The Ultimate Polar Plunge

The greatest athletes are those who compete against themselves. They’re their own biggest rivals, and they don’t need to be pushed by others. Instead, these phenomenal competitors are motivated by their own self image, by their own mind, and by their own desire to achieve the seemingly impossible goals they set for themselves.

 

The Challenge

A six-time American Ninja Warrior contestant, former pro skateboarder, and collegiate rugby star, Grant McCartney is used to pushing his body to places of indescribable difficulty. His mindset is simple: he’s always found comfort in extreme discomfort. Now, he’s gearing up to find out just how uncomfortable he’s willing to get: a literal Polar plunge and fully submerged swim underneath multiple feet of ice in northern Alaska.

 

Most athletes who attempt cold immersion submerge themselves up to their neckline for a couple of minutes, with the most intense ducking their head in at the end. A believer that more discomfort spurs greater development, this wasn’t enough for Grant.

“Anybody can get in cold water, but not everybody is willing to take the risk of a fully submerged freezing swim, which magnifies the risks exponentially, and could ultimately lead to severe hypothermia, cold shock, and even blindness.”

 

 

Instead of doing a standard ice bath in the gym, Grant wanted to do it in the sub-freezing Arctic air. Rather than dipping his head for a few seconds, he wanted to swim under the surface – and hold his breath – for minutes. And instead of getting in a tub, he wanted to submerge himself under a literal sheet of ice – by drilling over two feet through frozen ground.

Prolonged cold immersion is already dangerous, and Grant was taking it to the next level. Cold water drains body heat four times faster than cold air does, and the rapid release of heat from the body causes dramatic changes in breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure – all of which exponentially increase the risk of drowning, even for the most experienced swimmers. When hypothermia sets in, the risks become even more pronounced.