Winter bathing

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ice bathing in Saarland (January 2006)
Winter swimming "Avantouinti" in Vaasa, Finland (March 2007)

Ice bathing or winter bathing is bathing in open water at water temperatures of almost 0 ° C. The term winter bathing is more precise than ice bathing , as this sport sensibly begins in autumn and continues throughout the winter half-year until spring, i.e. it can only be partially associated with ice. The term ice bathing is more common.

Ice bathing in the narrower sense includes that those involved hack a sufficiently large hole in the ice of the water in order to then climb into the water, for example over ladders or a footbridge.

Ice swimming or winter swimming differs from swimming mainly in that the activity swimming - usually open water swimming - is added. Winter swimmers often use canals or rivers that do not freeze over so quickly in winter. When swimming in winter, they often wear neoprene suits so as not to get too cold. There are popular winter swimmer events, such as the Danube Swimming in Neuburg , in which thousands of athletes take part. On January 6 one to find some places the holiday called Epiphany swimming instead.

history

Winter bathing or swimming has been practiced as a popular sport for centuries in many countries with naturally freezing waters. It is already known from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe that he chopped up the ice of the Ilm to bathe in the cold water.

In the GDR , clubs and organizations were admitted from around 1970 that organized corresponding events such as the seal cup competition by the youth magazine The Drum . Likewise, this winter sport was and is cultivated in the Federal Republic (old and new), partly individually, partly in clubs. In 2003 there were reports of around 1,000 German ice bathers from clubs. The sports communities that exist all over the world for winter bathers or swimmers are called seals , penguins , icicles , Bernauer Eisheilige , Merchweiler sea lions or similar, and they usually appear in the media.

Health benefits

In practice, the terms winter bathing, ice bathing and winter swimming (and occasionally ice swimming) are often used synonymously. The common feature is that the cold stimulus strengthens the immune system.

Just like other athletes , e.g. If, for example, sprinters or weightlifters have trained their organism to convert a lot of energy into movement in a few seconds, the winter bather's organism is trained to reflexively convert its energy reserves into body heat when the current cold stimulates, so that hypothermia does not even occur. Winter bathers only stay in the cold water for a few minutes, so that they can then make good use of the heat that spreads through the body. On the basis of blood tests immediately before and after a 150 m winter swim (6 degrees Celsius) it was shown that the leukocytes in the blood increased significantly due to the cold, so that better protection against inflammation is given.

Ice bathing, known as cryotherapy for therapeutic purposes , is also supposed to help prevent muscle soreness in competitive athletes and the testosterone level was significantly increased and the creatine kinase values ​​were significantly lower, so that overall performance is increased. There is evidence that it helps to reduce anxiety and panic attacks and can ultimately also ensure better sleep. However, there appear to be two different types of reactions in the body, as there are people who lose body temperature very quickly ( isolating hypothermic response ) and others who lose it very slowly ( metabolically isolating response ).

Untrained people cannot be recommended to step into the cold water in the middle of winter. As a preparation, you should bathe outdoors weekly (if possible several times) from summer onwards. Regular alternating showers are also very suitable for training.

In general, it is not recommended to submerge the head (and therefore the hair). Since the hands and feet cool down particularly quickly, hands should be held in the air when bathing and thin protective shoes should be worn on the feet. If bathing suits have been used, it is essential to avoid cooling down after bathing.

Winter swimming as a mass sport

Events in Germany (selection)

  • Spreeschwimmen , which took place for the first time at the Zenner landing stage in Berlin in February 2000; at 3 degrees water temperature, 300 m had to be swum to the island of youth and back.
  • Since 1985 , the icy fun has been taking place regularly in January in Berlin's Orankesee . Brave people from many German ice swimming clubs as well as health-conscious people from other countries take part. B. In January 2003 there were 120 participants and 500 onlookers! The event has the character of an ice cream carnival and a motto, e.g. B. 2003 Neptune and his entourage . or in 2016 at the 31st WiB “Life is colorful”.
  • In 2006, the sponsor Jägermeister organized a WildBadeTag in a Berlin outdoor pool: a freestyle relay had to be completed on a 25-meter lane . In addition to these swimming competitions, there was also all sorts of funny nonsense for the approximately 1000 spectators.
  • The region's first ice bathing event took place at the Helenesee in January 2006.
  • A New Year's swim took place in the Elbe on January 7, 2007, organized by Eisbader from Radebeul .
  • The first Ice Swimming German Open took place in Wöhrsee from January 9th to 11th, 2015, with over 100 starters from 10 countries. This extreme swimming event is organized by Oliver Halder and Christof Wandratsch . Wandratsch has set several world records and is multiple world champion over 1000 m and further distances in ice water.
  • Since 2015, these international competitions have been held annually as part of the Ice Swimming German Open, which have been taking place in Wöhrsee in Burghausen from 2015 to 2017 and in Veitsbronn since 2018. Ice swimmers from over 20 nations now travel to the small town near Nuremberg to take part in the races in Veitsbad there.

Events in Austria

  • In Pertisau am Achensee there has been a competition suitable for everyone on New Year's Eve afternoon since 2001, starting in pairs and 40 to 50 participants: A bucket shower of cold water for acclimatization, 3 m jump from the jetty into the water, 25 m swimming distance to the inflated iceberg, Climb 8 m, ring a bell, descend (jump if necessary) and swim back. For a number of years now, it has not been the fastest, but the average time of all participants that has been scored. Additional fun rating for disguise.
  • Also on New Year's Eve afternoon, people swam from Oberlandshaag to Aschach across the Danube for about 4 years until 2007 . The start was on the left bank with a flat, stony entrance about 300 m above the destination on the market square of the right bank of Aschach. The river is 250 m wide here, but the 45 ° right-hand bend directly above it has an aggravating effect, as a flow component appears on the surface towards the left bank and thus against the swimming direction. Neoprene cover from head to toe is necessary for this distance, some alternatively chose several layers of latex gloves, swimming goggles or diving mask to keep you warm. Individuals prevented cold water from entering by pouring warm water into the suit before taking off. Halfway demanding in terms of sport, with a mass start on the fastest time.
  • Every year in Graz there is a three- king swim of the water rescue in the Mur from the Murinsel downriver to the Augarten, in neoprene, feet first and lying on the back, to avoid hitting a stone with the tailbone .
  • Since 2014 takes place in Altenwörth Lower Austria, in the old branch of the Danube , a New Year's swimming leisure club as a sporting Gaudi instead. On New Year's Eve 2018, 4 women and 10 men between the ages of 16 and 68 took part in the additionally introduced 1st Altenwörther Ice Swimming Cup over 50 and 100 m freestyle, the times were 34–182 seconds. In 2018, 90 participants swam from the bank to the head of the jetty for fun. The 4th Austrian Ice Swimming Championships took place here on February 16, 2019 , with distances of 25 and 50 m each chest or crawl and 100, 200 and 1000 m in freestyle in a swimming pool and the international ICE CUP in the same categories.
  • In Obertraun on Lake Hallstatt , the 1st Lake Hallstatt Ice Swimming took place on March 3, 2018. The responsible organizer is Bernhard Höll from Bad Goisern, who, in addition to this event, is also responsible for the Hallstättersee swimming marathon and is also co-organizer of the Salzkammergut Mountain Bike Trophy. The 2nd Lake Hallstatt ice swimming took place on December 1st, 2018. The 3rd edition will take place on December 14, 2019. Four 50 m lanes are laid out in the cool water of Lake Hallstatt and there are a total of 7 different competitions on the program (chest: 50 m, crawl: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 500 m, 1000 m, relay 4 + 50 m).

Event in Switzerland

  • In Geneva, the Coupe de Noël Christmas swim in Lake Geneva has been held annually since 1934 , with almost 2500 participants most recently, many of whom are in costumes. Teams of up to 20 people swim the 125 m distance, after which a warm whirlpool is available.
  • Every Sunday around December 6th, the so-called Samichlaus Swimming is organized in Zurich. On this occasion, which has existed since 1999, the Limmat is crossed over a distance of 111 m in the area of ​​the Frauenbadi.

Events in other countries (selection)

Polar Bear Plunge - Ice bathing on Bradford Beach, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA in Lake Michigan - custom here since 1916 (New Year 2009)
Eisbaden for epiphany -Fest ( Epiphany ) of the Russian Orthodox Church in Novosibirsk , Siberia (January 2008)
  • It was reported from Great Britain that there has been a women's club for year-round swimmers near London since around 1940 , the oldest active member of which was 82 years old in 2004.
  • In the Czech Republic , swimming in the Vltava River has been organized every year on Christmas Day since the 1950s , with swimming at least 100 m. The event is held as a memorial swim in honor of the Czech athlete Alfred Nikodém .
  • In Russia , ice bathing is widespread in weather conditions that are often suitable for it. Russian Orthodox Christians operate it based on the baptism of Christ as a cleansing ritual for Epiphany on January 19. For this purpose, cross-shaped holes in the ice of rivers are offered, including a staircase and platform under water.
  • In Beijing , China there are the large Houhai lakes, where people swim next to ice even in winter.
  • There are numerous winter swimming events for everyone in Canada and the United States. Often these are carried out as a benefit event, some of which have brought thousands of participants into the deep end. The Coney Island Polar Bear Club was founded in 1903 as the oldest winter swimming club in the USA and regularly swims on the Atlantic beach of Coney Island , New York on winter Sundays and New Year's . A New Year's swim in the Atlantic from 1904 is documented by the L Street Brownies club , founded in 1902 in South Boston , Massachusetts. However, winter swimming in South Boston dates back to 1865, probably introduced by European immigrants, according to some sources.
  • At the Scott Base on Ross Island , Antarctica , operated by New Zealand, people and tourists have been bathing in an ice hole on midsummer night around December 21 since at least 1997, using a hole melter and chainsaw.

Ice swimming as a sport and as an extreme sport

World championships

Since the winter of 1999/2000 there have also been World Championships ( Winter Swimming World Championships ) in this sport , the first taking place in Jyväskylä , Finland . At air temperatures of minus 10 ° C, a swimming pool 25 m long and 12 m wide was sawed out of the 40 cm thick ice from a frozen lake. The following winter, the second world championship was held at the same location with 700 participants, most of whom came from Finland and Russia. In 2003, 13 countries took part in these international competitions.

For the official competitions, the participants have to wear bathing suits (pants or a suit made of non-transparent material) and can wear hats and swimming goggles. A heat-retaining skin care product is not allowed.

Other world championships took place in 2006 (in Oulu ), 2008 (in London ) and 2010 (in Bled, Slovenia ). The 2006 participants came from Australia , Belgium , Germany, Estonia , Finland, Great Britain , Kazakhstan , Latvia , Lebanon , the Netherlands , Norway , Russia and Sweden . In addition to the 25-meter individual courses, a team performance for everyone has now been introduced (between 3 and 20 swimmers were allowed per team, no one was allowed to be in the water for more than five minutes). Children's competitions and lots of fun swimming as well as a torch-lit relay were announced. The winner of the individual swimming was rewarded with prize money of 1000 euros; all participants received a medal. The eighth world championship was held from January 20-22 , 2012 in Jūrmala , Latvia. The disciplines and rules corresponded to those of the previous events.

The ninth World Cup took place in 2014 in the Finnish city of Rovaniemi , the capital of Lapland on the Arctic Circle. The tenth world championship was held in Tyumen in 2016 .

In February 2020 the 12th Winter Swimming World Championships after 2010 were held again in Bled (Slovenia).

Host mode of the Ice Swimming World Championships

No official disciplines are distinguished for the competitions; the distances to be covered are determined in the venues and are of different lengths; the time achieved counts. In any case, comparisons in the swimming styles freestyle and chest have already been carried out. A route length of 25 m has now proven itself. You start standing from a ladder, with your shoulders already in the water. The participants are divided into age groups and gender. In 2010, comparisons were made in the breaststroke 50 m, freestyle 25 m and freestyle 50 m disciplines.

Extreme ice swimming

Swimming in ice cold water is also practiced as an extreme sport. This involves swimming distances of more than one kilometer at temperatures close to freezing. Well-known ice swimmers are Lynne Cox and Lewis Pugh . An ice swimming record is also recorded, which the Canadian Pugh set with a distance of 1.2 km in 23 minutes in a Norwegian lake. The lake is fed by the Nigards Glaciers glacier . The longest distance of 3450 meters ever covered in ice water below 5 ° C was set up by extreme swimmer Hamza Bakircioglu in February 2018. In Lyon, at an annual event in January, people swim 8 km through the Rhône, but with fins and swimsuits.

International Ice Swimming Association

The International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) was founded in Cape Town, South Africa on July 1, 2009 by ice swimmer Ram Barkai , who previously performed 1.43 miles (2.30 km) in 43 minutes at 4 ° C in Zurich on January 31, 2009 Water temperature accompanied by a boat swam. The "Ice Mile" is swum in water with a maximum of 5 ° C with swimming goggles, cap and swimwear. In 2014, the 1 km distance was also introduced.

The IISA lists swimming results over 1 km and more in the Antarctic area - defined separately as locations with more than 60 ° south latitude . 26 entries come from 23 athletes from 2002 to 2018. The water temperatures range from –1.2 to +2.0 ° C, the distances in one case up to 2.25 km, the Indian Bhakti Sharma in 41:14 Minutes in Paradise Harbor 2018. The Bulgarian Petar Stoychev managed the kilometer distance in a very short time (11:08) in the same year.

The salt water of the sea can reach temperatures below 0 ° C, the freezing point of pure water, the higher density of the salt water provides the human body with more buoyancy, which saves the swimmer the effort of surfacing to breathe or, in other words, the head a little further with the same effort protrudes from the water and is therefore less cooled by the water.

The IISA has the vision to introduce ice swimming as a discipline at the Olympic Winter Games in 2022.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Ice swimming  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Epiphany Swimming. wuerzburgwiki.de, January 6, 2018, accessed on January 6, 2018 .
  2. ↑ With sparkling wine and schnapps in the ice water. www.merkur.de, January 4, 2011, accessed on January 6, 2018 .
  3. ↑ a b Lichtenberger Rathausnachrichten from January 18, 2003
  4. ↑ Heidekraut Journal from December 2006; P. 8
  5. ↑ Lombardi, G., Ricci, C et al. (2011): Effect of winter swimming on haematological parameters. In: Biochemica Medica 21 (1), 71-78
  6. ↑ Is it true that an ice bath helps relieve sore muscles?  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: RBB Radio Eins , January 30, 2006, accessed on March 2, 2012@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.radioeins.de  
  7. ^ Arnd Krüger : Whole body cold therapy. In: competitive sport (magazine) 44 (2014), 5, 25–26
  8. ^ Ice Bath Treatment for Anxiety. ( Memento of the original from January 13, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: articlesnatch.com @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.articlesnatch.com
  9. ^ Ice Bath Benefits. In: icebath.org , 2011
  10. ↑ Brazaitis M et al. (2014): Two strategies for response to 14 Grad C cold-water immersion: is there a difference in the response of motor, cognitive, immune and stress markers? In: PLoS One 9 (10) e109020
  11. ↑ 31. Winter swimming in the Orankesee
  12. ^ Volle Kanne - report on ZDF from December 23, 2006
  13. ^ " Blitz" tabloid magazine on SAT1: Jägermeister Wildbadetag ; 2007
  14. ↑ Page no longer available , search in web archives: Dive into the last free water hole.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: MOZ , January 30, 2006, accessed on November 23, 2010@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www4.moz.de @1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www4.moz.de  
  15. ↑ Private website of the Radebeul ice baths; accessed on November 23, 2010 ( Memento from December 21, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  16. ^ Website of the Ice-Swimming German Open
  17. ↑ Michael Fischer Nürnberger Nachrichten: At 3.8 degrees: Ice swimmers meet in Veitsbronn. In: Nürnberger Nachrichten. Nürnberger Nachrichten, July 1, 2018, accessed on December 17, 2019 .
  18. ↑ Silvesterschwimmen Altenwörth 2016 Silvesterschwimmen Altenwörth, youtube.com, January 18, 2017, accessed August 14, 2019. - 48 participants. Video (2:23)
  19. ↑ Günther Rapp: Altenwörth: New Year's Eve swimming for a good cause noen.at, January 2, 2019, accessed August 14, 2019. - Images.
  20. ↑ 4th Austrian Championship in Ice Swimming & Ice Cup silvester-schwimmen.at, accessed August 14, 2019.
  21. ↑ https://www.bernhardhoell.at/schwimmmarathon
  22. ↑ https://www.salzkammergut-trophy.at/
  23. ↑ 1500 people jump into Lake Geneva for the Christmas swim. In: aargauerzeitung.ch , December 20, 2015, accessed December 21, 2015.
  24. ↑ https://www.tdg.ch/geneve/2500-courageux-coupe-noel/story/17378954
  25. ↑ Samichlaus Swimming. Accessed November 26, 2018 (Swiss Standard German).
  26. ↑ Weltbilder website ; found in 2007
  27. ↑ Photo from the Vltava swimming in 2009
  28. ↑ Russians cleanse themselves of sins in a ritual ice bath. In: religion.orf.at , January 19, 2015
  29. ↑ The highlights of Beijing: The Houhai Lakes - table tennis and ice bathing focus.de, accessed August 14, 2019.
  30. ↑ Anna Pearson: Antarctic plunge like 'Waiheke in winter' . December 29, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  31. ↑ Berliner Zeitung , February 2001
  32. ↑ TV excerpt (video 2:32 minutes) about the preparation for the Ice Swimming World Championships 2010  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.clipfish.de
  33. ↑ a b Merchweiler sea lions back from the Ice Swimming World Championships in Slovenia. In: Wochenspiegelonline , accessed on November 26, 2010  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.wochenspiegelonline.de
  34. ↑ Brief information about the World Cup in Bled  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / winterschwimmen.de
  35. ↑ Website about the Ice Swimming World Championships 2006 in Oulu ( Memento of the original from January 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; Retrieved November 23, 2010 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ouka.fi
  36. ↑ Winter Swimming World Championships 2012 in Jūrmala, Latvia ( Memento of the original from February 14, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.winterswimming2012.com
  37. ↑ Sonthofer ice swimmer Hamza Bakircioglu: "This is how I broke the world record!" Retrieved December 17, 2019 .
  38. ^ Mathilde Régis: Lyon: 300 nageurs s'apprêtent à s'élancer dans le Rhône. January 20, 2019, accessed on January 14, 2020 (Fri-FR).
  39. ↑ Welcome to the International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) internationaliceswimming.com, 2014, accessed August 14, 2019.
  40. ↑ Antarctica Swims Records internationaliceswimming.com, accessed August 14, 2019.
  41. ↑ Ice Swimming for Winter Olympic Games (Ice Swimming - The New Frontier) International Ice Swimming Association, youtube.com, published September 17, 2014, accessed August 14, 2019. Video (1:08)