This Montrealer Took A 'Canadian Bath' While Dodging Ice In The Saint Lawrence (VIDEO)

A very Canadian pastime.
Senior Editor

Montrealer Yaya, aka parkourporpoise on Instagram, is at it again. This time, he's taking personal hygiene to the Saint Lawrence River... in the middle of winter. A video of the "Canadian bath" shows the stunt enthusiast lathering up and dodging sheets of ice with the city skyline in the distance.

Yaya told MTL Blog that the moments before he plunged into the water were actually the hardest part of the experience.

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What was terrible was standing outside the water waiting to go in.

Yaya, parkourporpoise

"I took off my shirt, stood there on my jacket with a little wet towel and I could feel the cold and the ice through my jacket into my feet," he said.

But encouraged by his friend and inspired by the orange Monday morning sunrise over the skyline, he committed to the frigid bath. 

Parkourporpoise said that, despite the cold, he felt "good" after his short time in the water.

"I felt accomplished. I persevered and I did it and I'm proud of myself."

Montrealers will recognize Yaya from some of his other recent escapades, like the time he rode through downtown on a toy car dressed as Mario, or when he brought his work from home setup to the streets.

As for his inspiration, parkourporpoise said making videos is simply his passion. Bringing joy to Montrealers during the pandemic has been a bonus.

"If people can feel a little good because of my videos, that's unbelievable."

  • Thomas MacDonald
  • Senior Editor

    Thomas MacDonald was the Senior Editor of MTL Blog. He received a B.A. with honours from McGill University in 2018 and worked as a Writer and Associate Editor before entering his current role. He is proud to lead the MTL Blog team and to provide its readers with the information they need to make the most of their city.

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