By Adam Donnelly

Kamloopsians brave frigid temperatues for 2018 Polar Bear Swim

Jan 2, 2018 | 3:47 PM

KAMLOOPS — Every January 1st, a few dozen brave and hearty souls doff their toques and jackets and dive headlong into the frigid waters of the Thompson River to wash away the previous year and embrace the next turn around the sun. Monday, many Kamloops residents braved temperatures in the minus teens to take on 2018 Polar Bear Swim.

The first day of 2018 dawned bright and chilly. So chilly in fact, the normal spot the Polar Bear swimmers enter the South Thompson River at Riverside Park was frozen over and inhabited by a host of waterfowl.

But, the crowds were undeterred by the ice, so they trudged over to Pioneer Park where a few brave souls had to break through the ice crust to access a shallow slushy section of the river so the Polar Bear swimmers could do their thing.