Most people I know ask if I'm crazy when they hear about my plans. Swimming in the cold lake water in winter – this seems crazy at first glance. But for Gerd Bodner (60), Ludwig Notsch (46) and Andreas Prohart (54) it's routine. The three friends now swim in the lake in winter almost every day. “You feel stronger and you don't get sick as often,” says Notsch, describing the positive effects of the ice bath.
Bodner even observed medical healing processes: “A woman in our group has rheumatism and the ice bath left her pain free. Another friend got rid of panic attacks,” he says: “Cold water is great for the psyche.”
Ice bath on Lake Längen, a self-experience
I'm about to test how the ice bath affects my body. A thick layer of ice has already formed on the lake. The sharp teeth of Bodner's chainsaw break through the ice in an instant. St. Veiter cuts a square hole in front of the walkway. So that's where it should go, in the water that's three degrees cold.
Gerd Bodner digs a hole in the frozen lake © Weichselbraun Helmuth
In harmony with ice skaters
But first the pieces of ice have to be removed: “We throw them under the pier, otherwise they get in the way of the skaters.” At Längensee, ice skating and ice bathing run at the same time because the lake is big enough for everyone: “It's a collaboration. Of course, we do not cut exactly where the children will go ice skating later, but rather in our isolated zone.”
The cut ice block is carefully removed © Weichselbraun Helmuth
Sunken car key
Notsch and Prohart, both from Klagenfurt, are the first to enter the water. When it's cold outside, it takes a lot of effort – and a lot of training. That's why you should have tried ice swimmers for the first time, like I did today.
The general rule is: never take an ice bath alone! “A lot of things can happen. For example, someone once sank their car keys in the lake. He was wet and couldn’t drive home,” says Bodner.
Ludwig Notsch is already swimming in the icy water © Weichselbraun Helmuth
An internal struggle
Now things are getting serious. The freediving instructor repeats the instructions to me again: “Take off your clothes quickly and get in quickly.” If you have too much time to think, it's over. “The body feels cold and sends a signal to the head not to go any further”, explains the St. Veiter veteran. So I have to be quick. I take a deep breath and look focused at the water. Then I grab the handrail to the left and right and throw myself into the lake with a jerk, up to my shoulders.
The cold water acts as a shock. It triggers a battle between body and mind – one says: “Stay calm and breathe slowly”, the other signals panic and goes into emergency mode. My concentration is on just one thing: “Breathe, breathe, breathe.”
Breathing is difficult on the cold lake, but it is essential © Helmuth Weichselbraun
Then Notsch calls me: “Just a minute, great!” It was the motivation I needed. Because now I realize that my head won the duel. “One minute, seriously?” I reply in disbelief. A smile spreads across my face. Suddenly it feels pleasant, refreshing, alive.
However, my hands and feet are protected by neoprene gloves and I wear a hat on my head. This is especially important in low water temperatures because the end parts of the body lose heat more quickly.
Taking an ice bath or swimming in the ice makes you feel alive © Weichselbraun Helmuth
After three minutes we got out of the water. This is the maximum time, as the rule is: one minute per degree, you should not stay in the lake longer. So at three degrees it's three minutes.
My teammates are proud that I lasted this long. However, it is best to shower briefly but regularly.
And anyone who thinks that heat is needed immediately after an ice bath is wrong: “The body needs a little time to warm up”. So we stood on the dock for a while.
Your skin turns red, but you feel an enveloping warmth and a feeling of happiness spreads throughout your body. It's a difficult moment to describe, like being born again.
Done! After the ice bath you feel like a new person © Weichselbraun Helmuth
Teacher bathes in ice
Endorphins can be released after the ice bath. For most people, the unique experience soon becomes an addiction. This was the case of Doris Fruhwirth, who describes everything as a “kick”. The teacher swims twice a week in the fresh lake: “My friend convinced me to try it. We were at a seminar at Lake Faak. So we continued with that.”
In fact, Fruhwirth wanted to stop taking ice baths in January. In truth. “That kick is like an addiction. “At first I couldn’t imagine it, but now I can’t live without it,” admits the 50-year-old from St. Louis.
Fruhwirth's new hobby also brought an interesting change: “I used to get colds often. And this year I didn't even get sick all winter. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or not.”
Doris Fruhwirth discovered the ice bath © KK/Privat
In any case, the fact is that ice baths have already become a real trend. More and more people go swimming in winter at Lake Wörthersee, Lake Flatschacher and Lake Maltschacher. At Längensee, it is said that a queue forms in front of the sawed hole on weekends. “It's very popular these days, maybe because a lot of influencers post videos,” says Notsch.
Cold training workshop
Due to increased demand, seminars and workshops are now taking place, for example at the Hotel Hochschober on the Turracher Höhe. “The healing power of cold strengthens the immune system, reduces stress and makes the body more efficient,” the operators, who are also passionate cold swimmers, advertise on the website for the five-day course in March.
Bernhard Friedrich from Graz is one of around 1,500 certified instructors worldwide. He teaches workshops using the Wim Hof method throughout the winter. “Wim Hof was the first to make cold training popular and transportable,” says the 48-year-old Styrian, also emphasizing the social factor of the ice bath: “Valuable friendships have already been formed for me.”
Bernhard Friedrich teaches the ice bath technique © kk/Privat
On February 18th, Friedrich will hold a workshop at the Nockmed health center in Bad Kleinkirchheim. Breathing exercises, mental exercises and, of course, training in the cold are on the program. According to the instructor, the ice bath can have positive effects on your daily life: “You can learn to become calmer and more resistant to stress through training in the cold.”
Our extraordinary swimming day at Lake Längen comes to a relaxed end. We finished with a trip to the sauna. While I pack my things, my companions jump back into the small hole in the ice. The addictive factor for the indescribable feeling of happiness, the ultimate “kick”, is great. It certainly wasn't the last time for me either.