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It’s the morning after a storm in Telluride. The sky is still faint blue in the early hours. The first rays of sun on the western slopes have yet to descend into Town Park. And down here along the river, it’s still dark. The air is frigid. It’s not the type of day that one would naturally go swimming.

But gathered on the rocky and ice bound banks of the San Miguel, a dozen or so folks are stripping down to do just that.

With a gasp and a wince each of these polar plungers crouch into the rushing San Miguel for a three-minute soak. Alex Ward emerges, dripping, into the embrace of her towel.

“I feel energized,” she says. “And cold. I feel like it starts feeling better and better and better. I have been off for a week and a half or a week and a half, and so it was a little chillier today.”

Ward is one of the first of this polar plunging group, which has grown throughout the winter into a dozen regulars who meet each Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00 AM sharp. Ashley Shupp was an early subscriber to Telluride’s polar plunge movement as well. 

She says her inspiration “was actually my friend, Lina. She lives here and she was doing it. Her husband was doing it for like 10 or 15 minutes in the summer. And I started doing it, and I loved it, and then these girls started joining me.”

Originally a summertime practice amongst two or three friends, Lauren Ross says, as the temps dropped last November and December she and her fellow plungers started to embrace the cold.

“And it became addicting, and it ballooned into this!” Ross says, looking around at the crowd. “It’s such a great community of people getting together in a non-judgmental, positive way.”

Cold water swimming has a rich tradition in Nordic countries and across Europe. It’s practiced by some as a daily exercise to increase vigor and mood. Sutton Shuler started plunging this winter on the invitation of a friend.

“It’s scary at first, and then it truly is one of the most invigorating things I’ve ever done,” she says. “I love it. I’m totally addicted, and who would have ever thought that a three to four-minute routine could impact your whole day.”

Those impacts?

“Mood boost, metabolism boost, energy…” lists Shuyler. “And honestly, this amazing community! People I didn’t know until we all got semi-naked in the river. I encourage anyone who’s interested just to come and give it a try. You don’t have to do three minutes or five minutes, but I think coming and being here and being vulnerable and nervous is really important for us all.”

Just as quickly as they came, the plungers start packing up: stuffing toes into slippers and heading off on their day with bright eyes and rosy cheeks. The sweet warm yellow of the rising sun is just now sliding down Main street towards Town Park.