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Winter Swimming in the Outdoors – Are You Joking?! |
 One of the most exotic activities you can experience in Finland
is definitely winter swimming in the outdoors! Avantouinti - as
the Finns call it - literally "ice hole swimming" means
swimming
for a few minutes at a time or taking a quick dip in a large
opening cut through the ice of a frozen lake or a sea.
Avantouinti has recently seen a renewed interest and it seems that it is regaining a foothold in the Finnish traditions. The popularity of winter swimming has grown in Finland with cities organising safe, public swimming holes in lakes and the sea. An estimated 500,000 Finns - 10 percent of the population - have tried it, and some 120,000 are regular winter swimmers. The hobby is frequently taken up out of simple curiosity or for health reasons. Ice hole swimming is considered a pleasant, invigorating pastime, which improves tolerance of cold and stress. The toughest Finnish swimmers do not want to miss out a swim even when the temperature reaches 30 degrees Celsius below zero. Some swimmers say it makes them feel fresh throughout the day, some claim it helps build resistance to the common flu. If you have not tried winter swimming before, find a few friends willing to help, so that someone is able to you give you a hand if anything happens. For safety reasons it is recommended to inexperienced winter swimmers to use the public winter swimming places maintained throughout the winter by the Avantouinti Society Suomen Latu. Swimmers should be careful and be sure to follow the guidelines given. One practical advice is to wear something on your feet when walking to the water. Rubber slippers or woolly socks are handy and you can swim with them on. It is also important to remember not to go swimming after drinking alcohol or while ill. The die-hard fans of winter swimming do not necessarily associate ice hole swimming with the sauna, although most appreciate a hot sauna before and after the relatively cool swim. It is not recommended to go into the water directly from the heat of the sauna or vice versa. It is actually safer to go swimming from the relative coolness of the changing room. Let your body get accustomed to the cold air outside before taking a plunge. Generally the water temperature is approximately one degree above zero and the difference in temperature between the heat of the sauna and the water can be 80-100 degrees Celsius, while from the changing room it is only some 20 degrees. The difference in temperature puts stress on the heart and the change in blood pressure can cause dizziness. Never jump into the water head first! Even getting the head wet is not suggested, since it increases heat loss and can lead to hypothermia. Since changes in temperature balance speed up metabolism and going to the sauna increases fluid loss, swimmers should remember to drink plenty of liquid, preferably in the form of warm beverages. Once you have tried winter swimming in a frozen lake after the gentle heat of the sauna, you will know what a proper bath is! However, also remember to try throwing yourself in a snowdrift after the heat of the sauna…and return back into the sauna after a couple of minutes! By Piia Veikkolainen |
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