Polar Bears plunge again for New Years
A sign that read, “Plungers enter here; Plunge @ own risk” greeted the dozen or so spectators who came to watch the Libby Polar Bears plunge into the Kootenai River on Sunday during the annual New Year Swim.
At Riverfront Park, 2:30 p.m. “Polar Bear” Rick Klin diving into the brisk Kootenai River on Sunday for the annual Libby Polar Bears New Year Swim. (Bethany Rolfson/TWN)
Four “polar bears” took a dip into the almost-freezing Kootenai River over the weekend.
The annual New Years Polar Bear Plunge on 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, during which people voluntarily subjected themselves to the cold water of the Kootenai.
Rick Klin, the club’s founder, has been doing plunges for over 40 years, saying that the cold “keeps him young.”
After walking into the frigid water, Klin yelled out to the dozen-or-so spectators in almost-theatrical sarcasm, “I don’t want to go in, it’s too cold,” before diving in.
Three other people walked in and stuck their head in, but Klin stayed in the longest, floating on the water on his back.