The Gar Woods Polar Bear Swim always draw a colorful, eclectic crowd to its high-altitude, low-temperature swim.
At an altitude of 6,229 feet (meters) of Lake Tahoe, the water temperature at 39°C (4°C) throughout the 250-yard swim feels especially cool. With a cut-off time of 20 minutes, a crowd gathers to see who is the fastest, the slowest and the most colorful in front of the Gar Woods Restaurant in Carmelian Bay.
The 22nd year of cold-water celebration is held on March 3rd this year, as part of SnowFest, the annual Mardi Gras in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
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