There Are Some (Some!) Bright Sides To This Subzero Stretch

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The extreme cold isn’t scaring away these ice fishers, which is clear by the dozens of ice houses out on Medicine Lake in Plymouth on Friday night.

The below-zero drop in temperature gives the ice fishers the confidence to know the ice is thick and there’s no risk of breaking through.

“I’m going fishing, come hell or high water,” said Robert Nelson, who was ice fishing all weekend with his buddy on Medicine Lake.

While it’s freezing outside, it feel almost tropical in his ice house.

“I can get it as hot as I want, 80 to 90 degrees,” said Nelson. “The whole thing is insulated. They spray foam on the inside and the roof, so it’s really warm.”

Another group of people thriving in the cold: cross-country skiers. Signe Johnson and her cross-country ski teammates for Spring Lake Park, St. Anthony and Centennial feel fortunate that their sport requires some serious cardio, which helps them handle the frigid conditions.

“Knowing that we can go out and move,” said Johnson, “we have this positive attitude about winter. I don’t think everybody here does.”

While the cold is sticking around for a whole week, so is the sun. Skiers are looking at that bright side as a good trade off.

“It’s harder to enjoy winter when you look outside and it’s just grey, so the sun is really nice and you can appreciate the outside from inside,” said Johnson.

Health experts say that when the weather get this cold, our bodies have to work harder to stay warm, therefore burning more calories.

Also pesky bugs, mosquitoes and outdoor allergens are eliminated when the temperature drops this low.

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