  We consider leading order quantum corrections to the geometry of large AdS
black holes in a spherical reduction of four-dimensional Einstein gravity with
negative cosmological constant. The Hawking temperature grows without bound
with increasing black hole mass, yet the semiclassical back-reaction on the
geometry is relatively mild, indicating that observers in free fall outside a
large AdS black hole never see thermal radiation at the Hawking temperature.
The positive specific heat of large AdS black holes is a statement about the
dual gauge theory rather than an observable property on the gravity side.
Implications for string thermodynamics with an AdS infrared regulator are
briefly discussed.
