December 31, 2006

Three hundred degrees and 24 time zones

According to a write up by Yahoo! News, members of the South Pole’s 300 Club brave a 300 degree temperature swing as part of a traditional winter rite.

Yahoo! explains that initiates begin the rite in a 200 degree F sauna. Participants then jump out and run around the South Pole – through all 24 time zones. The catch? The weather outside must be at least -100 degrees F so participants feel the 300 degree temperature shift.

According to websites written by 300 Club members, the saving grace is that the extremely dry air in Antarctica is a poor conductor of heat, making it possible to sit inside the sauna without being scalded as well as preserving some body heat once runners hit the cold air.

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