Winter swimming in Lapland

Finns have swum in holes cut through frozen lakes for centuries, and the avanto is less a stunt than a cornerstone of the culture: you sit in a wood-fired sauna until you can't bear it, then walk out and lower yourself by a ladder into black, near-freezing water for a few seconds that reset everything.

Done in Lapland, the ritual gains a savusauna — a smoke sauna, heated for hours and then cleared, giving a soft, enveloping heat unlike any modern cabin — and a setting of frozen lakes, snow-laden forest and, on the right night, the aurora overhead.

The cold is intense but the exposure is brief and controlled, and the rush of warmth and calm afterwards is the whole point. It is one of the most accessible and quietly profound things you can do in an Arctic winter.

An alternating cycle of extreme heat and extreme cold: long spells in a wood-fired or smoke sauna, then a short, controlled dip into an ice hole (avanto) cut and maintained in the lake ice, entered by a ladder with a handrail.

Each immersion lasts only seconds to a minute; the shock is real but brief, and the warmth and euphoria afterwards are the reward. No swimming skill or fitness is needed, just a willingness to embrace the cold.

Air temperatures are well below freezing, so you move quickly between water and warmth. Repeated over an evening, it is deeply relaxing rather than gruelling.

Go in the frozen months, roughly November to March, when lakes are safely iced and the ritual is at its best.

Do it through a sauna host, lodge or guided experience rather than improvising — a properly cut, maintained hole with a ladder and someone present is the safe way in, and never enter icy water alone.

Bring swimwear, a warm hat, neoprene socks if you have them, and a robe for between rounds. Ease in: short first dips, breathe slowly through the cold shock, and warm up fully afterwards. Those with heart conditions should check with a doctor first, as the cold is a genuine stressor.