How cold is too cold? Children on the slopes when it's below freezing

It's half past eight, and the thermometer outside the cabin window says minus 14. There's no wind in the village, the smoke from the chimneys rises straight up and the children are eating porridge in their thermals. The question hanging in the air is the same in every mountain cabin on a morning like this: are we going out today? The answer isn't on the thermometer. It lies in how hard the wind is blowing at the top, how fast the children ski and how long they sit still on the lift. That's what this guide is about – the cold on the slopes with children. General advice on the ski day with kids is in our tips and advice for the ski trip with kids.

The three dials of cold: degrees, wind and sitting still

Think of the cold as three dials that together decide how cold your child gets:

1. The degrees – what the thermometer shows.
2. The wind – the weather's wind plus the speed wind when the child is skiing. It cools bare skin, cheeks, nose and ears first.
3. Sitting still – how long the child sits still. On the lift, in the pulk, in the baby carrier and in the queue, the body produces much less heat than when the child is moving.

You can't change the degrees, but you can turn the other two dials. You can choose slopes in the forest instead of the bare mountain, short lifts instead of the long one to the top, and short sessions with breaks instead of one long morning. That's why the same minus 14 can be a lovely ski day or a day to stay indoors.

Wind and speed wind – what cheeks actually feel

The table: thermometer plus wind

SMHI, the Swedish weather service, calculates a wind chill temperature that shows how cold the air feels on bare skin when the wind blows. At minus 10 degrees and just 2 metres per second, it feels like minus 14. At 10 metres per second, the same minus 10 feels like minus 20. The full table is in the box on how cold it feels with the wind.

Two limits are worth knowing. Down to about minus 10 in felt temperature, the risk of frostbite is small. Below about minus 27 it rises quickly, and the risk of bare skin freezing is then high within half an hour. Children are more sensitive than adults, so they need bigger margins.

The speed wind on the slopes

The wind chill table is based on the weather's wind, but on the slopes there's wind in your face even on a still day. The speed wind counts roughly as wind:

Speed on the slope	Speed wind	At minus 10 it feels roughly like
10 km/h	just under 3 m/s	minus 15
20 km/h	just over 5.5 m/s	minus 18
30 km/h	just over 8 m/s	minus 20
40 km/h	just over 11 m/s	minus 21

If the child is skiing into the wind, the speed wind and the weather's wind add up. The figures are rough, so it's better to assume it's a little colder than the table shows. The conclusion is simple: a child skiing fast down a slope on a still day at minus 15 can have cheeks that feel around minus 24. The body warms up from the movement, but the face doesn't.

Tip: Goggles and a thin buff over the neck and cheeks protect against the speed wind. The buff must not cover the mouth – if it gets damp from the child's breath, it cools instead and can contribute to frostbite.

The lift – same wind, but you're sitting still

On the lift, the body stops working. The child sits still for several minutes, often high up where it's windier. It's not unusual for it to be calm in the village while it's blowing hard at the top, which is why lift companies measure the weather at several points on the mountain. The long lift to the top on a windy day is often the coldest moment of the day.

Two things help:

• Choose shorter lifts and lower slopes on the coldest days, ideally in the forest where it's sheltered.
• Get ready before the lift. Pull up the buff, put the goggles down and zip up the jacket while you're in the queue. On the lift, the child can wiggle their toes and clap their mittens together to keep warm.

Scarves and loose cords have no place on a lift. They can get caught. A neck warmer that goes over the head does the same job without the risk.

The top or the valley? The valley can be coldest

On a clear, still morning, the cold air can settle at the very bottom of the valley. This is called an inversion. The temperature also keeps falling for a while after sunrise. In Levi, the valley station can be at minus 25 while it's close to zero at the top. So check the forecast for the top, not just the thermometer by the cabin. On a morning like that, it can be wise to wait until later in the morning before you go out. More about the cold in Lapland can be found in Levi with children.

What's too cold? The limits that exist

Nurseries' cold limits

Many parents have heard that nurseries don't go outside below a certain temperature. There's no national limit for nurseries in Sweden. Nurseries make their own assessments, and on the coldest days many go out for shorter spells or stay indoors.

In Norway, several municipalities, including Bergen and Trondheim, have written clear guidance for nurseries, and it works on the slopes too:

• Children under three shouldn't be outside when it feels like minus 10 or colder, with the wind taken into account.
• Older children can be outside down to minus 15 in felt temperature, but only for shorter spells and with protection against frostbite.
• Children who aren't moving shouldn't be outside in the cold.
• Children with asthma and children with special needs have to be assessed individually, as cold can make asthma worse.

Note that the limits apply to felt temperature. A day at minus 8 with 5 metres per second already feels like minus 15.

The lifts' cold limits

Ski resorts have their own limits, and they are partly about safety if a lift were to stop and people had to wait or be evacuated in the cold. In Kåbdalis the chairlift closes at minus 20, while the drag lifts normally run even when it's colder, but can be closed in severe cold. Borgafjällbackarna has a cold limit of minus 23, and in Levi the lifts close when it's minus 25 at the top station.

See it as an upper limit, not a recommendation. The fact that the lifts are running doesn't mean it's a good day for a three-year-old.

The youngest in a pulk or baby carrier get coldest

The person pulling the pulk or carrying the child gets warm and sweaty. The child in the pulk or baby carrier sits completely still and gets the same wind as the adult. It's the coldest place in the family, and the child usually can't say that they're cold.

In a baby carrier the parts that stick out get cold fast: legs, feet, hands and face. The body is kept warm by the adult's body, which can easily fool the person checking by feeling the tummy. The baby carrier belongs on the walk below the slopes – never ski with your child in a carrier. Why, and how to take turns on the slopes with a baby, is explained in the guide to a ski holiday with kids.

In a pulk the child needs an insulating mat, a warm footmuff and protection from the wind. Check the child often – warm hands and feet mean the child is fine, and a sweaty neck means too many clothes. Also watch out for uneven terrain, as jolting can injure small children. The pulk belongs on the sledging hill and on walks beside the slopes – many ski resorts don't allow them on the pistes.

Three limits for the youngest:

• Newborns should stay indoors when it's windy and very cold.
• Children under three stay indoors when it feels like minus 10 or colder.
• A child who isn't moving – in a pulk, baby carrier or pushchair – needs shorter sessions and more frequent checks than siblings who are skiing themselves.

Layers, mittens and the rest of the gear are in the packing list for a ski trip with kids.

The check on every lift ride

Frostbite is hard to notice yourself, because the feeling goes. That's why an adult needs to look. Make it a habit on every lift ride:

1. Look at cheeks, nose and ears. White patches are the first sign of cold injury.
2. Ask the child to wiggle their fingers and toes and say whether they can feel them.
3. Feel the back of the neck or the forehead. If the child feels cold there, it's too cold. If the neck feels sweaty, the child is dressed too warmly and will easily get cold at the next break.
4. Ask whether mittens and socks are wet. Damp makes the child colder, so change them straight away.

Small children often shiver, go pale and would rather stand still when they're cold. A child who stops playing and just stands waiting is probably cold. More signs that it's time to stop are covered in the guide to teaching kids to ski.

Tip: Don't wash your child's face or put ordinary cream on it the same morning. It removes the skin's natural protection against the cold. If the skin needs cream when it's below freezing, choose one that is completely water-free.

Signs of frostbite – and what to do

Superficial frostbite

A superficial cold injury starts with the skin turning white and cold, and the feeling in the patch disappears. When it thaws, it can sting, burn and hurt, and the skin can turn red and swollen and sometimes blister. Most superficial cold injuries heal by themselves.

Method:

1. Go indoors or into shelter as quickly as you can.
2. Change into dry clothes and give them something warm to drink.
3. Warm skin against skin straight away. Place a warm hand against the cheek. Warm fingers in an armpit and toes against an adult's tummy.
4. Keep going until the colour and feeling come back, even if it hurts.

Don't rub with snow

The old advice to rub a white cheek with snow is wrong. Don't massage the injured area, and don't use snow, which cools it even more. Don't speed up the warming with hot water or anything heated either, as the skin can be damaged. Let the warmth from another body do the job.

Deep frostbite – seek medical care

A deep cold injury can be recognised by skin that is hard and yellowish-white, dark blood-filled blisters, a body part that is hard to move, or colour and feeling that haven't come back after an hour of warming.

• With blisters or deep cold injury: contact a health centre or out-of-hours clinic immediately, and when they're closed, A&E.
• If your child has frostbitten feet, they shouldn't walk on them.
• Only warm a deep injury if it can be kept warm until you get medical care. The injury gets worse if it thaws and then freezes again.
• A superficial injury that hasn't healed after two weeks should be seen at a health centre.
• Call 1177, the Swedish healthcare advice line, if you're unsure.

A spot that has been frostbitten is extra sensitive for a while afterwards. Keep it protected from the cold until it has healed – that may mean a day indoors.

When it's more than cold cheeks: hypothermia

Hypothermia is when the whole body gets too cold. A child who is awake and shivering has mild hypothermia: go indoors, take off wet clothes, dress them in something dry and warm and keep them in the warmth. A child who stops shivering and becomes sluggish, quiet or confused has more serious hypothermia. Call 112. Handle the child gently, preferably lying down, protect them from wind and cold and put warmth against the body, but not directly against the skin.

Breaks and warming huts

Children who are out in the cold for a long time need to go indoors and warm up at regular intervals. How long children of different ages can keep going on an ordinary day is covered in the guide to a ski holiday with kids – in the cold, the sessions get shorter. How often depends on the dials. On a still day at minus 8, lunch and one more break may be enough. On a windy day that feels like minus 15, the sessions get short: a couple of runs, in, warm up, out again.

Three things make the break better:

• Open up the clothes indoors. Take off the hat and mittens and open the jacket or snowsuit. If the child gets sweaty in the warming hut, they'll get cold faster when you go back out.
• Change into dry mittens. That's why each child needs two pairs.
• Go out before the child gets restless. It's easier to go back out after a short break than after a long one.

Many children's areas have warming huts, and they are built for exactly this. On the coldest days, choose slopes close to a warming hut rather than the big slope far from everything. How to find a resort where the children's area and the warming huts are close together is explained in the guide on how to choose the right ski resort.

Food and drink in the cold

Don't go out into the cold with a child who hasn't eaten for a long time. A proper breakfast before the first run and something to eat at every break are part of dressing for a cold day.

• Hot drinks in a Thermos. Something warm to drink helps the child warm up. Don't give the youngest drinks that are too hot – mix with cold so that it's lukewarm. A hot chocolate after the slopes usually gets even tired children to sit down for a while.
• Food that copes with the cold. Sandwiches and bars go hard when they freeze. Carry them in an inside pocket or in the rucksack close to your back.
• A hot lunch indoors. Soup or stew in the warming hut, or lunch in the cabin if it's close to the slopes. Simple recipes for the whole week are in our guide to food on a ski trip.
• Water too. A water bottle in the rucksack can freeze at the lid. Store it upside down, so it doesn't freeze first where the child drinks.

When you stay indoors

Staying indoors is no failure. Spending one or two days in the cabin, at the swimming pool or on a shorter walk near the house is part of a ski week with children. There are ideas in the guide to a ski holiday without skiing.

Stay indoors, or settle for a short spell near the cabin, when:

• You have a newborn and it's windy and very cold.
• Children under three are coming along and it feels like minus 10 or colder.
• It feels colder than minus 15 for older children, especially if it's windy at the top.
• The forecast shows below minus 27 in felt temperature. The risk of frostbite then rises quickly for everyone.
• The lifts are closed because of the cold. The resort itself has then decided that it's too cold to sit still on the lift.
• Your child has a cold injury that hasn't healed, or asthma that tends to get worse in the cold.
• You can't keep your child dry, for example when the mittens are already wet and there are no spares.

Common mistakes such as packing too few mittens or planning days that are too long are covered in the guide to common mistakes on a ski trip. If it's your first time going with the children, the guide to the first ski trip with children will help with the rest of the planning. And if you want to know how to keep warm indoors when the power goes, read about setting up a warm room.