New Year’s Day means something different for everybody. For some, it’s the first day of making their resolutions come true. For others, it’s a time to watch college football. For some in Juneau, it means putting on a swimsuit and sprinting into freezing cold water.
The Juneau Polar Bear Dip is happening once again this year at Auke Recreation Area’s main shelter, taking place at 1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 1. People are asked to arrive at 12:30 p.m. at the latest because parking fills up quickly and it can take a while for people to walk to the beach from their cars.
The event has been an annual tradition since 1992, when a group of friends “wanted an invigorating way to ring in the new year,” according to the event’s website. Now, it’s become the place to be on New Year’s Day for Juneauites.
For those interested in going, there are a number of important tips listed on the event’s website, which is www.juneauite.com/polarbeardip. The main advice is to bring warm clothes and warm boots to change into after the event, and to bring at least a towel or two to help dry off, heat up and cover up as you take off your bathing suit after the plunge. There’s usually a fire going, but people apparently tend not to hang around for long afterward, as the allure of a warm car is too tempting to turn down.
