As the antispokesperson for Columbia Sportswear, Wim Hof proves cold is his warm friend. Wim obviously has his mental thermostat turned on high despite the ambient temperature around him. He demonstrates his inner warmth it by doing all kinds of extreme events. “I am crazy about life,” and proves it time and time again as he acoomplishes his feats in some standard black board shorts.

What is amazing is that Wim does not appear to shiver despite the freezing temperatures and conditions, the ultimate demonstration of cold water adaptation. So when Wim asks, “Is it hot out here — or is it just me?“, the answers are obvious.

Or are they? Are there others in the open water swimming world who can replicate what Win Hof does? More and more swimmers from the Czech Republic and England to the Bering Strait and Cape Hope are flipping their own mental thermostats on high as they push themselves to do potentially hazardous extreme swims.

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