STOCKHOLM (February 9, 2013)--Six contestants braved butt-numbing cold and boredom to win a share of the prize in an annual ice pole-sitting contest in northern Sweden.

The two women and four men shared the $3,100 prize for remaining on 8.25-foot-tall blocks of ice during the 48-hour contest, which ended Saturday.

Competitors said the worst part of the competition was not the cold, although temperatures dipped below -18 F, but the monotony, even though they were allowed to come down for 10-minute toilet breaks every other hour.

Organizer Annica Andersson said the contest has been held annually for a dozen years.

It was brought to the Swedish town of Vilhelmnina by a local resident who had participated in a similar competition in Russia.