This weekend the windchill got to -45 degrees! That is cold and that got me thinking of times in my life where I was really cold. What is the coldest you have ever been? Do you remember that moment of freezing to death? I have a couple of stories when I almost froze to death.

The first really cold moment in my life was in high school. This is me being really stupid. I was deer hunting with some friends. We were hunting around the Rosen area and the sun hadn’t come up yet and we positioned ourselves in trees. This was before the fancy deer stands, we actually climbed a tree and stood on a branch and leaned against the tree and waited for the deer to come. It was really cold that morning. I remember climbing my tree and trying to get in a comfortable position. I don’t know how long I was in that tree, but I nearly froze to death. We didn’t see any deer and I remember I was so cold I could not move to climb down the tree. The walk to our vehicles was painful. Not a good experience.

The other really cold moment was broadcasting a football game at Redwood Valley High School. This was around 2002. My friend Dan Tuckett was broadcasting with me. Lac qui Parle was playing at Redwood Falls and I think it was a playoff game. I remember how cold and how hard the wind was blowing. The press box was terrible. They put Dan and me at the end of the press box and everytime someone opened the door to come in the wind would just howl inside the press box. At the end of the game both Dan and I were frozen. I almost quit broadcasting the football game because I was so cold and I just wanted to get into my car and warm up. It was the only time in my broadcasting career that I almost ended the broadcast before the game was over. Another cold football game was at Monticello just a few years ago. Minneota was playing in a state quarterfinal game and the press box at Monticello is small, so I had to broadcast outside from the bleachers! That was a cold night.

There’s no reason for being really cold now days the way the coats, hats and gloves are made today. My wife just got a vest for Christmas that heats up. Technology is amazing, heated gloves, boots and now coats. You can get heated seats and steering wheels in your car. I have a “bomber hat” and I love it, it keeps my head really warm.

I would love to hear your cold story.