In an interview: Vice-ice swimming world champion Yasmine Pliessnig

We have a lot of enthusiastic ice swimmers in our community, which is why we wanted to settle more intensely with the topic of ice swimming. We have led an interview with Yasmine Pliesnig from Vienna, the first wife of Austria to swim an ice mile. Yasmin is also a lifeguard at DLRG, Vice World Champion in Winter Swimming over 1000m, multiple World Cup participants in ice swimming, trainer and coach-for us the perfect choice to find out what is relevant for the topic of ice swimming.

The water is below 5 ° C for ice swimming, and the temperature can also be higher when swimming in winter

Constantin ( Cold Plunge .de): What is the definition of ice swimming and winter swimming?

Yasmine Pliesnig: If you consider the whole thing as a competitive sport, ice swimming starts at less than 5 ° C, when swimming the water, the water can also be warmer. When swimming ice cream, more value is also placed on long distances, for example 1,000 meters, although you can also swim shorter distances. When swimming winter, it is rather shorter distances and a little warmer water, especially on the long distances. As a result, winter swimming is also well suited for getting in.

Constantin ( Cold Plunge .de): How did you get ice swimming? Is it primarily (performance) swimmers that start with this sport?

Yasmine Pliessnig: This is actually cross bed, you can find many triathletes at this sport. However, one can say that at the level of competition (World Cup) the fast swimmers all come from swimming. It is easier for me because I come from swimming and have the swimming technique and the speed on it. Incidentally, I have a lot of swimming colleagues that would never dare to go into the ice water.

Open water ice swimming @yasmine pliesnig

The ice mile is the Mount Everest of the ice swimmers

Constantin ( Cold Plunge .de): What would you consider as the highest summit that you can reach as an ice swimmer?

Yasmine Pliesnig: It is said that the ice mile over 1,600 meters is the Mount Everest of the ice swimmers. I personally have many successes that I am proud of, but the ice mile and the Vice World Championship title are my greatest personal success.

Ice swimming World Cup in Bled, Slovenia

The kilometer time doubles when swimming ice cream

Constantin ( Cold Plunge .de): Is the ice mile only about arriving? How long do you need for an ice mile?

Yasmine Pliesnig: You can roughly say that you doublet your kilometer time, because of course you use a lot more energy in ice water than with normal swimming. Usually you only make the ice mile once, but there are also swimms that collect the ice miles. For example, there is the so-called ICE-7TH: an ice mile swim on every continent.

Constantin ( Cold Plunge .de): I would briefly come to your book "Take Off Your Clothes - Go Into the Water". You describe it very impressively how important it is to listen to your body in extreme situations. For example, you describe how you broken off the ice kilometer and hand over.

Yasmine Pliesnig: Health is simply proceeding. Just because I swam such a distance in the ice water, it is far from the case that I can do it every time. The whole thing is very dependent on the day and even if it is a difficult decision to cancel, you cannot act against your body. But then it was 100% the right decision for me. And I still took a medal from this competition!

Warming up is probably the most important topic when swimming ice cream

Constantin ( Cold Plunge .de): I also found it interesting that warming up has to go very slowly so that the aftersrop does not take place too abrupt. You also write that the warm tremor is the most important method. How important is the topic of warming up?

Yasmine Pliesnig: Warming up is insanely important, unless the most important topic in swimming ice. Of course, this is very relaxed in competitions, as you have different temperature hot tubs and warm tents there. But it is much more difficult during training. I sometimes wanted to warm up too quickly during training, and this caused, for example, when driving a car, when I could no longer brake because my foot cramped due to the muscle contraction when trembling. I also recommend warm drinks or cereal bars (including sugar) to quickly and efficiently add energy to the body.

Constantin ( Cold Plunge .de): What do you eat before such an ice float competition?

Yasmine Pliesnig: This is different, some like to eat pasta or rolls, some muesli. I like to eat porridge, so oatmeal. The food should be easy to digest and give a lot of energy.

There are two associations, the differences are mainly at distances and temperatures

Constantin ( Cold Plunge .de): What different ice swimming associations and which disciplines are there? What about rules?

Yasmine Pliessnig: There are two associations for ice swimming: International ICE Swimming Association and International Winter Swimming Association . Initially there was the winter swimming association. For example, this had the rule that the kilometer can only swim when the water temperature is above 5 ° C, otherwise the whole thing is too dangerous. Then the ICE Swimming Association was founded, which was of the opinion that it was possible, with the kilometer below 5 ° C water temperature. So the big difference is at the temperature that can be lower even in the case of the ICE Swimming Association.

However, both associations are similar from security regulations. You always start in the water because the head jump would be too dangerous. Greasing is prohibited in both associations because it would be a risk because the participants can no longer be pulled out of the water in an emergency.

Ice swimming World Cup in Murmansk

No more than 200 meters in the first ice swimming season

Constantin ( Cold Plunge .de): What would you advise new ice swimmer from the distance and competitions?

Yasmine Pliesnig: I would advise beginners to start a maximum of 200 meters in the first season, so you can work up slowly. In the 4th or 5th season you can also tackle the kilometer. For the ice mile you should be able to swim the kilometer well. The technology has to sit, otherwise you no longer have a correct propulsion in the cold.

Constantin ( Cold Plunge .de): Let's also talk about medical aspects. In your book you describe the three stages of hypothermia: 1. Defense stage with muscle tremors, 2nd stage of exhaustion with cloudy consciousness and 3rd paralysis stage. Is hypothermia, i.e. the strong hypothermia, is a topic when swimming with ice?

Yasmine Pliesnig: I have seen it extremely rarely. So far we only had to get a swimmer out that no longer had any strength and only rowed on the spot. The forces naturally let go through the cold very quickly. However, I have never personally experienced that someone is passed through the cold, not even in my time as a lifeguard. The maximum of the 1st stage occurs, but in most cases it is not bad.

Hypothermia and diving reflex rarely occur, but you should be prepared for it

Constantin ( Cold Plunge .de): Will the diving reflex, i.e. that you can no longer breathe when the head is out of the water again, often triggered when swimming with ice?

Yasmine Pliesnig: I also experienced the diving reflex every now and then, but rather rarely. This can occur in particular if you are not used to doing your head in cold water. As a result, you cannot breathe at short notice. If you appear and realize that you cannot inhale, just exhale - that always works. If you then inhale, it would have to work again. Usually the diving reflex is only a short shock moment. But you should also train that the face or head of the cold is exposed. I have already noticed from experienced cold plunger n that they had the diving reflex because they are usually not used to doing their heads under water.

Constantin ( Cold Plunge .de): What do you have to master to be able to swim ice swimming?

Yasmine Pliesnig: The technology must be right. For people who do not master the swimming technique 100%, this is sometimes the case that they still swim cleanly the first few lanes. And then they spread and make mistakes, swimming inefficient. You can tell that very quickly with beginners. With good swimmers, it is not so easy to see that they get tired. And that can also be dangerous, since the second, i.e. the watchman, has to know his protégé well. This is particularly important at long distances.

Ice swimming World Cup in Burghausen
Ice swimming World Cup in Burghausen

Both beginners and progresses can develop further

Constantin ( Cold Plunge .de): What are you doing at the moment?

Yasmine Pliessnig: I give ice swimming courses on Keep on Cooling and on my page ICESWIMMINGNOW . There you will find me and the courses we offer. On the one hand, we have training for beginners, but also Advanced courses for advanced ice swimmers who, for example, want to improve their technology. Sonja Flandorfer and I have combined ice swimming with the Wim Hof ​​method - what are the similarities, what are the differences, what can you learn from each other. We have created a new course that goes over a weekend.

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About Constantin

I am a passionate cold plunger , blogger, interested in new technologies and founders of Cold Plunge .de.

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