A Cold Plunge into the Deschutes

Every year around the globe large groups of people gather around extremely cold bodies of water dressed in polar bear costumes, swimsuits or other wacky outfits and dunk their entire body in. The U.S. specifically has been partaking in this yearly event since 1904. Bend's next frozen celebration is happening on Feb. 5 at Riverbend Park on the Deschutes River.

This fun event raises money and awareness for the Special Olympics and features both a 5k and 10k run, plus the main event of the Polar Plunge. The race check-in starts at 8:30am, which is followed by the race at 9:30am. Additionally, the Polar Plunge check-in begins at 9am and the frigid diving takes place at 11am.

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After a year of virtual Polar Plunges across Oregon, dedicated plungers can look forward to bringing back the in-person events for 2022. The registration fee for the 2022 polar plunge cost $10 per participant, and cold-water lovers also have the chance to receive a Polar Plunge t-shirt if they raise $50.

"Each participant commits to raising a minimum of $50 to Plunge, but most people raise much more than that," reads a description at soor.org.

For more information and to register for this frosty occasion, visit support.soor.org.

2022 Polar Plunge
Sat., Feb. 5. 11am
Riverbend Park
799 SW Columbia St., Bend
Support.soor.org
$10