I'm Canadian and we get -35 temperatures for at least a few days every winter. This doesn't make sense to me. Of course you should put a scarf over your nose. A

I'm Canadian and we get -35 temperatures for at least a few days every winter. This doesn't make sense to me. Of course you should put a scarf over your nose. At those temperatures , exposed skin freezes very quickly so you need to cover all your skin or you'll get frostbite. I've never had a problem with a scarf freezing stiff like you describe. They build up ice crystals of course, but they don't interfere with air flow and are easily broken. The biggest problem I expect from wearing a mask in the winter is that they'll get damp quickly because the cold temperatures, and perhaps having a scarf over top, will prevent moisture from evaporating.