Nearly finished so you will catch it again on the ch4 +1 channel if they have one. Wish I had his mental strength.

Fascinating. But all just a bit pointless really.

Just watching on C4+1 – just like Rocky!

Interesting (and ultimately impressive), but I couldn't quite believe that:

1. He didn't realise that he would slip in the fresh tracks of a snow mobile. Anyone who's knows about snow and not just dunking yourself in ice cubes on a city street would have known that.

2. They made such a big deal of the swim. People do ice swimming quite a lot, and he didn't go that far in the program. I've seen old Fins just cruising around in ice-cold water, calm as can be – Finish Ice Swimming

I do credit the guy with strength of mind, and with living his dreams but there is a common thread between ice man and last weeks flying squirrel. They seem to see nature as something to battle rather than something to enjoy and respect which is a little sad.

I'm getting him for my Strathpuffer team this year 😉

I bet he'd go out in Newcastle wearing only a T-shirt.

I bet he'd go out in Newcastle wearing only a T-shirt.

That'd be overdressed round there….

Ice man and the previous weeks bat man were both really selfish, didn't give a flying fkkk about anyone but themselves.

Wouldn't be brave or stupid enough to do either of the things they do though.

Yep, neither have been particularly inspirational characters.

Yeah I watched that and err………………………

Though I wonder if he has an alter ego, 'The Hotman' who runs the Sahara in a sauna suit?

Didn't watch it but saw the trailer and though WHY? I suppose you could argue that about almost any challenge but this just seemed silly to me.

Next week will he attempt to climb the north face of the Eiger with both arms tied behind his back?

They seem to see nature as something to battle rather than something to enjoy and respect which is a little sad.

Totally agree with this – sadly there are a lot of people out there into 'extreme sports' who see things that way.

We saw the promo for this ("A man walks across the arctic in sandals and shorts") and burst out laughing.

You couldn't make it up.

Totally agree with this – sadly there are a lot of people out there into 'extreme sports' who see things that way.

I don't see it as sad. Just because it's not your (or my) view, why is it sad? I didn't so much see them as battling nature, more trying to see what was the most they could get out of life before dying, instead of just bumbling along and enjoying the ride. I think they were both fairly inspirational, a little selfish maybe but that goes with the territory – you can't do that sort of thing without being a bit that way. To classify someone as sad (either in the emotional manner or as a teenage insult) for being different to you seems a little weak.

I bet he'd go out in Newcastle wearing only a T-shirt.

He's not nearly hard enough to do that. He'd get chinned within seconds of getting of the train man

I don't see it as sad. Just because it's not your (or my) view, why is it sad?

I used the word sadly as in regrettably. Not talking about the ice man but this kind of attitude in my experience goes hand in hand with being happy to leave litter, do anti-social things like 3 Peaks challenge, have a cavalier attitude to safety of yourself and others (eg taking proper gear/having proper skills), and just generally having no respect for the natural environment.

I do find it sad that some people just see nature as an extreme challenge to be dominated, rather than appreciating it's beauty etc.

To classify someone as weak for thinking differently to you seems a little sad. 😉

To classify someone as weak for thinking differently to you seems a little sad.

I didn't classify you as anything, I suggested your comment was weak (i.e. a weak argument/point).

I don't see how this attitude excludes common sense or thoughts about others, or lacking respect for the environment. I don't see either of them trying to dominate nature, they're simply trying to test themselves against it.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, just because you might like tootling along gently while watching the birds doesnt mean you're any better than someone who's throwing themselves off a building. You're just different.

So what's next then? We've had..
Flying without wings.
Running naked in the Arctic.
?
Space without oxygen.

Setting fire to puffins.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, just because you might like tootling along gently while watching the birds doesnt mean you're any better than someone who's throwing themselves off a building. You're just different.

I don't like tootling along gently listening to the birds. And yes it's just my opinion, everything's relative blah blah blah. So you can't ever criticize anything because that means you think you are better and that's weak. 😕

I didn't see him as "battling nature" but battling his own physiological response to external environmental pressures. Evolution has placed limits on what people are capable of achieving in these environments and the ice-man was pushing the boundaries of these.

For those that say he was selfish i guess you can say that about many people with sporting ambition, Steve Redgrave, for example.

Maybe you would have all been happier if he had bought a nice family estate car, got himself a 9-5 job and spent his weekends popping down to IKEA to get the latest "must-have" consumer items.

For those that say he was selfish i guess you can say that about many people with sporting ambition, Steve Redgrave, for example.

Maybe, but there are also lots of top athletes, mountaineers etc who aren't selfish and arrogant. – for some reason people tend to admire them more.

I don't like tootling along gently listening to the birds.

Then at some level you're a danger seeker too, and more interested in the feeling than in nature. Just a lower level than them.

You can criticize all you like if you back it up with a sensible reason, but to say that their choice of battle is less worthy than yours just seems like stupid reasoning. "He has been seen destroying such and such just so he can do this" – fair enough. "He has put the lives of others at risk by doing this" – fair enough. But bear in mind that you have too by going out biking in adverse conditions. You'll have eroded trails and caused damage to nature too. Its all relative, and to cast him as sad and pointless is a bit odd in my view. If you were a monk practicing silence and protecting nature at all costs I might accept your viewpoint.

Most top anythings are arrogant and selfish on some levels, it comes with the territory. They will have set aside their family life to train (selfish) and will believe they are the best (if they didn't they couldnt win) – they just dont show that side on camera. Others are just unable to hide that side of themselves. I dont think it's attractive either, but I'm not meeting them for a beer so I dont care.

Anyway, I have work to do! Enjoy the argument!

Nice to see him coiling one out in the snow at -16degrees with no toilet paper, then continuing running. Chaffed ringpiece anyone!!

I find these people to be very driven beyond that of an average joe and although clearly barking, somewhat inspirational.
They demonstrate courage and conviction and have a calling which is impossible for them to ignore. As Wims' wife said; he would not be him if he stopped his antics.

within seconds of getting of the train man

Train man? Is that next weeks edition?

Nice to see him coiling one out in the snow at -16degrees with no toilet paper, then continuing running. Chaffed ringpiece anyone!!

Apparently if your diet is correct you wouldn't need paper. 😯

They demonstrate courage and conviction and have a calling which is impossible for them to ignore. As Wims' wife said; he would not be him if he stopped his antics.

Like alcoholics then 🙂

Ian, not that type of courage.

Quite an amazing fella. He run the marathon in the snow dressed only in sandals and shorts .. without any training what so ever ..
Amazing just to be able to run the distance of a marathon at that age and being a smoker and a guy who clearly enjoyed a pint or two.

I'd take that no training bit with a huge pinch of salt.
Edit/ A quick google reveals that he'd already done a shorts only barefoot half marathon in colder conditions a couple of years earlier.

More impressed at Eddie Izzard to be honest. He has managed to do something quite amazing, also with limited training, without also being a bit of a twonk.

Indeed.

To expand on why I think it's sad, both ice man and mr. flying squirrel seemed to only be interested in the amazing places that they went to in the context of their personal battles. It might just be down to the documentaries, but it seemed like they lacked respect or interest in a wider picture.

You may need blinkers to achieve the feats that they did, but you could take them off and look around afterwards. You could try to understand the place before you go there.

Wim may have talked about embracing the cold and all that, but at the end of the day he didn't know that he'd struggle to run in the tracks of a snow mobile and ended up running along a road. A road. In a remote part of Finland. One step further and he'd be on a running machine in a freezer.

As for riding along looking at the fluffy animals and listening to the birds… I'm not biting 😐

You just did bite. You have no idea what and how they think of their surroundings or how they do or dont articulate that interest in the surroundings. Regardless, I dont see why their apparently different view of the world around them is *sad*, different, sure, not to your taste, sure. But sad? Just doesnt float.