Bear Lake
From Openwaterpedia
Bear Lake is a lake within the American states of Idaho and Utah.
Bear Lake is located on the border of Utah and Idaho and is ideal for marathon swimming with the clean and beautiful blue water. The lake is at an elevation of 5,924 feet (1,806 meters). Its area is approximately 109 square miles (282 km²). Because of its higher elevation its water temperature is typically much colder than many other lakes situated in the Wasatch Front. Due to its size, it is not as congested with ski boats and other fast moving watercraft, as other smaller reservoirs in the area. This makes Bear Lake an ideal place for open water swimming.
Contents
Open Water Swimming
The Bear Lake Swimming Association is responsible for observing and recognizing Bear Lake Crossings. Whether that be a width (7 miles), or a length (19 miles (30.5 km)) In July the association organizes the [Bear Lake Monster Swim] event where swimmers can race the width and also get their name listed in this, the records for all Bear Lake Crossings.
Logged Crossings (Length approximately 19 miles) "Monster Slayer"
| Swimmer | Name | Date | Time | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neal Phelps (Assisted) | July 18, 2009 | 13:00 | http://www.epilepsy.com/newsfeeds/view/7174 |
| 2 | John Quackenbush | August 10, 2009 | 15:00 | http://binza.blogspot.com/2009/08/successful-swim-for-john-quackenbush.html |
| 3 | James Jonsson | July 22, 2010 | 8:43:26 | http://www.utahopenwater.com/2010/07/james-jonssons-account-of-his-bear-lake.html |
| 4 | Gordon Gridley | September 5, 2011 | 11:13:15 | http://gordsswimlog.blogspot.com/2011/09/labor-day-bear-lake-crossing-19-miles.html |
| 5 | Goody Tyler IV | August 30, 2014 | 13:08:05 | http://goody4.blogspot.com/2014/08/29aug14-slaying-monster.html |
| 6 | Chad Starks | September 25, 2014 | 13:09:06 | Observer's Notes |
| 7 | Will Reeves | September 7, 2015 | 9:49:42 | Josh's Notes |
| 8 | Joelle Beard | July 30, 2016 | 11:21:31 | First Female Crossing, Fastest Female Crossing |
Logged Relay Crossings (Length approximately 19 miles)
| Relay # | Team Name / Swimmers | Date | Time | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah girls (Lisa Gentile, Sarah Jones, Chelsea Carmichael, Dominique Maack, Joelle Beard, Sarah Goldberg) Six person record | September 7, 2015 | 8:27 | http://saltlakeopenwater.blogspot.com/2015/09/first-annual-bear-lake-length-relay.html |
| 2 | SLOW men (Chad Starks, Josh Green, Gordon Gridley) Three person record | September 7, 2015 | 10:14:54 | http://www.utahopenwater.com/2015/09/bear-lake-relay-swim.html |
Logged Double Width Crossings (13.5 miles) "Monster Hunter"
| Swimmer | Name | Date | Time | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joelle Beard - (Womens record) | September 27, 2011 | 6:30 | |
| 2 | Gordon Gridley | July 21, 2012 | 7:25:14 | http://gordsswimlog.blogspot.com/2012/07/new-bear-lake-width-crossing-record-and.html |
| 3 | James Jonsson - (Mens record) | September 15, 2012 | 5:35:55 | http://www.bearlakeswimmingassociation.com/crossings-records |
| 4 | Kelly Gneiting | August 25, 2014 | 16:13:00 | |
| 5 | Lisa Gentile | September 1, 2014 | 6:44:49 | |
| (5)x2 | Lisa Gentile | July 25, 2015 | 8:41:57 | http://gordsswimlog.blogspot.com/2015/07/piloting-three-double-crossers-and.html |
| 6 | Sarah Jones (Assisted) | July 25, 2015 | 8:41:57 | http://gordsswimlog.blogspot.com/2015/07/piloting-three-double-crossers-and.html |
| 7 | Chad Starks | July 25, 2015 | 8:41:57 | http://gordsswimlog.blogspot.com/2015/07/piloting-three-double-crossers-and.html |
Logged Crossing Records (Width approximately 10 KM) "Monster Swimmers"
| Current Record | Name | Date | Time | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fastest Male Crossing | Deni Cullom | July 19, 2014 | 2:19:47 | http://www.bearlakemonsterswim.com/p/results.html |
| Fastest Female Crossing | Chelsea Carmichael | July 19, 2014 | 2:26:17 | http://www.bearlakemonsterswim.com/p/results.html |
| Fastest Male Crossing (Assisted) | Elliot Person | July 16, 2016 | 2:42:09 | http://www.bearlakemonsterswim.com/p/results.html |
| Fastest Female Crossing (Assisted) | Anna Forest | July 16, 2016 | 2:40:16 | http://www.bearlakeswim.com/ |
| Youngest Monster Swimmer | Sam Gridley | Sep 2, 2019 | 14 yrs, 2 mo, 9 days | http://gordsswimlog.blogspot.com/2019/09/sams-first-open-water-marathon.html |
| Queen of the Monster (Most width Crossings - female) | Joelle Beard Brown | 11 crossings (as of 7/20/2020) | Unassisted swims only and includes doubles | |
| King of the Monster (Most width Crossings - Male) | Gordon Gridley | 9 crossings (as of 7/20/2020) | Unassisted swims only and includes doubles |
For complete listing of all Monster Swimmers visit: http://www.bearlakemonsterswim.com/p/monster-swimmer-list.html
External links
- Learning How To Swim, From Aquaphobia To Aqua Crush
- www.bearlakeswimmingassociation.com
- http://triandswim.blogspot.com/2010/07/bear-lake-8-mile-swim.html
- http://www.utahopenwater.com/2010/07/james-jonssons-account-of-his-bear-lake.html
- http://gordsswimlog.blogspot.com/2012/07/new-bear-lake-width-crossing-record-and.html
- http://gordsswimlog.blogspot.com/2011/09/labor-day-bear-lake-crossing-19-miles.html
- http://www.utahopenwater.com/2013/07/cisco-beach-to-bear-lake-marina.htm
- http://www.bearlakemonsterswim.com/p/results.html
- http://gordsswimlog.blogspot.com/2014/07/day-before-bear-lake-monster.html
- Swimmers Are Bullish On A Bear Of A Swim
- Bear Lake Monster Swim
- Utah Open Water
- Open Water Swimming
- Marathon Swimming
- Great Salt Lake Open Water Marathon Swim
- World Open Water Swimming Association
- http://goody4.blogspot.com/2014/08/29aug14-slaying-monster.html
- The Start Of Something Good In Bear Lake
- http://gordsswimlog.blogspot.com/2014/09/monster-slayer-chad.html
- Starkly Courageous Across Bear Lake
- One Big Challenge: Swimming Across Navajo Lake
- The Fat Passion Of Kelly Gneiting
- It Was A Bear Of A Swim
- http://gordsswimlog.blogspot.com/2015/07/piloting-three-double-crossers-and.html
- Monster Swimmer List
