Are you brave enough to take the plunge?

Boy Scout Troop 111 has what many say is THE way to kick off the new year as it hosts its annual Polar Bear Plunge on Thursday, Jan. 1, at Sandpoint City Beach.

The event will begin at 11 a.m. at the park's boat launch. All are welcome.

Now in its twelfth year, the annual event is as a cooperative event by Boy Scout Troop 111 and the city of Sandpoint’s Parks & Recreation Department.

The troop takes care in setting up the event, arriving several hours earlier to cut a hole in the ice — if there is any — and set up safety equipment. Scouts trained in first aid — and the appropriate equipment — are on hand and ready to assist any plunger who runs into trouble.

While free to participate, plungers are asked to donate one canned food item. The troop uses the event to host a community food drive for the Bonner Community Food Bank as a way to help those in need.

In years when the area surrounding the boat launch freezes over, the troop cuts a large square hole in the ice with a ladder allowing for a quick exit. In years where milder weather has led to a dearth of ice, participants race into the water until they are far enough in to submerge themselves.

Warming tents are on hand to help plungers warm up after their jump (or run) into the lake.

Depending on the weather, the event attracts anywhere from dozens to hundreds of area residents.

Last year, more than 300 people turned out for the troop's annual Polar Bear Plunge, braving the cold weather, cloudy skies and scattered snow to jump into Lake Pend Oreille to kick off the new year with a plunge into its freezing waters. Another 300 or so people — warmly dressed in thick winter coats, boots and gloves — cheered from the nearby shoreline of Sandpoint City Beach.

For some, it was a chance to take part in a fun tradition, something they've done for years as a way to kick off a new year. For others, it was a family bonding experience, with everyone from the very youngest members of the clan to the very oldest taking part.

The scouts’ adoption of the Polar Bear Plunge began in 2015 after the troop heard stories about how Voelz would water ski on New Year’s Day in California. Since it’s too cold to water ski in North Idaho on Jan. 1, the scouts decide to adopt the traditional jump in the lake.

More than 15 scouts took part that first year, with about the same number taking part in 2016. For the troop, it's all about the tradition, doing something fun together and challenging themselves.

"Well, I think we're definitely crazy guys," Voelz said previously when the troop held the plunge at a frozen Mirror Lake at the Sandpoint Kiwanis' Camp Stidwell. "The troop is kind of known for that as well and we attract that kind of craziness, having fun regardless of your circumstances. Something the boys have heard me say a million times, is there is no such thing as bad weather, just poor choice in clothing. And so, you know, we got a fire, we can warm back up, we're not going to die — probably."

The footwork and set-up needed to put the Polar Bear Plunge allow the troop's scouts to put their preparation and planning skills into practice. Boy Scouts, leaders and scouts prepare and plan ahead on how to do things in a fun — but safe — manner. The plunge is just another example of that.

"You can do this and be stupid, right," Voelz said in 2021. "You can do this and be very dumb and somebody gets hurt going underneath the ice or something very bad happens. But we do it in a safe manner — or as safe as possible, I mean it is frozen water … So it's maybe not totally safe but it's done in a safe manner."

    Area residents race into the freezing waters of Lake Pend Oreille during the 2024 Polar Bear Plunge. The event is held on New Year's Day by Boy Scout Troop 111.
  

    Don Helander plugs his nose as he takes part in the 2023 Polar Bear Plunge on Sunday.