Also, when it gets reasonably cold (say -20F/-29C), snow develops a very different texture -- it squeaks and crunches. If you've seen the Saami film _The Pathfinder_, you can hear it (the film is a pretty good guide to really cold weather in general). Since people and animals tend to hole up when it gets that cold, the outdoors is a lot quieter than usual, which is pleasant or eerie depending on how much you like people/animals around. When you get inside from a really cold day, your overthings seem to radiate cold for a surprisingly long time after you come inside, especially if they are leather (which gets kind of stiff and creeky in the cold, too). You can feel the cold deep in your lungs when you breathe; it gives you a sense of how your lungs are shaped (I happen to like the feeling; other people I know are creeped out by it) -- I suspect that Orlanthi have an opinion on this. Generally, as the temperature drops the air dries out -- you might want describe people oiling leather and wood, using some sort of skin lotion (plant or animal based). Water that doesn't flow reasonably rapidly will freeze over, which might cause problems for getting water to drink.
Working outside in really cold weather is dangerous -- you need to keep warm but not sweat, and you need to think about protecting your skin from wind and frostbite. People who don't have to go far from their homes don't (and cabin fever is always a problem). If it isn't too windy, and you are working outside, you tend to strip layers off as you work and get warmed up to avoid sweating. Dragon Pass seems to get heavy snow, so some kind of ski or snowshoe is probably necessary for anyone who needs to travel any distance (and doesn't have magic to help). Getting trapped outside overnight probably means dying unless you have good supplies and/or magic -- Uncle Bjorn the Valinding is a scary weird guy (sure he's violent and troublesome, but he runs around at night in the winter).
Hope that's some help.
Peter Larsen
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