Extreme Cold: Wim Hof and Tummo

This week, I learned about a guy who can withstand extreme cold.  Here's a picture of him during what I can only believe must be normal bathtime for him:

(from the Guinness World Records)

This man is Wim Hof, and he gets cold professionally.  He holds the world record for being immersed in ice, 1 hour and 44 minutes.  He is known as the "Iceman."  He likes to go running and hiking wearing only a pair of shorts.  He ran a marathon north of the Arctic Circle wearing only shorts.

(from urbanslot's blog)

He also holds the world record for distance swimming beneath ice: 55.5 meters.  You can watch the video of him setting the record here:

He tried to climb Mount Everest wearing only shorts, but he failed due to a foot injury of some sort.  My favorite quote from Wim Hof is this: "Edmund Hillary's ascent of Mount Everest was a testament to human achievement; my climb of Mount Everest in my shorts will be a monument to the frivolous, decadent nature of modern society."

That's a pretty funny reason to do something.

Wim Hof practices the Tibetan meditation practice of Tummo, which somehow creates body heat.  There have apparently been some studies that show people's fingertips getting warmer during this meditation.  Something about chakras.  But who am I to question it, when the practitioners can do things like this:

(from http://www.yogallimite.com/ via Wikimedia Commons)

(from care2.com)

Wim Hof uses Tummo to adjust his "mental thermostat" and keep himself warm while he climbs mountains barefoot, wearing only shorts.  He wins the Talus Slopes hardcore award of the week.  Here's to you, Wim Hof.

(from thewondrous.com)