At 11 a.m. on Jan. 1, over a hundred people from Ballard and beyond brought in the New Year the right way by jumping full bore into Salmon Bay at Golden Gardens.

In the end, the event only lasted a few minutes as everyone charged at the waters screaming (and then screaming because of how cold the water was).

New Year's Day was a bright, clear, sunny day. If it weren't so cold, the polar plunge would have almost looked like people enjoying a tropical day at the beach. After getting wet, people dried off in front of burning Christmas trees and stuck around and enjoyed the sun while they could.

The Ballard News-Tribune was on scene with camera in hand. Click on the main picture above or the thumbnails below to view a full slideshow.

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