History Main / HighUpIceUp

* ''Film/IronMan1'': When testing the Mark II armor, Tony nearly dies when he flies too high and freezes up. To remedy this, he creates the Mark III out of an alloy that one of his high-atmosphere satellites is made out of (and conveniently gives the armor its signature gold color). It becomes a ChekhovsGun later, when he fights the Iron Monger and correctly banks on the fact that the latter hasn't considered the issue yet.

* In ''Discworld/IShallWearMidnight'', Tiffany keeps her broomstick tethered to herself on a piece of string because if she ties it to a bush, some kid is likely to steal it and fly so high this trope would come into play.

* TruthInTelevision: Icing on the wings is a very real danger of high-altitude flight. Ice forming on the carburetor of small private planes is another common hazard and can choke off the fuel supply. There's a device that routes exhaust gases through the carburetor to warm it up and melt ice, but using comes with a pretty serious power loss, so careful judgement (and remembering to use it when conditions are right) becomes part of the checklist procedures.

* TruthInTelevision: Icing on the wings is a very real danger of high-altitude flight. Ice forming the carburetor of small private planes is another common hazard and can choke off the fuel supply. There's a device that routes exhaust gases through the carburetor to warm it up and melt ice, but using comes with a pretty serious power loss, so careful judgement (and remembering to use it when conditions are right) becomes part of the checklist procedures.

''(Iron Monger's systems short out from the cold, sending him plummeting to earth)''\\
'''Iron Man:''' [[BondOneLiner Might want to look into it.]]

'M(Iron Monger's systems short out from the cold, sending him plummeting to earth)''\\

(''Iron Monger's systems short out from the cold, sending him plummeting to earth'')\\
'''Iron Man:''' Might want to look into it. (''Bonk!'')

-->-- '''Film/IronMan1'''

* In the WestrnAnimation/BarneyBear short ''The Flying Bear'', Barney flies too high up and becomes a HumanPopsicle before he literally hits "ceiling zero".

'''Iron Monger:''' [[OhCrap ...Icing problem?]]\\

* ''Film/IronMan1'': When testing the Mk II armor, Tony nearly dies when he flies too high and freezes up. It becomes a ChekhovsGun later, when he fights the Iron Monger and correctly banks on the fact that the latter hasn't considered the issue yet.

->'''Iron Monger:''' You had a great idea, Tony, but my suit is more advanced in every way!
->'''Iron Man:''' How'd you solve the icing problem?
->'''Iron Monger:''' [[OhCrap ...Icing problem?]]
->''[Iron Monger's systems short out from the cold, sending him plummeting to earth]''
->'''Iron Man:''' Might want to look into it. (Bonk!)
-->-'''Film/IronMan1'''

!Examples:

[[folder:Anime/Manga]]

[[folder:Comicbooks]]
* One ''ComicBook/{{Planetary}}'' story had a character get rid of a NighInvulnerable {{mook}} with a chokehold by flying so high up the mook froze.
* One ''Comicbook/BuckDanny'' story had Sonny climb up to escape an assailant, and noticing his plane freezing after staying up too long.

[[folder:Classical Mythology]]
* Interestingly, the Greek tale of Icarus and Daedalus inverts this: As both are flying over the sea with their fake wings, the former flies up too close to the sun, something that the latter warned not to do since it could melt the glue for the wing construction and make the wings break. Predictably enough, Icarus ultimately fell to the sea and perished. As ever, though, Science Marches On; we now know that high altitude doesn't (exactly) mean increase in heat, but rather the reverse. You need not just space travel, but ''interplanetary'' travel to get close enough to the sun so heat kicks in.

[[folder:Film]]
* ''Film/IronMan1'': When testing the Mk II armor, Tony nearly dies when he flies too high and freezes up. It becomes a ChekhovsGun later, when he fights the Iron Monger and correctly banks on the fact that the latter hadn't considered the issue yet.
* ''Film/GameraVsViras'' (AKA ''Destroy All Planets''): At the end of the movie, [[spoiler:Gamera is impaled by the head of the BigBad. He flies high up into the atmosphere, causing the BigBad to freeze to death.]]
* In the 2003 Film/{{Hulk}} movie, the pilot of a fighter jet that the Hulk has grabbed onto does a variation on this to get him to let go-- he flies straight up until the cold and lack of oxygen cause the Hulk to pass out.
[[/folder]]

* In ''Tarnsman of {{Gor}},'' Tarl takes his tarn (a giant bird that some warriors ride) extremely high up; he doesn't realize how high he is until the tarn starts to struggle with the thin air and ice crystals hit him in the face. Then he lets the tarn descend to a more manageable altitude.

* This happens to [[Literature/TheInheritanceCycle Eragon and Saphira]] when they try to fly over some extremely high mountains. They come to the conclusion that they just have to go around, not over.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

--> Ice is forming on the tips of my wings
--> Unheeded warnings I thought I thought of everything
--> No navigator to guide my way home
--> Unladened, empty and turned to stone

** Also, severe storm clouds form hail because powerful updrafts can reach as high as 50,000 feet. Hang glider pilots have gotten sucked into storm cells and encrusted with ice.
[[/folder]]

* One ''{{Planetary}}'' story had a character get rid of a NighInvulnerable {{mook}} with a chokehold by flying so high up the mook froze.

* From {{Pink Floyd}}'s "Learning to Fly":

->'''Iron Man:''' Might want to look into it. [Bonk!]
-->-'''Film/IronMan1''' (paraphrased)

->'''Iron Monger:''' My armor is superior in every way!

->'''Iron Man:''' You might want to look into it.

* TruthInTelevision: Icing on the wings is a very real danger of high-altitude flight.

* ''[[{{Pokemon}} Pokémon]]:'' One episode of the anime sees this happen to a brave Pidgey that tried to fly to the moon. A [[Anime/PokemonTheMovieBlackAndWhite later movie]] has this happen to Ash and Pikachu, via getting launched into space.

* ''Film/IronMan1'': Played straight, and later invoked against [[spoiler:[[BigBad Obadiah Stane]]]].

* This is assumed to be the reason why ''Franchise/{{Pokémon}}'''s ElementalRockPaperScissors system has Ice attacks do extra damage to Flying-type Pokémon.

* ''Film/IronMan:'' Played straight, and later invoked against [[spoiler:[[BigBad Obadiah Stane]]]].

* One ''Comicbook//{{BuckDanny}}'' story had Sonny climb up to escape an assailant, and noticing his plane freezing after staying up too long.

* ''[[{{Pokemon}} Pokémon]]:'' One episode of the anime sees this happen to a brave Pidgey.

* Interestingly, the Greek tale of Icarus and Daedalus inverts this: As both are flying over the sea with their fake wings, the former flies up too close to the sun, something that the latter warned not to do since it could melt the glue for the wing construction and make the wings break. Predictably enough, Icarus ultimately fell to the sea and perished. As ever, though, Science Marches On; we now know that high altitude doesn't (exactly) mean increase in heat, but rather the reverse.