Every winter morning in Finland, before the sun has fully risen, men and women across the country pull on swimsuits, trudge across snow-covered docks, and lower themselves through a hole in the ice into water that is just a degree or two above freezing. They stay for thirty seconds, perhaps a minute. Then they climb out, dry off, and return to the sauna glowing.
This is avanto — Finnish for “hole in the ice” — and it is one of the most quintessentially Finnish things you can do. To outsiders it seems like an act of extraordinary willpower. To the million or so Finns who practise it regularly, it is simply part of life: refreshing, invigorating, and deeply good for you.
What Is Avanto?
The word avanto (pronounced ah-van-toh) literally means “hole in the ice” in Finnish. Avantouinti — ice swimming — is the practice of plunging into open water in winter, whether through a hole cut in a frozen lake, into the icy Baltic Sea, or into any other body of cold outdoor water. The practice is deeply ingrained in Finnish culture and is almost always paired with another great Finnish tradition: the sauna.
Unlike the extreme sport of competitive ice swimming — where athletes swim set distances in near-freezing water — everyday avantouinti is a short, sharp immersion. Most participants stay in the water for thirty seconds to a few minutes. The point is not endurance; it is the shock, the sensation, and the profound warmth that follows when you return to the sauna bench.
A Brief History of Winter Swimming in Finland
Ice swimming in Finland began not as a wellness practice but as a practical necessity. Fishermen cutting holes in frozen lakes for their nets found that those same openings doubled as bathing spots. The Finnish sauna has existed for at least two thousand years, and the pairing of intense heat with cold water — rivers, lakes, or snow — is almost as old.
By the early twentieth century, winter swimming had become a recognised recreational activity. The Finnish Winter Swimming Association (Suomen Avantouintiliitto) was founded in 1956, giving the tradition an official home and growing membership. Today the association represents tens of thousands of members across hundreds of clubs, and estimates suggest that around one in every six Finns swims in cold outdoor water at some point during the year.
The international profile of avantouinti received a significant boost when Finland hosted the first Ice Swimming World Championships, cementing its role as the global home of the sport. Finland has since remained central to the cold-water swimming community, with major events regularly held in Helsinki, Tampere, and Lapland.
Avanto and the Sauna: An Inseparable Pair
To understand ice swimming in Finland, you first need to understand sauna culture. The two are almost inseparable. A typical Finnish avanto session follows a simple rhythm: warm up thoroughly in the sauna, walk out to the dock, lower yourself into the icy water for thirty seconds to a minute, return to the sauna to warm up again, then repeat the cycle as many times as you like.
The contrast between the intense heat of the sauna — typically 80 to 100°C — and the near-freezing water (0–4°C in midwinter) produces a sensation unlike almost anything else. The cold brings a sharp, full-body alertness; the return to the sauna floods the body with warmth and a wave of endorphins that many regular swimmers describe as close to euphoric.
This alternation of hot and cold appears in Nordic traditions across the wider region, from Norwegian cold plunges to Swedish winter bathing, but nowhere has it been as systematically embraced and culturally enshrined as in Finland. You will find avanto spots at public saunas, sports clubs, lakeside mökkis, and even city-centre waterfront venues. It is woven into Finnish daily life in a way that has no real equivalent elsewhere.
The Health Benefits of Ice Swimming
Finns have long believed that winter swimming is good for them, and a growing body of scientific research is starting to agree. Studies into cold-water immersion have identified a range of potential benefits:
- Improved circulation: Cold water causes blood vessels to constrict and then dilate rapidly, giving the cardiovascular system a workout. Regular cold-water swimmers often report improved circulation and lower resting heart rates over time.
- Immune system support: Research suggests that regular cold-water exposure may strengthen the immune response. Frequent winter swimmers report fewer colds and respiratory infections than the general population, though scientists note the need for larger controlled studies.
- Mood enhancement: Cold immersion triggers the release of endorphins, dopamine, and norepinephrine — the same neurotransmitters associated with exercise-induced euphoria. Many swimmers describe a natural high lasting hours after a session, and researchers have begun exploring cold-water therapy as a complementary approach for low mood and anxiety.
- Stress reduction: The practice forces radical presence. When you are lowering yourself into near-freezing water, there is no room for distraction. Regular swimmers report lower perceived stress levels and a greater capacity to remain calm under pressure — a quality Finns associate closely with the national concept of sisu.
- Better sleep: The combination of physical effort, temperature contrast, and endorphin release frequently leads to deeper, more restorative sleep in the hours that follow.
A word of caution: cold-water swimming carries real physiological risks, particularly for people with cardiovascular conditions, high blood pressure, or Raynaud’s syndrome. Always consult a doctor before starting a cold-water practice if you have any such concerns.
How to Try Avanto Safely: Tips for First-Timers
If you are visiting Finland and want to experience avanto, the good news is that it is far more accessible than it sounds. Public saunas with dedicated ice swimming spots operate across the country and welcome visitors year-round. Here is what to know before you go:
Start in the sauna
Never enter cold water cold. Warm up thoroughly in the sauna first — at least fifteen to twenty minutes. A warm body handles the cold-shock response far better than one that is already chilled. This step is non-negotiable for safety.
Keep your first dip short
Thirty seconds is plenty for a first time. The cold can trigger an involuntary gasp reflex, so your first priority is to remain calm and breathe steadily. Do not try to match the duration of experienced swimmers around you — their threshold has been built up over years.
Never swim alone
Established avanto spots always have other people around, which is one of the reasons to use a public venue rather than a remote lake. Cold water can incapacitate quickly; having someone nearby is essential for safety.
Use the ladder
Most avanto spots have a dedicated entry ladder. Use it to lower yourself in and climb out in a controlled manner. Do not jump, and exit the water calmly rather than scrambling out quickly.
Warm up gradually afterwards
Return to the sauna immediately after your dip. Avoid alcohol before swimming — it impairs your body’s ability to regulate temperature — and dress warmly after your session is finished.
The Best Places to Try Ice Swimming in Finland
Helsinki
The Finnish capital has several excellent public saunas with ice swimming facilities. Löyly is perhaps the most famous — a striking waterfront sauna on Helsinki’s southern shore with direct Baltic Sea access in winter. Sompasauna is a beloved volunteer-run spot with a more informal, community-driven atmosphere and winter sea access right in the city. The historic Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall offers a warm-water alternative for those who want the social experience in a beautiful art deco setting.
Tampere
Finland’s second city sits between two large lakes, making it one of the best places in the country for winter swimming. Rauhaniemi is a traditional public sauna on the shore of Lake Näsijärvi with a year-round avanto spot kept open daily through winter. The atmosphere here is deeply authentic — locals of all ages gather, families bring children, and conversation flows freely on the sauna benches.
Finnish Lapland
For a more extreme and atmospheric experience, Finnish Lapland offers winter swimming in conditions that feel genuinely otherworldly. During the polar night, with temperatures dropping well below -20°C and the possibility of the Northern Lights rippling overhead, an avanto dip becomes something close to a mystical experience. Many wilderness lodges and Arctic resorts in the region offer sauna-and-avanto packages alongside other winter activities.
The Family Mökki
For many Finns, the most meaningful avanto experiences happen at the family mökki — the beloved summer cottage, which in Finland is used in every season. When the lake freezes in winter, families heat the wood-burning lakeside sauna and take turns plunging through a hole cut in the ice. This is the tradition at its most intimate: no crowds, no queue, just birch steam, pine forest, and the impossible cold of a frozen Finnish lake.
The Social Side of Avanto
One thing that consistently surprises first-timers is how convivial ice swimming is. Public avanto spots are bustling, warm-spirited places despite the temperatures. The sauna becomes an equaliser — titles, professions, and social hierarchies dissolve in the heat. People share tips, laugh at the cold, and cheer on first-timers. It is, in the truest sense, a community experience.
This social dimension connects avantouinti to the broader Nordic philosophy of friluftsliv — the idea that spending time outdoors, even in its most challenging forms, nourishes both body and mind. Ice swimming is simply the Finnish expression of that philosophy taken to its most bracingly literal conclusion.
A Growing Global Movement
What was once a specifically Finnish tradition is spreading rapidly around the world. Cold-water swimming communities have sprung up across the UK, Germany, Australia, and North America, with enthusiasts citing the same benefits Finns have known for generations. Wild swimming, cold-water therapy, and breathwork-focused cold immersion practices now have millions of followers globally.
But Finland remains the spiritual home of the practice — the country that built it into everyday culture, gave it institutional support, and produced some of the world’s most dedicated cold-water athletes. When you lower yourself into a Finnish avanto, you are not just doing something physically demanding. You are participating in a tradition rooted in landscape, climate, and a particular Finnish understanding of what it means to feel truly alive.
Ready to Take the Plunge?
Ice swimming in Finland is one of those experiences that sounds punishing in theory and feels revelatory in practice. The thirty seconds of cold are real. So is the warmth that floods through you afterwards, the strange clarity of mind, and the quiet pride of having done something your body told you not to do. It is, in its own way, a very Finnish kind of happiness — and entirely worth the goosebumps.
If you are planning a trip to Finland, put avantouinti on your list. Visit a public sauna, warm up properly, and take the plunge. You might just discover what over a million Finns already know.
Photo: Candida.Performa / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
