One of the most difficult survival situations is a cold weather scenario. Every time you venture into the cold to hunt, fish, backpack, ski, hike, snowmobile, camp… you are pitting yourself against the elements. Cold is a far greater threat to survival than it appears. It decreases your ability to think and weakens your will to do anything except to get warm.

The ultimate survival tool = Knowledge. Knowledge is Power – and in most cases – the difference between life and death. Know your climate before departing; use this information to decide what you need to bring to meet your survival needs. Always prepare for the worst, so that you decrease the severity of the situation and increase the odds of survival. With knowledge, proper planning, and appropriate gear, you CAN conquer the elements and survive.

First things first: Knowing these Three Key Steps to cold weather survival will give you the best possible chance of staying alive.

1. Avoid Exposure Injuries
How well can you meet basic survival needs with frostbitten fingers, swollen painful feet or hypothermia? Odds are, not very well. You must avoid exposure injuries at all cost. Staying dry and creating a barrier between your body and the wind and cold is essential. Wearing appropriate layers of clothing (a base wicking layer like silk or polyester, an insulating layer like wool or fleece and an outer protective layer like Gore-Tex, as well as a hat, insulated gloves, wool blend socks and boots); seeking shelter (using your vehicle or creating one with a tarp or from trees, tree boughs and/or snow); and building a fire (to warm up by, dry clothes or create a warm drink) are the foundation of avoiding cold injuries.

2. Stay Hydrated
Without water, you’ll die in approximately two to five days. In addition, dehydration will directly affect your ability to make logical decisions and handle any problems that may arise. In cold weather, fluids are lost when the body works to warm itself. Prevention is the best way to avoid dehydration. To accomplish this, drink at least 2 quarts of water per day during minimal activity and 4 to 6 quarts per day during more intense activity. Obvious water sources include surface streams, lakes, ponds and precipitation. Remember that eating snow will cause your body to lose heat, so melt and warm it up before drinking. To do this, use a fire or put it in a container (preferably with some water already in it) and shake the container or put it between the layers of your clothing to warm it.

3. Signal for help
Without a signal, how will anyone know you need to be rescued? There are two basic types of signals – those that attract rescue and those that pinpoint your exact location.

Signals that attract rescue include aerial flares (these flares shoot 800-1,200 feet into the air and burn a bright red color for 8 to 12 seconds as they fall back to the ground), cell phones and a personal locator beacon (a satellite system that gives your coordinates to a base station that in turn alerts the appropriate rescue organization of your general location).

Signals that pinpoint your position include a signal mirror, whistle, smoke flare and a ground-to-air signal. If you are going to create the latter, make sure it is at least 18 feet long by 3 feet wide, with sharp angles, and made out of a material that contrasts with the surrounding ground.

Become familiar with the proper use of all your signals in advance, as time will be of the essence. Avoid wasting any one-time use signals, like an aerial flare or smoke flare, by making sure that a potential rescuer is close enough to see or hear the signal before setting it off.