You can't explore the mountains at all without frost resistance or having to spam campfires everywhere, that's why frost resistance mead is made timely available. It also has additional use in reducing frost damage. Can't say that about mistlands and feather fall.

Originally posted by HangarPilot:

You can get by with just 5 if you want to keep building and taking apart the black forge, refinery, and galdr table. But I would suggest "normal progression" is to build each in turn. That, in and of itself, is quite a lot of work.

Nothing abnormal about this, it's what those of us who tried the game before surtling core spawns were increased in burial chambers did.