Hello! My name is Jono Ridler, one of the many obsessed (for good reason) open-water swimmers based out of Auckland, New Zealand. After a childhood of mostly despising swimming lessons and being a very average swimmer, I returned to the sport in 2011 at 21 years old, completing a 3-kilometre ocean swim across the Auckland Harbour. I was hooked! Several years later in 2016, I completed my first marathon swim, equivalent to 10 kilometres. My level of interest in open-water swimming reached a whole new level, and it opened my mind to what else I could achieve. Now a few years on since that first marathon swim, I have successfully completed some of New Zealand’s most renowned swimming challenges, including Cook Strait, Lake Taupo, and Foveaux Strait (collectively known as the New Zealand Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming).
I first stumbled across ice swimming on Youtube as it happens, watching in crazed wonder as these mad South Africans took on the intensely cold water of the alpine lakes. I recall thinking how bizarre it really was. It wasn’t until years later that I would undertake my own challenge in the “ice”, spurred on alongside other keen local swimmers who were looking to expand their own horizons. In 2021, we were able to bring a plan on paper to reality, taking on distances ranging from 500 metres to one kilometre to one mile in the very picturesque alpine setting of Lake Lyndon. It was a marvellous occasion shared with a wonderful bunch of people, and I was fortunate enough to successfully complete all 3 distances.
If you are interested in trying one of these swims, I would recommend first getting in touch with somebody who has walked the path before! The members of our ice swimming association will be more than happy to lend a hand and provide you with guidance as you take the leap into your own ice swimming adventure. While, at the time of writing, I consider myself a novice with this form of swimming, I can share a few things that might help you in your journey as you start:
- Find conditions that are as close as possible to those which you will encounter – specifically, cold water! Training out of Auckland, my training was made up of a combination of long non-wetsuit swims at 12 degrees Celsius, winter swims in Lake Taupo and the streams feeding into the lake, and ice baths ranging from 3-5 degrees Celsius in my converted chest freezer.
- Remember to focus on speed as well as cold adaptation – the faster you swim, the more heat you will generate, and the quicker you will be out of the cold and back into the re-warming process!
- Expect the after-drop (when cold water from your extremities recirculates through your core) when you exit the water and get comfortable with what that feels like. It is by nature an uncomfortable process, but the more you familiarise yourself with the sensation, the better equipped you will be.
- Get familiar with your rewarming process. What clothes will you wear? Will you take in hot fluids and food, or will you have trouble stomaching it? Do you prefer to be burrowed in a mountain of blankets or unshackled to create heat through movement?
Most importantly – don’t forget to have a bit of fun along the way!
See you in the ice.