Ice swimming

Ice swimming is swimming in a body of water with a frozen crust of ice, which requires cutting a hole in the ice. This may also be simulated by a pool of water at 0 °C, the temperature at which water freezes. Ice swimming is possible because the freezing of water releases heat, so that the water does not refreeze instantly.

Winter swimming is swimming in a body of water during winter. Depending on the geographical location, and the time of year, the water swum in may be at freezing temperature as in Ice swimming, or could be considerably warmer.

Maintaining the hole in the ice

One way that the hole is maintained in the frozen sea is with a pump that forces the water to circulate under the hole preventing ice from forming. Small ice-holes can also be kept open by keeping a lid over the hole to prevent ice forming.

Most swimming places also use a specific heated "carpet" going from the locker rooms to the ice-hole, both to make walking to the hole more pleasant and for safety as otherwise the water dripping from returning swimmers would freeze and create a dangerously slippery surface to walk on.

National traditions

Northern Europe

In Finland, Norway, Sweden and Latvia the ice swimming tradition has been connected with the sauna tradition. Unlike dousing, it is not seen as an ascetic or religious ritual, but a way to cool off rapidly after staying in a sauna and as a stress relief.

Ice swimming on its own is especially popular in Finland. There is an Avantouinti Society (avantouinti is Finnish for ice-swimming), and swimming holes are also maintained by other groups such as the Finnish skiing association (Suomen Latu). The Finnish Sauna Society maintains an avanto hole for sauna goers.

There are lots of places where you can swim without sauna in Finland during winter. Helsinki has several places for avantouinti, with dressing-rooms and sometimes with saunas. Tampere area [http://www.tampere.fi/english/sports/recreation/winter/swimming.html] has a number of ice swimming and winter sauna locations.

China

In Harbin, northern China, many ice swim in the Songhua River. It has grown in popularity since late 1940 as a winter ritual and now as an estimated 200,000 registered swimmers. The river hole is estimated to be 25m by 10m. [http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1893633,00.html]

Russia

There are strong traditions for ice swimming and dousing with cold water in Russia. They are done for health benefits, as a ritual of the Orthodox Church for the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, and for sports. Such club members are called "walruses" instead of "polar bears"

North America

The members of Canadian and American "polar bear clubs" go outdoor bathing or swimming in the middle of winter. In some areas it is unusual or ceremonial enough to attract press coverage. "Polar Plunges" or "Polar Bear Plunges" are conducted as fund-raisers for charity, notably the Special Olympics. Cosmo Kramer briefly joins a New York polar bears club in the sitcom Seinfeld.

See also

* Cold water dousing
* Polar bear plunge

External links

* [http://cankar.org/sauna/howto/avanto.html Cankar.org] on how to avanto
* [http://practices.swami-center.org/page_42.shtml Winter Swimming] — the technique of winter swimming and its healing effect.
* [http://tapani-pikkarainen-valokuvia.blogspot.com/2007/01/avantouinnin-mm-kisat-2006-kuvia-winter.html#links/ Winter Swimming World Championships, pictures Oulu Finland 3.-5.3.2006 ]
* [http://www.slsc.org.uk/wwsc2008/ Winter Swimming Championships 2008] - held at Tooting Bec Lido, London, UK