SUMMER – THE BEST TIME TO PREPARE FOR WINTER SWIMMING

Ice, snow, cold water - "no pain, no gain"

It sounds a little odd but in fact it is actually true and quite logical – summer is the best time to start preparing yourself for the perils of cold water around the freezing point in the middle of winter and the fantastic extreme sport of winter swimming.

Open water is at its warmest here in the Northern hemisphere in August. But the open water season starts in June and finishes in September so any of these months the water should be warm enough for the novice cold water swimmer. Conditions will vary locally and ideally you should start open water swimming in  water of 16c or above. Just take a quick dip to start with or swim a few hundred metres dependingon your fitness level, ability and the local conditions. The water may seem a little cold but this sensation isn’t unpleasant in the summer and only lasts a few seconds. Continue swimming all through the summer, increasing te time you spend in the water gradually. To immerse yourself in open natural waters is a wonderful feeling and you won’t be in a hurry to go to the swimming pool, although,of course there is nothing wrong with swimmming in pools (they are a valuable amenity).

During the summer, even a bad summer in somewhere like the UK the air temperature and therefore water temperature is still warm so supplement your swimming with cold showers every day or every other day. In fact there is little call for a genuinely hot shower during the summer months.

So have fun in the summer, enjoy the natural open waters that surround you and as the autumn approaches simply keep swimming. The temperature of the water will decrease very gradually and before you realize, it will be January and you will be swimming in cold water below 4c as low as the freezing point and occasionally if conditions allow below it – this is winter swimming. It will be extreme, exhilarating and exciting. That is all to come. for now enjoythe warmer waters and allow your body to naturally harden itself.

For more about hardening and an old tried and tested method click here http://extremewinterswimming.com/an-introduction-to-winter-swimming/how-do-you-harden-yourself-against-cold-water/

Beautiful open water in summer

WINTER SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIP & THE END OF THE SEASON

The production company www.video4net.eu/ made this film

Following a long and harsh winter in Central Europe spring literally “sprung” quickly at us in the last few days of March, bringing sunshine, warm air,and crucially warmer water for swimming.

The championship had been scheduled to  be held in Brno at the end of January but due to the river being frozen solid it was impossible to cut a pool of the required size in order for the championship to take place.

Therefore prospective champions had to wait until the 3rd of April to compete for the title. Instead of near freezing water and sub zero air, it wa a case of 9c water with the air somewhere in the region of 14c ! Hardly “extreme winter swimming” but cold enough to leave the swimmers a little chilly after completeing the 750m course. Indeed ask some pool swimmers whether they fancy 9c water, you won’t have many takers ! So here is another lesson for those new to cold water swimming – When we swim in near freezing water for around 15 minutes in January it really is extreme there is no other way to describe it, but this doesn’t mean that 9c is warm, it’s just not quite as bone chilling in as short a space of time. 1c water hurts, 9c water doesn’t but it is still cold !

Gradual acclimatisation is important,winter swimming is not practised by “nutters” insome show of bravadoit is a more serious business than that. Some long distance and marathon swimmers use cold water swimming during winter as a means of training for their main open water goals during the summer.

If you are interested follow this link to learn more about how to prepare for starting the exciting sport of winter swimming http://extremewinterswimming.com/an-introduction-to-winter-swimming/how-do-you-harden-yourself-against-cold-water/

LATEST NEWS – WINTER SWIMMING EXHIBITION, DVUR KRALOVE, CZECH REPUBLIC

While the snow has just about melted in Prague, up in Dvur Kralove which nests in the foothills of the Giant mountains (Krkonose) there is still plenty of snow, with piles up to about 5 metres high in places.

Of course the temperature is also low, still hovering around zero during the day. As you can see on this video the river is a little icy and on Saturday the water in the Labe river was 1.5c.

Having spent the last 2 or 3 weeeks swimming in water at around 3c, this was a nice wake up call just to remind us that winter is still here with us and spring must wait its turn.

It was also snowing and 500 metres took some getting in such conditions. Then there was no easy escape at the finish as there was a traffic jam for the 1 ladder,which was about a 4 metre climb out of the water and wasn’t easy to negotiate. However, it ws the only way out of the river.

Another tough winter willl surely soon be over and we can spend spring swimming in cold water rather than icy water ! After almost 4 months of sub 4c water the body is ready for better weather & warmer water…. but longer distances !

WATCH WINTER SWIMMING MOVIE FROM CHOCEN, CZECH REPUBLIC

Here is a short rough cut from a January winter swimming exhibition in Chocen Czech Republic. This material will not feature in the professional film which is currently in production.