Tired of winter? Go jump in a lake

I’m here to state the obvious: winter makes people crazy.

There’s lots of evidence to back up my bold claim.

Just the other day I came across a news item posted on infonews.ca that showed a video clip of a man clad in nothing but his Speedo, water-skiing through slush on the streets of Fernie, that lovely Canadian ski town just across the border. Lisa Vincent captured the daring dude, saying she happened to be in the right place at the right time.

The scene played out on Feb. 1, on 11th Avenue in Fernie, where warm weather “created the perfect water-skiing slop for the man to be towed along on.”

Many of these out-of-the-ordinary winter escapades involve water or ice. Yesterday, dozens of people jumped into Whitefish Lake for the annual Penguin Plunge to raise money for Montana Special Olympics. While it makes no sense to jump into icy water, the money raised does go to a good cause.

My daughter Heather has taken the plunge for Special Olympics for the past nine years in Anchorage, Alaska. I just donate money and let her and her team do the rest.

The winter waterworks continue with Whitefish Mountain Resort’s end-of-the-season pond skim, planned April 4 this year. Again, seemingly normal people find it highly amusing to dress in costume, take off on skis and snowboards and attempt to cross a custom-built pond for a chance at a cash purse. Upwards of 2,000 people gather to witness the craziness.

And in my old Minnesota stomping grounds, crews have been harvesting slabs of ice from Detroit Lake to build an impressive “Minnesota Sn’ice” ice castle, complete with an ice throne for their King Isbit (apparently a knock-off of Whitefish’s King Ullr). On Feb. 6 the castle was lit with color-changing LED lights, making for a fantastical display, and the ice frivolity will play out for another week or so.

Also in my old neck of the woods, yesterday was Fargo, North Dakota’s Frostival Undie Run, where people in their underwear — their underwear and nothing else — run through downtown Fargo.

“Brave the cold, drop your pants and run around the block in just your knickers,” the event advertising encouraged.

Here in the Flathead, winter whackiness continues with the Cabin Fever Days’ popular Barstool Ski Races next weekend down the hill in Martin City. At least these people will have their clothes on, allegedly.

So if you have a hankering to do something wildly out of character to chase away the winter blues, rest assured, it’s probably been done before. What’s a little frostbite among friends?

News Editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.