Minnesota boasts of a winter paradise with its variety of stimulating outdoor adventures. But, if not taken seriously, these activities can result in a swift, premature injury or death. How so? Hearty Minnesota enthusiasts braving the elements often include drinking while enjoying outdoor activities such as ice fishing, snow-mobiling or skiing.
Alcohol and cold weather, particularly cold water, can be fatal. Common sense and responsibility are the keys to avoiding possible injury or death. Last winter, Minnesota recorded eight ice deaths by either vehicles crashing through thin ice or other water related drownings. With the fluctuating temperatures and resulting thin ice this year, five fatalities at the time of this printing have already taken place. Alcohol consumption, unfortunately, accounts for many of these tragedies. Sixty-three percent of snowmobile fatalities in 1996-97 involved alcohol.
Cold weather recreation such as ice fishing and downhill skiing usually don't get as much publicity as snow-mobiling, yet can be just as dangerous when combined with alcohol. Hypothermia is an obvious risk, yet others not so obvious are very real. Dennis Boser, Sheriff of Mille Lacs County reports, "one of the greatest dangers to folks is when they leave the roads that have been created on the lake. They run the risk of getting into some dangerous areas for ice breakthroughs and ice heaves." Jim Dowson, Cass County Sheriff adds, "alcohol impairment is seen in accidents like propane heaters exploding, inability to detect carbon monoxide poisoning and gas explosions. On large lakes, storms can come up quickly creating whiteout conditions. Alcohol-impaired fishermen will often strike out for shore and become lost. Last year we had one guy lost for an entire night."
Craig Fassbender, director of the ski school at Welch Village, feels that contrary to recent celebrity deaths, downhill skiing is a safe sport. "Out of 58 million ski visits in one year nationally, only 33 deaths occur." Fassbender reports, "Welch Village has few problems with impaired skiiers or accidents. Alcohol really impairs reaction time and the ability to be in control of high speeds. People know that if they run over a skiier, they can be sued. You'd better be in control!"
Alcohol effects
Drinking too much clouds common sense which in turn creates a false sense of security. Drinking while driving vehicles onto thin ice, racing snowmobiles or staying out in subzero cold too long are all prime examples of foolish,
alcohol-affected behavior.
Ice breakthroughs can occur instantaneously followed by a rapid onset of hypothermia. Hypothermia means losing heat faster than one's body can produce it, causing a drop in (inner) body temperature. Cold water-immersion hypothermia happens quickly. Each time the head is immersed under cold water, heat escapes from the body speeding up hypothermia. If the water is cold enough, the person will eventually die of cardiac arrest if not rescued and rewarmed.
A number of factors influencing a person's cooling rate and survival time in cold water (less than 70 degrees) include:
Since alcohol lowers the body's resistance to cold water, it greatly increases the effect of torso reflex (the unexpected blast of cold water causing an automatic gasp for air) by increasing the metabolic rate and demand for oxygen in frigid water. As the alcohol level in a person's body increases, coordination abilities decrease.
"Although there are physical side effects with alcohol, the main consequence of water fatalities is the effect the alcohol played in contributing to the accident (reducing reasoning)," says Tim Smalley, boat and water specialist with the DNR. "National figures suggest alcohol consumption may be the cause of 50 percent of all boating deaths. It can definitely be a cause of winter deaths through ice," explains Smalley. "The victim clings to the edge of the ice and can't get out, therefore dying from hypothermia before drowning."