Is Wim Hof Sweating In The Snow?

Everything was white. The snow was thick and the wind was picking up. I was concentrating on each step, hiking up Poland’s highest mountain in freezing temperatures. A few feet ahead of me was Wim Hof. We had been chatting on the way up, but now he was leaping ahead, singing as he went.

Then, I noticed something strange. Just beneath his backpack, the waistband of his shorts was dark from sweat. What? How could he be hot enough to sweat in the snow? But, he was. That was impossible, right?

We kept climbing. It was getting colder as we hiked higher. I continued breathing smoothly, focusing on every movement.

The view was incredible: a snowy wonderland as far as the eye could see. I stopped for a moment, took off my hat and wiped my forehead. Wiped what? Yes, I too was sweating. I was shocked.

Not only was I not cold, I was actually getting hot.

How is that possible? Well, there are loads of reasons. That is a story for another day.

But, in that moment, I knew we are capable of far more than we imagine. And I don’t say that flippantly like some shallow catchphrase.

As I stood there, sweating in the snow, I felt it. I understood it. We are capable of more. All of us.