B.C. cold-water plungers carve 10-metre floating smiley face out of ice
Swimmers spread some happiness with giant emoji at Kalamalka Lake
If you visited Kalamalka Lake in Vernon, B.C., on Sunday, chances are you may have seen a group of cold water dippers hacking away at the ice on the shoreline, axes swinging high above their bathing-suit-clad bodies.
Members of the Vernon B.C. Lake Plunge Facebook group decided to literally spread some happiness by chipping a 10-metre smiley face into the ice.
Once finished, the free-floating icy emoji became a playground for the plungers, who tried it out as a raft as it slowly melted amid warmer temperatures.
"Some people think we're nuts. That's OK," said group member and dipper Shanda Hill with a laugh.
WATCH | Winter swimmers play around on their smiling ice block:
The ultra triathlete has been cold plunging since 2014 when her massage therapist recommended she take up the chilling pastime after a bad injury.
Since then, she's found a community of like-minded friends who call themselves dippers.
"Even though I really dislike being cold and I'd rather be lying on a warm beach somewhere, I really enjoy the benefits. It's something that you kind of have to try to really understand," she said.
Though it may look like it's floating far out on Kalamalka Lake in some photos or videos, Hill says she and her friends kept the smiley face a safe distance from the dock, where a heated ice-fishing tent was set up in case anyone got chilly.
"We weren't going on any major adventures," Hill said.
But, she admits, the hard work kept most people warm enough.
"When you're used to being in the cold water… then you're swinging an axe on top of that, and it's sunny out, temperatures tend to feel a lot warmer outside than they are."
The smiling ice block has since melted into Kalamalka Lake, but for Hill and her friends, the fond memory floats on.
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With files from Radio West