The ice-cool midlife trend that's taking ski resorts by storm

Stripping down to just my swimsuit in sub-zero temperatures didn’t seem like the most sensible thing to do at 9 o’clock on a snowy morning in January, but swimmers from the Samoëns Swim Club were already down by the lake edge, breaking the thin layer of ice that had formed on the surface overnight.

One by one the group – wearing nothing more than swimsuits and silicone swim caps – made their way effortlessly into the frosty 4℃ water as breezily as if going for a dip in the balmy Caribbean sea.

I had arrived in the charming mountain town of Samoëns a day earlier, just in time to catch the final events of the fifth International Ice Swimming Championships. Located in the Haute-Savoie département of France near the Swiss border, it’s the first time the medieval town has played host to the championships.

This four-day event brings together nearly 500 competitors from 43 different countries including South Africa, Morocco, and even Mongolia, with participants ranging in age from 13 to 78 years old. Team GB arrived with an impressive 44 swimmers ready to take the chilly plunge. It’s a celebration of the coolest trend taking ski resorts and British midlifers, like me, by storm.

A brave new trend

The benefits of cold water swimming have long been heralded in Scandinavian countries, but in recent years it has become one of the UK’s most sought-after hobbies. Its popularity has been boosted by personalities such as British endurance athlete Lewis Pugh and Dutch motivational swimmer Wim Hoff. British journalist and author Susannah Constantine (of Trinny and Susannah fame) proudly now calls herself a wild swimmer.

While accurate statistics on how many outdoor swimmers there are in the UK today are hard to pinpoint – many enthusiasts aren’t members of a club, choosing instead to dip at will in local ponds, streams and seas – Google trends data shows that the number of swimmers wanting to immerse themselves in cold water is growing. The term ‘open water swimming near me’ saw a 450 per cent increase in search volume in the last year alone.

Preliminary results from the annual survey carried out by Outdoor Swimmer magazine also indicate growth, particularly with middle-aged women. Of the nearly 3,000 swimmers surveyed so far, 77 per cent of the respondents identified as female. The largest age category is 50 to 59 years old, followed by 40 to 49.

I’m one of those many midlife women who turned to cold water when lidos and pools across the country were forced to shut during the pandemic. And, like two thirds of the females surveyed by Outdoor Swimmer, I consider swimming outdoors as being “hugely important” to my sense of wellbeing.

Having been a competitive swimmer until my mid-teens, I rediscovered my love of the water when pregnant with my oldest child. Not only did swimming keep me fit throughout my pregnancy and help me get back into my jeans after my eldest was born, it later provided enormous mental relief during a period of crippling panic attacks after my daughter, my second child, arrived and a breast cancer diagnosis, aged 41, not long after the birth of my third child.

But there’s a huge difference between the kind of cold water dipping that I’ve tried and serious ice swimming. Despite the name, ice is not essential for the races practiced in Samöens, but according to International Ice Swimming Association rules, events must take place in water temperatures of 5℃ or below, wearing just a silicon cap, a pair of goggles and a standard swimming costume. Race distances at the Championships range from 50m to 500m in freestyle, breaststroke and butterfly. The blue ribbon event is the 1,000m freestyle.

World-class women

Many of the swimmers taking part in this year’s championships are ex-competitive athletes who have discovered the thrill of icy water. Cathy Munro, who celebrated her 60th birthday the same week of the event, has been a fierce swimmer from a young age and an open-water aficionado for the last decade. It was working as an emergency doctor during the pandemic, however, that prompted her to ditch her wetsuit.

“I started swimming with members of my club outdoors and found it was easier to not have to put on the wetsuit and take it off again,” says Cathy. “Sometimes it feels like you’re in a hailstorm because your nerve sensors are firing off – you feel really, really alive.”

Other competitors turned to swimming to help overcome life’s challenges. Kate Steeles, 53, who in 2021 was named World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year, started cold water pursuits 14 years ago when her husband walked out on her. Since then she has picked up numerous awards including being only the third person in history to complete the Ice Sevens Challenge – an event that requires swimmers to complete seven different ice miles in each of the seven continents, one of which must be in water temperature below 1℃.

She also found solace in swimming after the untimely death of her only son, Daniel. “Swimming helps you to cope, it helps you find a way through,” says Kate. “You never ever move on but you learn to cope.”

Back at the Lac aux Dames in Samoëns and local swimmers Rob and Carrie Wilmot are giving me tips, instructing me to take long, slow breaths as I enter the water. I start to slowly swim away from the shore, pushing stray ice shards out of my way as I go.

I quickly lose sensation in my hands and feet but any numbness is replaced by a sense of calm, so much so that I pause for a moment and float on the surface before making my way back to dry land. I’m only in the water for a couple of minutes but when I get out I feel tingly and euphoric, and like I could conquer the world. It’s a feeling that I carry with me for the rest of the day – it’s clear to me now, why midlifers are chasing this new ice-cold high.

Take the plunge

Ready to brave the chill? The following ski resorts offer Wim Hoff wannabes alternative ways to brave the ice.

Ice diving in Les Menuires, France

Freedive under the frozen Lac du Lou in Les Menuires under the watchful eye of a professional instructor. Pull yourself along a rope and see how far you can get between the four access points carved into the ice ranging from six to 20 metres between them. The good news is that for this experience you’re allowed to wear a wetsuit. lesmenuires.com

Ice floating in Tignes, France

Still worried about the cold? Then try ice floating in Tignes, which you get to enjoy fully kitted out in a dry suit. Float on the frozen waters of Tignes Lake and admire the magnificent mountain scenery. Organisers promise that you will, in the words of the original ice Queen Elsa, be able to lie down and let it (all) go. tignes.net

Ice swimming Levi, Finland

The Finns have long known the benefits of plunging yourself into freezing cold water; the only difference is that they usually defrost in a sauna afterwards. In the Finnish ski resort of Levi  you can book a traditional sauna and ice swim experience by the river Ounasjoki. levi.fi

Katja Gaskell was a guest of Samöens Tourism (samoens.com). Samoëns is one hour's drive from Geneva airport. Go Massif organises transfer from €65 per person for a return. gomassif.com