Who is 'The Iceman' Wim Hof?

From circus act to scientific breakthrough and global health leader.

'I'm not afraid of death, 

I'm afraid not to have lived fully.'

Iceman origins

Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof got his nickname 'The Iceman' by breaking a number of records related to cold exposure including: climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in shorts, running a half marathon above the Arctic Circle barefoot, and standing in a container while covered with ice cubes for more than 112 minutes.

Using 'cold, hard nature' as his teacher, his extensive training has enabled him to learn to control his breathing, heartrate, and blood circulation and to withstand extreme temperatures.

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Armed with his motto 'what I am capable of, everybody can learn', Wim Hof is convinced that everyone can tap into their inner potential without having to invest the same decades worth of study, travel and daring.

Wim has made it his mission to share what he’s learned with the rest of the world. And so he developed the Wim Hof Method: a combination of breathing, cold therapy and commitment that offers a range of benefits.

With his Wim Hof Method, he teaches people from all over the world, from celebrities and professional athletes, to people of all ages, to control their body & mind and achieve extraordinary things.

Wim Hof has not only helped advance scientific understanding, but also accomplished extraordinary feats of human endurance. Across his decades of dancing with the cold, the Iceman set 26 world records, and broke a Guinness World Record 18 times. Some of his most memorable achievements include:

Running a half marathon above the Arctic Circle, barefoot wearing only shorts
Swimming underneath ice for 66 meters
Hanging on one finger at an altitude of 2,000 meters
Climbing the highest mountains in the world while wearing only shorts
Running a full marathon in the Namib Desert without drinking
Standing in a container while covered in ice cubes for extended periods of time

Over the years, scientists have subjected Wim Hof (and even some of his students) to various experiments, with the goal of unraveling the secret behind his method.

A 2014 study injecting Wim Hof Method practitioners with an endotoxin, showed they were able to control their sympathetic nervous system and immune response. This could mean that the Wim Hof Method is an effective tool to battle symptoms of various autoimmune diseases.

While a 2018 study showed that the method activated regions in the brain responsible for pain suppression, which could lead to a potential role for the Wim Hof Method as an endogenous painkiller.

Wim and his team continue to work with research institutions to explore the potential of the Wim Hof Method and there are several exciting studies underway.

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Who is 'The Iceman' Wim Hof?

A Man on a Mission

Wim Hof's extraordinary achievements

Discover Wim Hof’s journey to defying science.

Scientific proof

Practice the Wim Hof Method