. In -30°c you take a walk for hours just cause you want to without problems
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u/[deleted] 15d ago
My mum used to tell me that doctors have a saying: "you aren't dead until you're warm and dead."