Random thoughts

This Exists?

Man, I think I've seen it all. I was reading the latest issue of Outside magazine, and in it they had an article about the weirdest competition I have ever heard about - the Sauna World Championships.

Yes, I know. What the hell?

So I read through the whole article, and apparently this sleepy little Finnish town called Heinola holds this competition every year. They turn up the heat to a starting temperature of 230 degrees Fahrenheit (as a point of reference, the article mentioned the record high in Death Valley to be 134 degrees) and then the competitors come in and sit in this oven, to try and outlast each other. Every so often, a half-liter of water is poured on the stove to give another blast of heat, as if it wasn't hot enough already.

One competitor: "Last year the skin on my ear lobes split open from the heat."

And of course the usual sexist comment: "Sauna competition is man's sport, not woman's sport."

That's okay, buddy, it's all yours.

To learn more:
History
Program
Rules
Results
And okay, just in case, but do I really need to put this?
Contact info

Good luck, sauna people!

posted by Cathy at 5:54 PM