The annual Polar Bear Swim, held at Gar Woods' Grill & Pier in Carnelian Bay, is a mainstay of Snowfest - a ten-day celebration of winter fun in North Lake Tahoe.

This Tahoe TIme Lapse segment, taken from the Gar Woods' live, streaming webcam (tahoetopia.com/webcam/gar-woods-carnelian-bay) captures a fast-motion look at the Polar Bear swim event, held Saturday, February 28th, wherein competitors brave the frigid waters of Lake Tahoe on a 75-yard out-and-back swim.

The time lapse starts on Saturday morning with a few heavy snowfall squalls. At about 30 seconds in, you'll see (in fast motion) the crowd emerge (from Gar Woods restaurant) to watch the swim, and very quickly see the competitors (ladies first, then men) swim out and back.

With the cold weather, the crowd disappears as fast as they gathered, to enjoy the post-party inside Gar Woods.

For a complete Snowfest Event Calendar, click here.

Share your thoughts about this Tahoe TIme Lapse, and let us know what you'd love to see a time lapse of in the comments section below.