I have added a new feature to JSEM TU!: the option to put a logo on your profile picture. And that got me thinking — why not put it on the website as well, for people who do not have the app? So here it is: FB profile picture.
Hello, fellow lovers of icy water! At 9 am on Saturday 3 October 2026, we begin our eighth season of cold-water dipping and winter swimming together at U Žida in Frýdek-Místek. Everyone who has shared a winter or two with us is invited — and so is anyone who keeps saying that next year they really will come along. Make this the year!
JSEM TU!, the app for cold-water swimmers, has been available to download from Google Play since 4 September 2026. We updated this article on 12 September to reflect the current version. It is in public open testing in Czechia and Slovakia. Accounts can now be created from age 9; anyone under 16 needs a parent or legal guardian's approval before using the app.
The internet is awash with advice on how to get used to cold water. As so often happens, the first thing you see is a paid course, a “unique method”, cold therapy, biohacking or a workshop where you spend several thousand crowns learning that cold water is cold and that you should breathe properly while you are in it.
While reviewing the website, AI challenged what I had written about experienced cold-water swimmers jumping into icy water. Rather than letting it rewrite the text automatically, I asked for a single well-documented case, followed by a precise examination of the studies behind its position. The outcome was more than a simple yes or no: it was a much clearer distinction between a measurable bodily response and clinically dangerous cold-water shock.
We often debate how far we swim when we cross the Ostravice at U Žida and come back. Some say eighty metres, others a hundred, and some reckon it is more. Arguing is all very well, but a metre is a metre, so I decided to measure our route.
After repeated restrictions on the Otužilci FM YouTube channel, I decided to move the videos to Zonerama. It is mainly an archive; new videos mostly go on Facebook, where things are happening. Either way, these videos are part of our history, and it would be a shame to lose them altogether.
Our end-of-season gathering is much more than a duathlon: a chance to meet properly, share some food and celebrate another winter together. Come at 9am to help or soak up the atmosphere. The race starts at 10am, and our group swim takes place afterwards.
Our traditional end-of-season gathering for cold-water and winter swimmers takes place from 9 am on Saturday 28 March 2026. It is a joint event for the groups from Frýdek-Místek and Frýdlant nad Ostravicí.
