Day 40 to 48 - A Cold Vacation

Cumulative Post Days 40 to 48

Day 40
Late flight meant a late arrival in the French Alps. No time for anything but a look around at the piles of snow on the ground and feeling the cold night air.

Day 41
Early into the bathroom for a shave (in hot water at the basin whilst running the cold bath) . The thermometer shows 2.5C so the real temp is around 3C my coldest so far. I start the timer on my wrist watch as I get in. The cold hits you when getting in but not as much as I thought it would, my breathing was a little laboured as my chest went under. My skin goes numb almost immediately and turns quite red. The feeling is not unpleasant. I wait about 3 minutes before dipping my head in. At 5 mins I am still OK but don't want to push things too far on day 1 of my holiday. I get out at 6.5 minutes and dry off in a the warm bathroom. I go straight to breakfast and have a cup of hot tea and a bowl of hot porridge oats. I have almost no shivering at all (unexpected). A good day's skiing follows albeit with poor visibility.

Day 42
Same early morning start before the rest are up. Shave in warm water at the basin before getting into the bath. A longer time this morning - 10.5mins. Hands in the water for most of the time. They get numb and painful very quickly but the pain is constant and manageable after about 3 minutes so they stay in the water. I am surprised at how easily I manage the colder temperatures - it seems easier somehow. Easy to warm up despite no exercise

Day 43
Another early start to get first shot at the bathroom. Cold bath ready - set the timer and in we go..... Hands stay in for the first 10 minutes then I take them out for the next 5 as they feel more sore today than yesterday. A full 15 minutes today. I still feel fine at the end - relatively little shivering - just a bit toward the end of the session. As I did very little exercise afterwards it takes me a while to recover and I have short bursts of shivering through breakfast but all done by the time breakfast is over some 30 minutes later. Another good day skiing ensued thereafter.

Day 44
Dull and boring day today. Snowing heavily so no skiing looks possible. Regular cold bath but only 10 minutes today. No issues at all with shivering or pain in hands although at 10 minutes the mobility and dexterity of my hands is somewhat compromised (i.e. it would be difficult to do buttons up on a shirt or perform tasks requiring fine motor coordination). I take a walk along a stream but as I am with the group and the path is well utilised I resist the urge to strip off and jump in - although I would like to try it. I feel that I would need to be in a group that understands why I feel that way and would not be judgemental but encouraging such activity. On the way back we cross a field that is nearly waist deep in soft powder snow and I think i must return here to enjoy it.

Any takers for a ski/cold/toughness holiday next year at this time?

Day 45
After yesterday's rather dull and boring activity I decide to push things along a bit today. I run the bath full of 3C water and start the timer determining to stay in longer than before. I managed 17.5 minutes before I felt it was time to get out. Again, no shivering during the session in the bath but as I warm up afterwards with a few press-ups and squats in the warm bathroom and a hot towel dry-off I start to shiver and continue to do so for around 15 minutes. The bath temperature at the end was around 7C so I guess by body warmed a lot of water up today.

I guess if I am going to do these longer sessions I need to have a good warm-up routine planned. After a days skiing and a good evening meal I take a lone walk to the field of powder snow I passed through the day before. At the edge of the field and under the reflected light of the nearby streetlights I strip off and enjoy a few minutes of naked enjoyment in the snow. Covering myself from head to toe in it. Lying down and playing around in it like a child. The feeling of planting your bare feet on top of the snow and it sinking to above the knee is quite incredible. Falling over and being gently cushioned to rest on a bed of snow is also a feeling I want to have more and more of. As I lay down in the Snow I piled snow on top of me leaving only my head uncovered. I lay there for at least 1 to 2 minutes before getting up, dressed and for a short sharp walk back to the chalet to warm up. A great end to a great day.

Day 46
An unfortunate skiing fall late in the session yesterday means that today I have a very strained and stretched (if not torn) calf muscle. The only way of easing the pain and tension is to have a hot bath, it seems to ease the pain and I do manage to ski today - but not at my normal pace.

Day 47
Back to the 10 minute routine today No undue effects of 3C water - in fact I am quite enjoying the experience.

Day 48 Whilst I started with good intentions of pushing the envelope to 20 minutes plus today I did the opposite and had a warm shower. I did enjoy it and although it goes somewhat against the spirit of what I am trying to advocate here, I think that occasionally it does not hurt to have a "relapse" into the old ways.

General Observations

1. If you plan your time you can enjoy cold water and other cold experiences even in a "hostile" group environment.
2. Playing in fresh, powder snow is a thrill and adrenaline rush I want to have again and again - I need to actively plan it into future winter holidays.
3. My body can take a lot more cold punishment and recover far more quickly than I had ever imagined.
4. Pain in the hands in cold water reaches a threshold which is manageable.
5. Going with a like-minded group would make the experiences much more enjoyable. Is anyone interested in joining a "Toughness group" winter ski/walk/stream/lake/splash holiday if one were organised? Let me know via the comments box.
   
6. I am looking for suggestions as to where to go for my next winter holiday. Guaranteed snow is a must as is having a lake or stream/river/lake nearby for swimming or cold water dipping. Suggestions via the comments page or via e-mail please.

Photos: You asked me to add some pics to brighten things up so here goes.

• A pic of the stream I walked along on day 44 - I would have played in it if I had the chance
  
• A pic showing the depth of snow and close to the place I played in the snow on the evening of day 45

Temperature: 3C
Duration: 6.5 Minutes Minimum to 17.5 Minutes Maximum