HAIRY LEGS AN ASSET FOR WINTER SWIMMING

HAIRY LEGS AN ASSET FOR WINTER SWIMMING

BOSTON (Wireless Flash) -- Most women wouldn't dare go to the beach with hairy legs -- but that's not the case for a group of swimmers in Boston who plan on braving icy winter waters on New Years' Day. A group called the L. Street Brownies has sponsored a "Polar Bear" swim in Boston every year since 1905 -- and their motto might as well be "the hairier, the better." Brownies president Jim Doty says body hair works well as insulation against the cold for winter swimmers, so ladies with hairy legs and men with beard stubble are encouraged at the super-cold swim. He also says some polar bear swimmers protect against the cold by applying grease to super sensitive spots like the nipples before slipping into the drink.