Swimming on the Moscow River took place on January 15, the day after the Old New Year...
While the ice hole is still being prepared, you can chat with people, warm up with a crowbar and hook, and identify in advance the most advantageous points for shooting.
“Drown, drown her! I got a good one...” - that’s how the hole is made. Large ice floes are sunk and pushed under the ice; their mass is huge and it is unrealistic to pull them entirely out of the water...
Any “floating little thing” is thrown out of the water with a perforated shovel - “colander”
This time there were noticeably more people gathered at the ice hole - there were even activists of some political party...
“What is this? We row and row and the ice doesn’t end!”
Olga, the heroine of my previous “walrus report”, decided to work on the clearing along with the men.
The press also arrived early today, without keeping us waiting. This time the swimming was filmed by three TV channels with three cameras.
Yes, there are really a lot of people today... And what will happen at Epiphany!
Pre-swim briefing for today's smallest participant
...And here she is “at the start”. Truly, all ages are no hindrance to our sport!
Swimming in winter is fun and not at all cold!
And how much happiness and pleasure it is to plunge into scalding icy water!
Grebenkin commands the parade... ugh, the swim.
New group at the start
Well, is everyone ready?
Reade set Go!!!
“What other jacuzzi is there?! It’s cooler in the ice hole!!!”
"Hi all!"
“And who is it that says that “walruses” are old, fat and fat?! Look at me!”
We are waiting for the team.
“Wow, let’s light it up in a minute, it won’t be enough for anyone!!!”
And they lit it!
It didn't seem like much...
The ice hole is sold out.
"Oh, doggie!"
Alexandra Tikhomirova is a record holder for “sports winter swimming”. Swam 5 km. on Lake Baikal the water is 4 degrees Celsius. She took part in swims on the Kola Peninsula, the island of Spitsbergen, the Far East, the People's Republic of China...
Sasha shows herself what a trained “walrus” should look like after a swim - the skin should be bright red from the rush of blood. The skin “whitens” from the cold only in unhardened people.
Well, the “full house” is over, the television cameras have been removed and people who like to swim alone - without crowds and close attention of the press - have flocked into the hole.
Swimming in winter is great! It lifts the mood.
Another girl.
And it swims well.
Olga and Jean.
Hello from the hole!
Well, perhaps, the “girl of the day” for today is Lena.
Floats well and looks amazing!
Is it hard for you to walk barefoot in a swimsuit in the snow?
If a woman regularly bathes in ice water, then even in middle age she looks like a fashion model.
P.S. Finally, a few tips for those who want to swim on Epiphany. Every year there are more and more such people. Remember, in the last post I said that if you follow simple safety rules, even the most unseasoned person can swim in ice water without risking catching a cold? Here they are:
1) We come to the ice hole WARMLY DRESSED.
2) Clothes should be easy to take off and also easy to put on. If possible, no laces or ties. Ideal - a warm knitted sweater under a warm winter jacket or coat. The same applies to trousers. Girls - preferably no tights or skirts. Pants are more practical.
3) We undress “from bottom to top” - first shoes, then trousers, then outerwear. We will dress in the REVERSE order - first we wrap up the body, then we put on trousers and finally - shoes.
4) You need to go into the ice hole as quickly as possible, plunge three times WITH YOUR HEAD, just as quickly jump out onto the ice and go get dressed. Even after the first swim, the feeling of cold disappears 3-5 minutes after leaving the water - it seems that you can stand in the frosty wind naked and wet indefinitely. Don't give in to this feeling. It is deceptive. This means that the body has turned on all its reserves for heating and has sharply accelerated metabolism. But for a beginner, these reserves are always finite. If you don’t get dressed right away, you can get general hypothermia, and then you’re not far from pneumonia.
5) You can’t have a single gram of alcohol before swimming. You can drink no earlier than an hour after leaving the water. Otherwise, if someone has a weak heart or vascular system, serious conditions can be provoked, including a heart attack or stroke. And a drunk’s body cools down much faster.
Follow these simple rules - and feel free to climb into icy water. Nothing will happen to you!
