About the Polar Bear Dip: Barbara Tomlinson Greening

The first Juneau Polar Bear Dip took place in 1992, when a band* of friends wanted an invigorating way to ring in the new year after the perfect day of skiing. Barbara Tomlinson Greening was one of those original founding dippers. She participated in every single Polar Bear Dip for the following nineteen years.

In 2011, with tacit approval from her oncologist, and supported by her nieces Annie and Elan, Barbara waded into the freezing water just up to her knees, and splashed some onto her shoulders for good measure. She would pass away before the next Polar Bear Dip, after fighting lung cancer for an astounding forty years.

Every year's dip is a testament to the power of spirits like Barbara's, who said of life and community, "There's a whole lot of living to do out there, and we live in one of the most beautiful places."

The group Dip has been called-off only once, on the event's 30th anniversary, being replaced instead by a DIY Dip for households and bubbles to dip at safe times and locations of their own. This of course was in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Giving beloved group events a miss like this was an important way to honor and protect immunocompromised people like Barbara; the healthcare workers who kept her alive for 40 years (and us alive during the pandemic); and the paramedics who attend the event each year, just in case, to make sure we're all safe. This spirit of community and living and renewal is what the Dip is all about.

*Barbara Greening, Mary Bardone, Bill Platte & daughter Piper, and Len Cedar & daughter Evy