Six hours in -22 degree air will cool a body more slowly than 80 minutes submerged in near-freezing water.

This means that her degree of core protection was probably less extreme — her core temperature, while dangerously low, may not have fallen as rapidly or as deeply as Anna Bågenholm’s.

But the principle is the same.

Cold slows the dying process.

Given cold and time, remarkable things can happen.

The Role Of Youth And Health

Medical commentary on Jean Hilliard’s case has consistently noted that her youth and general physical health were likely factors in her survival.

Young, healthy people have cardiovascular systems that can withstand significant physiological stress.