'Professor Popsicle' Proves Cold No Barrier

During a cold stretch that had many Canadians scurrying indoors, a researcher known as "Professor Popsicle" has found humans can successfully spend days on end in the bitter cold.

Gordon Giesbrecht has spent the past 26 days skiing the isolated, frozen expanse of Lake Winnipeg as part of his research for the University of Manitoba on how the body copes with the cold.

Temperatures averaged 15 degrees below zero and dipped as low as 31 below during his 240-mile trek on cross-country skis.

"Now when I'm outside and it's -25 C, it's not really a big problem," he told reporters by satellite phone from his small tent on the world's tenth largest lake.

"This has been more a test of just dealing with the cold and living with it, and getting your clothing and your actions coordinated so that you don't end up getting frostbite or anything," explained Giesbrecht.

Soft, deep snow made for some tough slogging with his backpack and sled carrying his food and gear. On two mornings, Giesbrecht emerged from his tent to find the wind so fierce that his tent was almost flat.

"The most vulnerable time of the day is when you are trying to set up your tent, and I was not about to take that chance," he wrote on a Web site updated by his family.

Other than numb fingertips, which will likely take a month to return to normal, Giesbrecht said he feels fine.

长期的寒冷迫使许多加拿大人在屋子里跑来跑去，而一位被称为“冰棒教授”的研究者在此期间发现人类可以在严寒中成功坚持生存很长时间。

戈登·吉斯布雷西特在温尼泊湖荒凉的冰面上滑雪度过了26天，这是他为马尼托巴大学所作的研究的一部分，研究的主题是：人体是怎样来抵御寒冷的。

在他长达240英里、跨越国界的艰难旅程中，平均气温只有零下15度，最低达到零下31度。

他在世界第十大湖边的一个小帐篷中通过卫星电话告诉记者说：“现在呆在零下25度的室外难不倒我。”

“这不仅仅是一次应付寒冷并在寒冷中生存的实验，你还要调整自己的衣着和行动，这样才不至于被冻伤或受到任何伤害。”吉斯布雷西特解释说。

他背着背包、拖着装运食品和工具的雪橇在雪地上跋涉，松软厚实的积雪导致旅途更加艰难。有两天早晨，吉斯布雷西特从帐篷中出来的时候发现狂风大作，他的帐篷差不多都被吹塌了。

“一天中最艰难的时候是搭帐篷，我还没有遇到这样的情况。”他在家人为他维护的一个网站上这样写到。

吉斯布雷西特说，除了被冻僵的指尖可能需要一个月才能恢复之外，他感觉很好。

On end: 连续
Set up: 架起（帐篷）