Ever Wonder What Working in -27°C (-40°C with wind chill) is Like?

I thought, after working in extreme cold weather recently, that a light-hearted post was in order. Especially after the absurd pictures I managed to get.

As some of you may know, I am a roofing repair guy so I work outside year-round. I generally try to avoid working outside when temperatures drop this low; I try to focus on small, short jobs so I can warm up between sites. Unfortunately, last week I ran out of indoor work and quick jobs so I ended up having to just tough out the deep freeze and work outside all day.

What's my experience working in temperatures that feel like -40°C? Well it isn't fun, I can tell you that. Anything under -20°C is a different type of cold; perhaps, I would call it a stinging cold. Ungloved fingers start to hurt in a minute or less and frost bite is a risk to take seriously. I've had mild frost bite on my toes a few times over the years. Hypothermia is also a concern and you have to know when to go inside and warm up.

Working with hand tools, which is what I mainly use, is also a challenge because the thicker the gloves you wear the less dexterity you have with your hands. I do what I can with my gloves on but at some point I usually have to take one or both gloves off to finish a task. I can often keep my hand(s) warm by shoving it in my jacket periodically. Sometimes just putting putting my hand on my leg is enough to keep it from freezing. The more time you spend out in the cold, the more your body will build up a tolerance to it.

I don't always have the warmest winter clothing on while I'm working either because the shingles are so rough that everything gets destroyed in short order. Usually, after buying new clothing, I will have either ripped or smeared tar on it within the first day or two. I just make sure to layer up really well and take breaks if I have to. The day these pictures were taken, I was wearing two layers of long johns and an extra sweater!

The beard is pivotal for me in this weather. Not only is it extremely attractive but it also keeps my face and neck warm. I've tried balaclavas but they cause my glasses to fog up from my breath.

As you can see from the photos, the moisture in my breath was freezing almost instantly as it left my mouth and I built up a substantial icicle on my mustache after a few hours. Eventually, the icicle grew so large that it broke off due to the sheer weight of it!

No, I am not making a duck face! I was moving my lips into funny positions to try and get the icicle to stick out more!

It's not just my face that is freezing in this weather either, pretty much any moisture freezes almost instantly.

A pillar and chalice of ice under a furnace exhaust!

One of the benefits of these crazy cold snaps we get is that it usually means more work! Many houses build up excessive condensation in the attic during this type of weather, and when it warms up and melts clients suspect their roof is leaking. After we assess the "leak" we usually end up adding more vents to improve airflow unless there is some other issue that needs to be addressed, such as the vapor barrier.

What do you think? Is that the most impressive beard icicle you have ever seen? Am I crazy for working when a bare hand could get frost biten in a couple of minutes?

Proof of deep freeze? Stay warm folks!

Thanks for reading everyone! Feel free to ask questions or leave comments and, as always, any support you choose to give is greatly appreciated.