Russians Take the (Polar) Plunge

Women follow Mikhail Sashko (L), chairman and one of the founders of the Cryophile winter swimmers club, during a celebration of his 68th birthday in the Yenisei River in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia.



"The moment of immersion is a sensation of delight. Afterwards there's a rush of energy and my entire body feels relaxed," says Sashko, a director in the construction industry.



The air temperature was about minus 27 degrees Celsius.

Liza Broverman, 6, and her sister Yulia Klimenkova, 16, members of the Cryophile winter swimmers club, play in the snow before bathing in the Yenisei River.

Liza Broverman, 6, and her sister Yulia Klimenkova, 16, members of the Cryophile winter swimmers club, bathe in the icy water of the Yenisei River.

Mikhail Sashko, chairman and one of the founders of the Cryophile winter swimmers club, bathes in cold water during a flash mob, part of a celebration of Polar Bear Day.

Nikolai Bocharov, 77, a member of the Cryophile winter swimmers club, rubs snow on his body as he sits on a snowdrift after bathing in the icy water of the Yenisei River.

Mikhail Shakov, 23, who recently left the army and is a member of the Cryophile winter swimmers club, swims in the icy water of the Yenisei River.

Mikhail Shakov (L), 23, who recently left the army and is a member of the Cryophile winter swimmers club, greets another member on the banks of the Yenisei River.



For Shakov, swimming is a way of disconnecting from daily life and setting his troubles to one side. "All problems leave me," he says. "The world around me seems beautiful."

Mikhail Sashko, chairman and one of the founders of the Cryophile winter swimmers club looks at a picture taken by Mikhail Shakov (R), as he celebrates his 68th birthday on a bank of the Yenisei River.