In early 2014, a man from Terrace, British Columbia, who posts on YouTube as Captain Quinn, answered the Winter Challenge in style. He cut a hole through roughly 18 inches of lake ice outside his house, climbed in wearing boots, short shorts and a fur hat, and then nominated his mum.
What the Winter Challenge 2014 was
The Winter Challenge spread across social media in British Columbia in early 2014. The rules were simple: film yourself fully submerging in a cold lake, river or sea, then nominate other people, who had 24 hours to do the same.
It reached well beyond backyard lakes. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and Councillor Andrea Reimer swam in Burrard Inlet and then challenged BC Premier Christy Clark. In July and August 2014 the Ice Bucket Challenge took the same nominate-a-friend, 24-hour format around the world.
A chainsaw, an auger and a fur hat
Captain Quinn’s entry stood out for its preparation. He started with a chainsaw, finished with an ice auger, and opened a hole through ice about 18 inches (45 cm) thick on the frozen lake by his home. The thick white rim of ice around the dark water gives the video its striking look.
Terrace, a city of about 12,000 people on the Skeena River in west central British Columbia, averages more than three metres of snow a year, and January days usually stay below freezing. HuffPost Canada featured his clip in March 2014, and the nomination of his mother added a good laugh at the end.
What cold water does to the body
Cold-water immersion follows a well-studied pattern. In the first two to three minutes comes cold shock: a gasp reflex, rapid breathing and a racing heart. In water below about 15 °C, the time a person can hold their breath falls from a normal 60–90 seconds to just a few seconds, which raises the risk of inhaling water in those first minutes.
After a few minutes, muscles and nerves in the arms and legs begin to cool, and grip and coordination fade. True hypothermia, a core temperature below 35 °C, usually takes 30 minutes or more. People can also collapse during or just after rescue as their circulation readjusts.
Cold-water dipping done safely
If you want to try a winter dip, treat it as planned exercise. Go with an experienced group, have a person on the shore with a rope or ladder, enter slowly so you can control your breathing, and keep the first dips to a minute or two. Have warm clothes and a hot drink waiting, and never dive or jump in through ice you have not checked.
Explore more cold-weather stories: the evidence and limits of Wim Hof claims and a separate professional winter-surfing context.
Related reading
- Norwegian Winter Stunts: Separating Comedy From Advice
- The People vs Winter: James Herring’s Compilation of Lost Traction
- A First Drag-Lift Attempt in Veysonnaz
- A Snow-Covered Car and the Window That Changes the Joke
- Janitor’s Revenge: A Snow-Shovelling Visual Joke
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