The Polar Plunge: A How-To Guide
By Rebecca Ratterman December 28, 2016
This article originally appeared in the January 2017 issue of Seattle magazine.
Feeling up to a frigid dip in Lake Washington to start off the new year? Hundreds of locals bathe themselves blue in the yearly Polar Bear Plunge at noon on January 1 at Matthews Beach (5100 NE 93rd St.). Seattle Parks Department employee Garrison Wan offers tips for how to prep for the plunge:
1. Wear a superfly outfit—you’ll be so cool you won’t even feel the water.
2. Layer: Wear your bathing suit under your clothing so you don’t have to change.
3. Bring fluffy towels and a friend to hold them so you can wrap up in .01 second post-plunge.
4. Wear water shoes. Not Timberlands.
5. Save the Champagne for after the dip. (No need to ice it, it will chill in your mouth.)
6. Run and take a great leap of faith: The faster you go, the less likely you’ll be to change your mind.
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