Yellowknife (Jun 21/06) - "I'm looking for temperatures of 40 below zero," says Rich Jaworski, as he explains his intention to break a world record.

It's a puzzling statement, given that he intends to spend more than 13 hours dangling from a hot-air balloon.

Rich Jaworski plans to break a world record in Yellowknife. The American will spend more than 13 hours held aloft by his specially-made hot-air balloon, "The Adventure of the Heart." - photo courtesy of Rich Jaworski

But the Nebraskan adventurer is serious. He already holds a world record in balloon endurance flights and helped design many of the items he'll be using.

Next January, he will spend thousands of dollars to ship a custom-made balloon to the North, dress up like a human caterpillar in a coat and sleeping bag, and dangle 50 metres from the ground for a night.

What's the point? And why try this in the middle of winter?

Jaworski explains that world records have a timeless appeal. He - like those who have grown the world's longest mustaches or cooked the world's biggest omelettes - only wants a place in the history books.

Considering that most commercial hot-air balloon flights last about one hour, his plan is also quite a scientific achievement.

"It's the advancement of technology," Jaworski says. "You are buying a piece of history, advancing what man can do and you cannot put a price on that."

As for the winter, there is a perfectly scientific explanation for braving the cold: Jaworski explains that hot-air balloons rise more efficiently in the cold, since his balloon will be comparatively hotter than the environment.

"I have been flying for many years, and this is one of the things you save as a grand finale," he says.

Though Jaworski admits his record is obscure, he says the magic of ballooning should appeal to everyone. "Most people see balloons and it makes them happy," he says.

It is for this reason -- plus the fact that his adventures raise money for youth charities and heart disease research -- that he named his balloon "the Adventure of the Heart."