# What's the coldest water you've swam in?



## mattinthewild

This is at 10,000 feet today near White Baldy:


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## katorade

Can I do what you do!?


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## mattinthewild

katorade said:


> Can I do what you do!?


Yes. I teach college. Lots of free time


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## Greenhead_Slayer

mattinthewild said:


> Yes. I teach college. Lots of free time


Nice. I wish my professors had useful hobbies, instead I think all their hobbies are finding ways to ruin their students lives


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## outdoorser

Wow thats awesome. And I thought I was cool wakeboarding in 50 degree water


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## elkfromabove

Many, many moons ago, as a boy scout, I was the swimmer in the swim, row, run race at Camp Steiner near Mirror Lake, and had to swim to the boat, then from the boat after the rowing, but the water was free of ice so it was probably only around 40-50*, not 32 1/2*. The coldest part was while I was in the boat with the rower. In any case, it was warmer than your water! I worry about you guys!

BTW, we won and set a new record!


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## mattinthewild

elkfromabove said:


> Many, many moons ago, as a boy scout, I was the swimmer in the swim, row, run race at Camp Steiner near Mirror Lake, and had to swim to the boat, then from the boat after the rowing, but the water was free of ice so it was probably only around 40-50*, not 32 1/2*. The coldest part was while I was in the boat with the rower. In any case, it was warmer than your water! I worry about you guys!
> 
> BTW, we won and set a new record!


Nice! I wish I could swim well. I'm horrible thats probably why I run.


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## Paladin

I don't know the water temp was, but I over-turned a canoe in the Bruneau River in S. Idaho in January, a couple years ago. Ambient air-temp was -8 degrees. Lost a bag full of bismuth shells to the bottom of the river. My clothes froze instantly as soon as I got on shore. To make matters worse, I didn't shoot one duck that day...

But anyway, the water was pretty cold!


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## scott_rn

To tie your two threads together, a couple of years ago our scouts swam in a lake in the matanuska glacier. They did slides down the ice into the water. I missed that day, came up the next morning to float the river.


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## mattinthewild

scott_rn said:


> To tie your two threads together, a couple of years ago our scouts swam in a lake in the matanuska glacier. They did slides down the ice into the water. I missed that day, came up the next morning to float the river.


Nice!


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## brookieguy1

That silly old pool at Tracy Wigwam is probably only 32.8 degrees! They told us the stone wall on the east end reflected the sun and warmed the water....yeah right.


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## DallanC

elkfromabove said:


> Many, many moons ago, as a boy scout, I was the swimmer in the swim, row, run race at Camp Steiner near Mirror Lake, and had to swim to the boat, then from the boat after the rowing, but the water was free of ice so it was probably only around 40-50*, not 32 1/2*. The coldest part was while I was in the boat with the rower. In any case, it was warmer than your water! I worry about you guys!
> 
> BTW, we won and set a new record!


Been there, done that... its amazing how cold that lake is. Was for sure the coldest feeling water I've ever been in. That first splash off the dock about put the body in shock. LOL! Had to be low 40's

Didnt do it for any race though, you had to swim out to the floating dock and back 4 times to be certified to take out the canoes.

Good times, kids today are missing out

-DallanC


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## tallbuck

I remember as a boy taking black garbage bags while up in the Winds and sliding down glaciers into the lakes during the heat of the day! Dont know how cold, but it sure felt good!


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## Longgun

brookieguy1 said:


> That silly old pool at Tracy Wigwam is probably only 32.8 degrees! They told us the stone wall on the east end reflected the sun and warmed the water....yeah right.


Holy crap, talk about FLASHBACK! Still suffering shrinkage from that darn place! My feet will never fit these new boots. ;-) i was in the first group of swimmers that day, jumped right in after the line o bull we were fed. The second group... yeah, they had to be "helped" in the pool. :O--O--O:

Then there's bear lake and the fun lil boat wars we all got into and called it a meritbadge, LOL. Good times... a warm pile of rocks/shoreline has since never felt quite so comphy.


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## mattinthewild

Longgun said:


> Holy crap, talk about FLASHBACK! Still suffering shrinkage from that darn place! My feet will never fit these new boots. ;-) i was in the first group of swimmers that day, jumped right in after the line o bull we were fed. The second group... yeah, they had to be "helped" in the pool. :O--O--O:
> 
> Then there's bear lake and the fun lil boat wars we all got into and called it a meritbadge, LOL. Good times... a warm pile of rocks/shoreline has since never felt quite so comphy.


 very cool place huh!?


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## Nalgi

On a high adventure hike in the Sierra we broke the ice on Silver Lake and made everyone jump in. 

Still havent found em


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## LostLouisianian

I've always prided myself on having the good sense not to purposefully go swimming in cold water


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## royta

Clear Lake east of Eugene and Springfield on Hwy 126 in Oregon. Between 35 & 43 degrees year round. I was the Scoutmaster and had to show the boys how tough I was. I swam out about 20 feet and was scared I wasn't going to make it back. Very cold.


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## Dave Adamson

Last January I was hunting by myself at Cutler and was on my knees sliding off the ice into about 3 feet of water when the slab I was on broke off and I did a face plant. I had a belt around my waders so my upper body took the main soaking but by the time I loaded upthe boat up and got back to the launch it was all I could do to get my waders off. It was -7 when I launched.


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## wyoming2utah

The coldest water I have swum in was around 60 degrees....after I did it, I knew that it was too **** cold. My question is why in the name of all that is good on this great earth you would want to swim in anything colder...?

Personally, I think swimming in ice cold water to be plain stupid.


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## 30-06-hunter

I grew up in Maine where it wasn't uncommon to find us on a Saturday night hopping between dips the hot tub and a splash in the stream next to the cabin in 10-15 degree weather in the middle of winter, made for some really cool frozen hairdos. But we did slip on the ice barefoot a few times and the road rash you get from crusty ice is no joke. Thinking back on it really makes it seem I was a bit insane in my teens.


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