The Cold, Hard Facts About Freezing to Death.

The process of freezing to death is presented in horrifying detail in this classic article. It's not just a matter of getting cold and dying. For example, just before they freeze, people with hypothermia tear their clothes off in a fit of what's called "paradoxical undressing."

At 85 degrees, those freezing to death, in a strange, anguished paroxysm, often rip off their clothes. This phenomenon, known as paradoxical undressing, is common enough that urban hypothermia victims are sometimes initially diagnosed as victims of sexual assault. Though researchers are uncertain of the cause, the most logical explanation is that shortly before loss of consciousness, the constricted blood vessels near the body's surface suddenly dilate and produce a sensation of extreme heat against the skin.

http://outside.away.com/outside/magazine/0197/9701fefreez.html

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by McJohnny.


I smashed a few ribs in a few years back after losing control and skiing into a tree and had to be snowmobiled back to the Chalet (after a good ~45 minutes of laying in the snow, mind you). My core temp dropped quite a bit but I never lost consciousness or any extremities, which I suppose is a good thing.
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I guess the most memorable character to undress himself due to hypothermia is the man in Jack London's classic story "To Build a Fire." So, I guess this "symptom" was something even London knew about over 100 years ago.
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