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Finalist dies at World Sauna event in Finland
BBC ^ | 7 Aug 2010

Posted on 08/07/2010 1:58:50 PM PDT by Gamecock

The annual World Sauna Championships in Finland has ended in tragedy with the death of one of the finalists, the organisers said.

Russian finalist Vladimir Ladyzhensky and Finnish rival Timo Kaukonen were both taken to hospital after collapsing and Mr Ladyzhensky later died.

Its chief organiser, Ossi Arvela, said all the rules of the event had been followed.

He said in a statement that the organisers were grief stricken at the events.

The event, which has been running since 1999, requires participants to withstand 110C for as long as possible.

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: death; sauna
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To: HoosierGal
Sometimes, they beat each other with leafy birch branches, which also give off a nice smell.

Finns in this country usually use cedar branches instead of birch. Native birches aren't as aromatic as European birches.

41 posted on 08/07/2010 4:01:17 PM PDT by magslinger (DISCLAIMER: No liberals were harmed in the making of this post. I'm sorry and will try harder.)
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To: Orange1998

It is definitely worth the trip! Finland is a bit off the beaten path for American tourism, and the Finnish standard for hospitality is extremely high. I enjoyed my recent summer trip, but winter in Finland is beautiful as well, and you can take advantage of the winter sports and see the Northern Lights at that time of year. If you go, be sure to sample some of the local fare. I find reindeer meat especially tasty, and I can’t get enough of their strong, salty black licorice, called “salmiakki”.


42 posted on 08/07/2010 4:11:46 PM PDT by HoosierGal
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To: HoosierGal
Your post is worthless without pictures. ;^)

During my tour in Germany, I spent some time at a German base near Kiel (Todendorf). Nearby was a clothing optional beach. First time I went, I was hesitant to disrobe, which my date found laughable.

I got over my reticence when I saw a middle-aged man who was about 5'8" and 350 lbs.

My usual workout routine ends with 20-25 minutes in the sauna. I'm not sure how hot it gets in there, but it's nowhere near 110 C. Maybe 150-160 at the most. At my age, it helps ward off muscle soreness the next morning.

43 posted on 08/07/2010 4:23:22 PM PDT by Night Hides Not (If Dick Cheney = Darth Vader, then Joe Biden = Dark Helmet)
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To: HoosierGal

A friend did a semester in Finland last year. She found that the apartments had saunas and tenants were given sauna times so they could have the sauna to themselves/their family.

My late husband was Finnish-Swedish from the UP of Michigan and loved saunas. Once we lived in a place that had a wall heater in the bathroom; he’d use it as a makeshift sauna. One day he cranked it up and brought in our 6 yr old son so they could have a sauna experience. The boy passed out. We were young and thought the kid was sick and took him to the hospital. The sauna was such a part of my husband’s life, it didn’t occur to him to put 2+2 together and that the heat might be too much for a kid.


44 posted on 08/07/2010 4:28:18 PM PDT by radiohead (Buy ammo, get your kids out of government schools, pray for the Republic.)
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To: HoosierGal
I am a native Texas and I detest hot weather, which doesn't make much sense, but I would never find a sauna a pleasant place to be, even in winter. I am sweltering right now in a natural sauna and looking forward to November and a breath of cool air.
45 posted on 08/07/2010 4:35:21 PM PDT by Ditter
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To: George from New England
From article “The event, which has been running since 1999, requires participants to withstand 110C for as long as possible.” 110C — I don’t think so. Maybe 110 F. Do we have a freeper in the know?

It has to be Fahrenheit. One-ten Centigrade is way above boiling point.

46 posted on 08/07/2010 4:49:34 PM PDT by raybbr (Someone who invades another country is NOT an immigrant - illegal or otherwise.)
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To: George from New England
110C — I don’t think so. Maybe 110 F.

Not at all. I often visit a sauna that has a low humidity 110-115 °C. 10 to 15 minutes is OK. Air has a very low thermal conductivity. Heat up your oven to that temperature and stick your hand in it. No problem (without direct radiation from the heating elements!). Don't try it with water (high thermal conductivity) at that (hypothetical - above boiling) temperature though!!!

That contest was pretty stupid, and against what I'd consider 'sauna culture'.

47 posted on 08/07/2010 5:50:54 PM PDT by Moltke (panem et circenses)
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To: Moltke
And the BBC provides this important tidbit of information...

The competition was held in Heinola, 138km (86 miles) north of Helsinki.

...so we know the exact distance from Helsinki, but they don't say HOW LONG they were in there or at what relative humidity!!! Just how stupid is that? (Answers self: About par for the BBC)

Another link on that article page states six minutes, which can only mean that they must've poured a lot of water on the rocks - very high humidity. Which is NOT something you'd want in that temperature range.

48 posted on 08/07/2010 6:02:28 PM PDT by Moltke (panem et circenses)
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To: All

Sports from Hell': Hot Boxed

An exerpt from Rick Reilly's book about extreme sports and he tried this one out..... excerpt follows. Read more at the link.


49 posted on 08/07/2010 6:05:12 PM PDT by deport
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To: Gamecock
The event, which has been running since 1999, requires participants to withstand 110C for as long as possible.

We all know that 100 deg C is the boiling point for water, and is equal to 212 deg F. So 230 deg F (110C) is beyond scalding water. How do these people keep from being steamed like a lobster?

50 posted on 08/07/2010 6:11:40 PM PDT by olezip
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To: George from New England

No, I think it’s 110C. If it were 110F they would have held the event down here in South Texas in my back yard.


51 posted on 08/07/2010 6:13:53 PM PDT by DH (The government writes no bill that does not line the pockets of special interests.)
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To: Ditter

August 1 was really hot in Houston, it got my attention.


52 posted on 08/07/2010 6:49:06 PM PDT by Orange1998
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To: olezip

How do these people keep from being steamed like a lobster?

***********

They do get burnt, blistered etc.... Read the article I linked just above your post.... It gives an interesting first person account of the event and what it’s like.


53 posted on 08/07/2010 7:33:29 PM PDT by deport
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To: Night Hides Not
During my tour in Germany, I spent some time at a German base near Kiel (Todendorf). Nearby was a clothing optional beach. First time I went, I was hesitant to disrobe, which my date found laughable.

Same as for the "Friedrichsbad" Spa in Baden-Baden. I went with someone who was not nearly as hard to look at as myself.

≤}B^)

54 posted on 08/07/2010 11:01:52 PM PDT by Erasmus (Personal goal: Have a bigger carbon footprint than Tony Robbins.)
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To: olezip
Well, they would die if immersed in boiling water for more than a few seconds; either quickly due to cardiac failure, or more slowly in the burn unit.

But they're not in the water, they're in air of that temperature, which transfers the heat, unsurvivable in the long term, into their bodies very much more slowly than if immersed in water.

55 posted on 08/07/2010 11:06:05 PM PDT by Erasmus (Personal goal: Have a bigger carbon footprint than Tony Robbins.)
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To: Moltke; raybbr; jessduntno; drtom
It has to be Fahrenheit. One-ten Centigrade is way above boiling point.

---------------

Not at all. I often visit a sauna that has a low humidity 110-115 °C. 10 to 15 minutes is OK. Air has a very low thermal conductivity.

During the Apollo program, a NASA experiment was shown on TV in which a military volunteer sat in a large oven as the temperature was increased to the point where he could no longer stand it and was instantly removed.

My recollection, which I think is accurate, is that the stated air temperature at the time he was removed had reached 600 °F.

Besides the low thermal conductivity of the air, the cooling effect of sweat can apparently protect one from quite high temperatures for short periods.

56 posted on 08/07/2010 11:47:24 PM PDT by wideminded
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To: wideminded

600 °F is amazing! Thanks for that little anecdote. I wonder at what point the hot air would hurt/damage the respiratory system? That’s probably the short-term limiting factor. I know how it’s hard to breathe for a short while when going into a hot steam bath. It hits your lungs and just chokes you.


57 posted on 08/08/2010 5:07:26 AM PDT by Moltke (panem et circenses)
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To: Moltke
I wonder at what point the hot air would hurt/damage the respiratory system?

The volunteer had to stop breathing through his nose at a much lower temperature than the final value. The experiment proceeded quite rapidly so he didn't have to be exposed to the highest heat for that long.

I know how it’s hard to breathe for a short while when going into a hot steam bath. It hits your lungs and just chokes you.

In a low humidity situation the evaporation of moisture lining the airway would have a cooling effect for a short time. Plus the thermal conductivity and heat capacity of "steam" would be much higher.

58 posted on 08/08/2010 6:56:09 AM PDT by wideminded
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