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Look before you leap

If you’ve decided to take a dip in the deep-freeze, heed these helpful hints:

• If at all possible, don’t try the Polar Bear Plunge cold turkey. Like any other strenuous activity, polar bears—even diehard plungers—train for the event in advance by doing such things as taking cold showers, placing their hands in buckets of ice water, or using a bag of ice as a pillow or seat cushion.

• Do not take part in this event if you have high blood pressure or heart conditions that could put you at risk if immersed in cold water.

• Do not drink alcohol prior to this event. Alcohol, despite reports to the contrary, does not warm you up and can actually accelerate hypothermia.

• Body heat is lost 25 times faster in water than in the air, so don’t stay in the water longer than 15 minutes.

• Don’t remove your clothing until swim time. (Though some events allow clothing and costumes to be worn during the plunge, polar bear purists wear only swimsuits.)

• Wear something on your feet, such as old tennis shoes, aqua socks, or neoprene surf boots. Footwear will help keep your feet comfortable, protect your feet from cuts, and prevent your feet from sticking to the snow and ice on shore.

• Bring along an old blanket or beach towel to sit down on or to change on before and after the swim. Sitting on the frozen tundra can be a chilling experience.

• Have warm boots or shoes to put on once you get out of the water. Once your feet get cold, your entire body will want to chill out, which is not good for that long walk back to your car.

•  If you wear glasses, wear a strap or something similar to hold them on your face—or don’t wear them at all. Glasses dropped in the icy waters are not easy to find.