Ice Swimming…Reserved for the Peculiar

Burghausen Castle, perched on a hill high above this scenic Bavarian town, was still bathed in a white morning fog when the first swimmers of the day approached the Wöhrsee, a sickle-shaped lake that curls along the medieval fortification’s western flank.

It was 29 degrees outside, and as the seven women descended a set of ladders to touch the water, their clipped exhalations — “Whew, whew, whew!” — sliced through the quiet on the jetty. Moments later, there was an electronic beep, then a collective splash, and with a spurt of cheers from a few dozen spectators, the first meet of the International Ice Swimming Association’s new season was underway.

To an uninitiated observer, ice swimming, as it is called, can seem deeply peculiar. From afar, in the absence of snow or ice, it resembles normal swimming in any lake. But lakeside, stooped and shivering in a parka, flexing your toes inside multiple layers of socks and witnessing groups of half-naked people splashing into the frigid water of their own accord, your mind naturally struggles to comprehend why.

From “For Swimmers with Ice Water in Their Veins, An Event to Match” by Andrew Keh for the New York Times; Photo by Julien Goldstein (@juliengoldstein)

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