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I have. Maybe thirty years ago. It is not fun. Sure, you go into the water smiling and happy and "Look at me!", but when you come out, it's "why the hell did I do this?"
I was in a club and did it regularly when I was younger and lived in a cold climate. It's not as bad as it sounds. After that right into the sauna! Pretty healthy!!
Did it once in Temagami right off a cottage dock on Cattle Island owned by my uncle, a 1920's era Swiss immigrant to Canada.
Chopped a big hole in the ice to get ready then put together a lean-to with a roaring fire in an old truck wheel. My older brother, myself, along with our father (who should have known better) and uncle all took turns alternatively jumping into the hole and running back to the lean-to for at least ten repetitions each of this nonsense.
I remember well the scornful look on my mom's and my Aunt's faces admonishing us that a Bombardier snow-cat being called out by ham radio to make the run all the way from the public docks in Temagami to ferry the three of us to the hospital would very likely take longer than the assured pneumonia would to prove fatal to us all.
That would have been in the mid 1950's with only my uncle boasting over ever doing it again during his lifetime.
I've never taken a polar bear plunge like you see in the TV news reports, but I go into cold water a couple of times per winter at nordic spas. I actually did that earlier this month.
The idea of course is to super-heat your body in a sauna, steam bath or hot jacuzzi, and then cool it off in cold water (and sometimes snow - which you can roll around in or throw on your body if you want).
I read that a dip in the icy water works to reset/reboot your body to the point where you could eliminate allergies, certain ailments, stuff like that.
I've headed down to English Bay a few times to watch it. It is really a festive atmosphere with all ages laughing and having a good time. A lot of hangovers later I'm sure.
Broke through the ice in the River at minus 26C rescuing our dog. My wife helped me our with an extended tree. No wish to do that again.
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