Saturday, January 02, 2010

Polar Bare

Polar Bear New Year's Day Plunges are common a tradition now (or as one YouTube vid title put it, "A Celebration of Shrinkage").

This icebreaker in Ottawa does not look fun at all. This is just crazy. Temperature probably in single digits. Yikes!!!


In Ft. Wayne they are at least having a good time with it. Temperatures probably in the teens. Link via John Good.


They do it Austin too, and it was an extra-chilly 45° that morning. 70° temps are not unusual for this time of year but we've had a few cold fronts go through. Barton Springs, though, is always 68° (spring-fed). That's still too cold for me though, even when it's over 100, I can't get in that water. I'm a super-sissy.

4 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

You have to be a special kind of crazy to do a polar bear swim. We love 'em up here in Canada!

Blueberry said...

That special kind of crazy is the same kind that it takes to have the Hot Sauce Festival down here in August, outdoors, when the temperature will be over 100-F.

yellowdoggranny said...

No...I repeat...No...fucking way.
I've swam at Barton Springs many times...like it better at hippy holler..it's hard to get to but the water is much warmer.

Blueberry said...

ydg: I'm kinda shy about going nekkid (hippie hollow) and don't want to embarrass the naturists by remaining clothed (I'm so chicken), also I can't really swim, so I need something with a definite shallow end.
;-)