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Carmel Valley Man Defeats a Disease and Conquer s a Mountain B Y M I C H A E L C H AT F I E L D D oug Steiny is the kind of guy who embraces life with energy and determi- nation. When he was diagnosed with Guillain- Barre Syndrome, he fought back. Hard. "Three years ago, I was paralyzed," Steiny says. "Now I'm preparing to climb Kilimanjaro." How is that possible? After his diagnosis, Steiny's son learned of Wim Hof, aka "The Iceman." Hof developed a discipline based on immersion in cold com- bined with breathing techniques that he claimed strengthened the immune system, among other benefits. Guillain-Barre attacks that system, and the younger Steiny thought it might help his father. "He asked me if I would try Hof 's techniques and I said without thinking that I would," Steiny says. "The joke on me is how much I hate cold. In one second, the whole script I had written for myself about cold was rewritten." Every morning at 5:45, Steiny's friend Adam Tight arrives and the two work out for an hour. After taking their kids to school, they reconvene at the Refuge and immerse themselves for 15 minutes in a 44-degree pool. In January, the pair plan to join Hof in climbing Kilimanjaro wearing only shorts and shoes, with- out oxygen in 30 hours—a world's record. SHORTCUTS NEIGHBORS Adam Tight, Wim Hof and Doug Steiny utilizing a technique Hof developed to strengthen the immune system. Steiny has found great success with the method. 86 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R / F A L L 2 0 1 7