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Have you taken the Polar Plunge?! Every year brave souls take an icy plunge into freezing water during winter time! So we asked our followers to share their Polar Plunge stories! Where did they take a dip? How did it happen? What did they do?! We’re sharing these story submissions anonymously so you can get in on the fun! Let’s dive in!
“My story is pretty fun/I think it qualifies as a polar plunge. My parents have a pool and hot tub (connected to the pool) in Texas, so every New Years I’m home we ring in the New Year in the hot tub and the first time my little sister says she’s gonna jump in the pool-which is freezing especially after soaking in the hot tub. And somehow we all decided to jump in at the New Year. We’ve done it a few times and man it is so cold, but then we hurry back into the hot tub and get warm. Haha good memories!!”
“I was a first time beehive to girls camp and they woke us up and told us to hurry and go outside. We found out we were jumping into the FREEZING lake and I was pissed tbh. Was not a happy camper. When I got in it was so cold my body immediately reacted and I peed on myself in the lake! My friend Abby was next to me and exclaimed, “oh it’s not THAT bad!” Well Abby, if you’re out there, it was that bad and more. 🤣”
“I was living on the South Island in New Zealand during the winter months. One night at around 1am some friends and I walked to McDonald’s for a late night snack. On the way home I was dared to jump in the lake. This isn’t just any lake. It’s one of the largest and deepest in NZ (Lake Wakatipu) and the water is SUPER cold. I jumped in clothes and all and ran all the way home chattering and shivering the whole way :)”
“Me and my siblings always took at least one polar plunge a year!! We would be soaking in the hot tub in our back yard and would dare each other to see who could jump into the pool (50 degrees) first! We would also see who could stay in the freezing cold pool the longest. It was such a fun memory with my siblings!”
“On a study abroad with my friends, we decided to go to the Amalfi Coast for a day. It was a lot colder than we imagined but decided we couldn’t leave without jumping into the water. Absolutely FREEZING but sooo worth it.”
“Growing up my family would spend New Years at our lake house. We often would invite a family we were close with. We would always play games and have adventures with the other family’s kids. One adventure was the polar plunge! We would all jump in the lake and see who could last the longest before getting out and running to the hot tub to warm up! One year I was determined to win, but so was one of the sons in the other family. We both stayed in the freezing lake for 30 minutes before calling a truce and climbing up the ladder on the dock at the same time! To this day, I don’t know how I lasted that long!! I guess once you get past the initial shock of how cold it is and your body goes numb it’s not that bad!! Haha!”
“My husband and I thought it would be a good/sexy idea to go skinny dipping at night in Lake Powell...in April. It was 45 degrees and we couldn’t stop shivering or laughing at how ridiculous and NOT hot (literally) the whole scene was 😂.”
“Every year we venture to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with my husband & our friends. Usually we go in June when it's a bit warmer but this year we ended up going in October 😬❄ Still fun, but definitely colder. There's a few cliffs on Lake Superior that we always jump off of every summer and I decided to still take the dive even though it was in the upper 30's outside. We drove to the cliffs and my friend (the only other human who was brave with me) and I took a run for it in our swimsuits. No looking back! The water was *literally* freezing. We swam to the rocks shivering and climbed back up. My body was definitely numb and red all over because I was so cold but it was definitely so fun. I'd for real do it again!”
“When I first moved by Lake Michigan we started a thanksgiving polar plunge tradition! If there was snow every year we did it!”
“It was mid October in Rexburg, ID. Me and two of my college guy friends got invited to a bonfire out by monkey rock. (A swimming hole that’s super cold even on a hot summer day). While at the bonfire someone sparked the idea to get in the freezing water. Me and my guy friends decided to accept the challenge! IT. WAS. FREEZING. And also slightly anti climatic since the only people I knew at the fire were the ones in the water with me! Haha but we had fun!”
“I went off a zipline into a fresh spring (extra icy cold!) on New Year’s day! It was definitely worth the $83 dollars my family collectively bet me that I wouldn’t do it!”
“My best friend decided months in advance that she was doing a polar plunge for her 38th birthday. In good spirits I decided to go along knowing darn well this was happening mid November. As we prepared to drive up to a nearby lake, Donner Lake, yes as in the Donner party, the 1846 tragic history lesson. As we ran into that freezing water, our breath was taken away. Our bodies were steaming as we ran out of the icy lake.”
Those stories have us shivering just thinking about them! You’re a wild bunch! So what do you think? Are you convinced the polar plunge is worth the rush? Or will you be sitting it out this year!? Either way, we’re grateful for hot tubs and indoor pools to keep us cozy this winter season.
