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He did it! Josef Köberl reached his 2 hour 30 minute mark and broke his world record in the “seated ice box” at Melk.
While the spectators enjoyed the beautiful late summer weather just below 30 degrees in Melk’s main square, “Mr. Frost” Josef Köberl stayed in the cooler for 2 hours and 30 minutes. His goal: to beat last year’s world record. It’s 2 hours and 8 minutes. He presented this hitherto unique achievement in Vienna in 2019. Highly motivated and well prepared, he took part in the “Breathless on Ice” challenge.
Up to your neck on the ice
At 2 pm he climbed into the initially empty box. Then the companions gradually poured ice cubes. Until only his head could be seen. The extreme athlete had to stay in this position now. This is the plan.
A supporting show and numerous interviews provided entertainment. Meanwhile, the man on the ice underwent a medical checkup. His body temperature dropped to 34.4 degrees. But Mr. Cool ignored that fact. His temperature even briefly rose again.
Slight tingling sensation in the feet.
And then the time had come: the old record of 2 hours and 8 minutes could be set. His friend and teammate Jürgen Spitzbauer challenged the crowd to make waves for Köberl to endure the final minutes. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and 2 hours 30 minutes have been reached. Almost managed 2 hours 31 minutes, only a few seconds left.
An unprecedented ice cream
And how does a man get out of the freezer after so long? Almost as if nothing had happened. “The feet tingle slightly, but it was bearable,” said Köberl after his action. And how do you feel now? “I would like an ice cream,” he laughs. But anyone who now thinks that he is going on vacation is wrong. Köberl wants to take another look at the world record that has just been set.
With his “Breathless on Ice” challenge, he also wants to stimulate thought. Its theme is the climate crisis and associated challenges. “The poles are melting and the glaciers in Austria are disappearing faster and faster”, says the extreme athlete and continues: “As I move a lot in the glaciers, this aspect affects me more”.
