The cornerstone of unity

98 ICE SWIMMING
My mother once told me that late one autumn, when I was only a couple of years old, I came into the house with 
my mittens soaked through. She asked me were my hands not freezing, and I answered that when I felt cold I 
warmed my hands in a muddy puddle. 
I imagine that our ancestors have in the same empirical way noticed the warming effect that cold water has in 
certain conditions. 
Maybe twenty years ago I was in the old public sauna in Kruununhaka in Helsinki talking about ice swimming 
and its effects with another woman. She spoke highly of the winter swimming club she had joined (innovation no. 
14) and told me how I could go there try it out. She also praised the place as a summer oasis and a good city 
substitute for a summer cottage. 
The following summer I applied for a membership. I was warmly received, and was immediately hooked by 
the club’s cosy atmosphere. I had recently left my family and friends behind in Turku when I had moved to 

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Helsinki to work after graduating, but suddenly with the winter swimmers I had a big reference group and a club 
where I always felt welcome, a part of the family. There was always someone to chat to if you felt like it, but you 
could also spend time on your own if you so desired. 
The communalism of the winter swimming club worked in a way that I would like to see spread to modern 
Finnish society. At that time the sauna had a wood-
burning stove which was tended by the club’s senior 
members. The intergenerational relationships worked in a natural way, and everybody understood that those 
who worked could not just wander off in the middle of the day to heat the sauna. It was natural that those who 
were already free citizens looked after the heating, and they knew that the younger generations would follow on 
up the chain behind them. 
The sauna (innovation no. 91) as such is not a necessary element of winter swimming; it just makes it 
possible to dive in several times. Actually winter swimming with and without sauna is quite different. Swimming 
without a sauna rapidly produces a light and happy feeling, but on the other hand visiting the sauna between 
dives is significant in respect to the social aspect and as an aid to total relaxation. 
My own experience of winter swimming is that it is the best sport around when it comes to social interaction, but it 
is difficult to explain to someone who has never practiced it how swimming in cold water can produce such a happy 
feeling. I say ‘practiced’ because mere experimentation does not, in my opinion, allow one to understand the feeling 
the winter swimmer gets once her body has learned to react to the cold temperature of the water 
– without exception 
experienced winter swimmers gasp elatedly as they rise from the icy hole. Swimmers generally chat and ask after 
those who have been absent. If nobody knows how they are then someone calls in or asks around. The oldest 
winter swimmers are currently over 90 years old. 
In our club we wear swimming costumes, which makes it possible for men and women to mix. Many winter 
swimmers come with their spouses, and some even bring their families. In the sauna we exchange news, 
discuss the hot topics of the day and tell the latest jokes. 
Lately winter swimming has begun to grow rapidly and is becoming a popular sport. Now we are being 
invaded with all kinds of modern shoes and gloves. The sport has become trendy, and many famous people who 
have started winter swimming give interviews on how often they swim and why. The one thing we have in 
common, however, is the good feeling we share. 
Paula Kokkonen 
– Deputy Mayor of Helsinki 2004–2011