It doesn’t take long for the cold to become deadly. Before hunger gnaws at your stomach or thirst parches your throat, the biting chill can seize you, and if you’re caught unprepared, it might just win.
Take Alex Theissen’s harrowing story. A simple spring outing in the White Mountains turned into a near catastrophe. He was six hours from the trailhead, two hours past his planned turnaround time, and surrounded by encroaching storms. The timberline stretched desolate above him, temperatures dropped like a lead weight, and his “supplies” consisted of some cheese and a crinkly foil survival blanket. Panic was close—dangerously close.
But survival is a game of choices. One wrong move can cascade into disaster. Theissen’s turning point was remembering a simple acronym: S.T.O.P.
Sit. Think. Observe. Plan.
Those four words became his lifeline, guiding him through decisions that probably saved his life. His actions offer a crash course in cold-weather survival, a lesson for anyone venturing into the wilderness when frost is on the wind.
First Rule: Fight the Cold
Exposure isn’t just uncomfortable—it’s lethal. In freezing conditions, hypothermia can set in faster than you’d expect. Theissen knew staying in the exposed alpine zone was a death sentence, so his first move was to descend below the treeline. There, he could hunt for shelter and hopefully some warmth.
Now, building a proper shelter or fire in the cold isn’t exactly a casual afternoon activity. Snow caves, tree wells, or even the hollows of riverbanks can save your skin, but they take know-how and resources. As for fire? Tinder is scarce in winter, but it’s not impossible to find. Look for dry evergreen needles, pitch-soaked bark, or maybe a lucky stash of dead leaves tucked beneath a rock overhang.
Theissen found a root cavity, packed it with snow to block the wind, and lined it with evergreen boughs to insulate himself from the icy ground. His fire wasn’t much—just a stubborn flicker—but it was enough to keep hope alive.
Second Rule: Stay Found
Getting lost is easy when the world around you is an endless blur of white. Theissen didn’t try to return to the trailhead in the storm—he knew it would only increase his chances of disorientation or worse. Instead, he marked his path carefully and stayed put, ensuring that once visibility returned, he could retrace his steps.
Pro tip: If you can’t see, don’t wander. The wilderness isn’t forgiving, and flailing through unfamiliar terrain can lead you straight off a cliff—or into a worse situation than the one you’re already in.
Third Rule: Make Yourself Visible
When it comes to rescue, being seen is the name of the game. Signals like smudge fires, stamped patterns in the snow, or reflective surfaces can catch the eye of search parties. High ground, open riverbanks, or clearings at the edge of the forest are prime spots to wait.
If Theissen had been truly lost, he could have anchored his foil blanket as a signal or burned damp materials to create thick, visible smoke. Rescue teams look for stationary targets, so staying put increases your odds of being found.
Fourth Rule: Stay Hydrated
It’s easy to forget about water when everything around you is frozen. But dehydration can sneak up, worsening your physical and mental state. Thankfully, in winter landscapes, water is often just beneath the snowpack—look for flowing creeks or river bends. If the sun is shining, you might even find ice melt on dark rock faces. No fire to melt snow? Suck on small amounts at a time to avoid dropping your core temperature further.
Fifth Rule: Fuel the Fire Inside
Food isn’t as immediately critical as warmth or water, but in cold weather, your body burns through calories like a fire devours kindling. Theissen’s hard cheese might not have been gourmet, but it was calorie-dense and kept him going.
Winter landscapes can feel eerily barren, like nature pressed “pause” on everything alive. Hunting or foraging? Good luck—most animals and edible plants are either hibernating or buried beneath layers of snow. The key here is prevention: Always pack more food than you think you’ll need.
The Morning After
For Theissen, survival was about playing the long game. The storm passed by 3 a.m., and a silver moonlit glow revealed enough of his surroundings to guide him back to his marked path. By dawn, he was descending from the ridge.
When he reached his car the next afternoon, he was hungry, exhausted, and more than a little humbled. Ignoring his planned turnaround time was a reckless mistake. But after that? Every decision he made was deliberate and smart.
The Takeaway
Cold-weather survival boils down to preparation and calm decision-making. The wilderness doesn’t care if you’re experienced or a first-timer—it will test you either way. Whether you’re hiking, camping, hunting, or just out for a snowy stroll, remember: Exposure is the silent killer, but panic is its right-hand man.
So, before you venture out into the frost-laden wilds, make sure you’ve got more than just cheese and a survival blanket. And above all, know when to S.T.O.P.
