Cover Wim Hof (Photo: Zed Leets)
Wim Hof (Photo: Zed Leets)
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From icy canals in Amsterdam to a global wellness empire, Wim Hof has spent decades proving the impossible. Now, the 66-year-old ‘Ice Man’ has turned his attention to an even greater feat: teaching the world to access its inner pharmacy through cold, breath and belief
Wim Hof is on a mission.
The Dutch extreme athlete goes one further: “I’m a missionary,” he says, though, “not because I wanted to be.”
He says it’s because of a vow his mother made when she feared she might lose him at birth. “Oh God, let this child live. I will make him a missionary,” she prayed.
“It’s that invocation coming through,” says Hof, who today heads not a church, but a global wellness movement.
Above Wim Hof has spent decades proving the impossible. Now, he wants to share his method with the world: “What I can do, anybody can do”, he says.
The ‘Ice Man’ cometh
Hof’s ascension has been decades in the making. He first made a name for himself through extreme physical stunts, most showcasing his unusual ability to withstand cold.
The 66-year-old achieved his first Guinness World Record in 2000 for the longest swim—57.5 metres—under ice, though he had been experimenting with cold exposure for some years before that. As a teenager, he felt drawn to the icy canals of Amsterdam; the cold left him calm, yet alert and alive, sparking a lifelong fascination. After losing his first wife to suicide in 1995, Hof returned to the cold as a refuge, finding relief from grief and a way to manage his emotions while raising four children.
Above Hof’s first Guinness World Record was for the longest swim—57.5 metres—under ice (Image: courtesy of Wim Hof)
Above In the cold, Hof initially found refuge from the grief he was experiencing after losing his first wife to suicide (Image: courtesy of Wim Hof)
Hof’s first Guinness World Record was for the longest swim—57.5 metres—under ice (Image: courtesy of Wim Hof)
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More cold feats followed. In 2007, he ran the fastest half marathon barefoot on ice and snow; that same year, he scaled 7,400 metres of Mount Everest’s 8,849 metres, wearing only shorts and shoes. In 2010, he set the world record for the longest full-body ice immersion. These extreme accomplishments earned him the moniker “Ice Man”—a title that stuck.
Seeking validation
Beyond the headlines, Hof sought scientific validation. His feats involved more than physical endurance—they relied on an ability to control the autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary bodily functions. While using cold water as a therapy, he had noticed changes in his breathing and began experimenting, observing how different techniques affected his endurance, pain perception, mental clarity and heart rate. The more time he spent with the cold, the more he was able to hone and control mind—and body—to handle it, developing the Wim Hof Method built on three pillars: targeted breathing, cold exposure and mental focus. Hof believes it can help regulate stress, improve resilience and tap into the body’s innate physiological potential.
Above Hof argues that mastering the stress of a cold ice bath allows us to activate the cardiovascular, endocrine and immune systems and boost the body’s responses to disease (Image: courtesy of Wim Hof)
Hof argues that mastering the stress of a cold ice bath allows us to activate the cardiovascular, endocrine and immune systems and boost the body’s responses to disease (Image: courtesy of Wim Hof)
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“The simplicity is you can do more than you think,” says Hof. “And that is going into the depth of the brain where we have got our pharmacy—where the healer is.” Hof believes that his techniques can help humans access certain areas of the body that are perhaps not performing optimally. “If you go past the stress of the cold ice bath, suddenly you tap into the depth past your conditioned mind and body.” He argues that this activates the cardiovascular, endocrine and immune systems, and may boost immune responses to disease.
Pivotal proof
A turning point came in 2011 when Radboud University in the Netherlands carried out a study on Hof to see if he could voluntarily influence his autonomic nervous system and immune response. Researchers injected him with a bacterial endotoxin to mimic infection and measured his reaction. He exhibited few of the typical flu-like symptoms, suggesting he could indeed control his autonomic nervous system.
Above Scientific validation is key for Hof and he works with various research institutions on applications for his Wim Hof Method (Photo: Zed Leets)
Scientific validation is key for Hof and he works with various research institutions on applications for his Wim Hof Method (Photo: Zed Leets)
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Hof was determined to show that he was not an anomaly, but that anyone who employed his methods would also be able to follow suit. Three years later, Radboud studied 12 participants trained in the Wim Hof Method. Compared to an untrained control group, they were all able to influence their sympathetic nervous system and immune response, showing that Hof’s technique could be taught and replicated.
It was a small study, but this marked the beginning of the validation Hof had been striving for. “I don’t want speculation,” he says. “Speculation kills the power. It drains the energy. And that’s why I want no speculation, [only] evidence-based proof.” He continues to work with research institutions on applications for the Wim Hof Method, last year looking at the implications for its use in women with high depressive symptoms, and this year finding potential in managing the cognitive and emotional challenges of multiple sclerosis, with studies into its potential application for mental health and stress resilience still ongoing.
Spreading his message—and method
Above From expeditions led by Hof himself to online video courses and workshops with certified Wim Hof Instructors, there are a number of ways to learn the Wim Hof Method (Image: courtesy of Wim Hof)
From expeditions led by Hof himself to online video courses and workshops with certified Wim Hof Instructors, there are a number of ways to learn the Wim Hof Method (Image: courtesy of Wim Hof)
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The Wim Hof Method has drawn caution from medical professionals, particularly regarding cold exposure and breathwork practices that involve extended hyperventilation. Several reported deaths and injuries—often involving unsupervised breath-holding near water or extreme cold challenges—have raised questions about how the method is interpreted and practised outside controlled settings. Hof maintains that these incidents stem from misuse rather than the method itself, emphasising that his techniques should never be performed in or near water and should be approached gradually. To date, Hof has not been found legally liable in these cases. Medical experts advise consulting a doctor before beginning cold exposure therapy, particularly for those with cardiovascular conditions.
These risks should be at the forefront as Hof aims to grow his global following and deliver his message more widely, so that “before I go, I’ve reached everybody.”
I’m reaching out to hundreds of millions of people now with the ice bath—if it has my name or not, I started all this
The Wim Hof Method can be learned via online video courses led by the charismatic Ice Man himself, through workshops with certified Wim Hof Instructors (more than 1,200 people have reportedly completed the Wim Hof Method Academy programme to be able to teach the method since 2013), and those keen for more can join expeditions and experiences in person with Hof himself. There’s also the Wim Hof Method app, a daily companion with guided breathwork, cold exposure, challenges, meditations and audio content, and various other products, including a soon-to-launch Wim Hof Method ice plunge bath.
See also: 9 breathwork apps tailored for every kind of anxiety
Above Hof is credited with popularising the ice bath and cold exposure (Image: courtesy of Wim Hof)
Hof is credited with popularising the ice bath and cold exposure (Image: courtesy of Wim Hof)
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“I’m reaching out to hundreds of millions of people now with the ice bath—if it has my name or not, I started all this,” says Hof, whose reach continues to grow through his app and on social media, where he boasts 3 million YouTube subscribers and 3.5 million Instagram followers. “And that’s what I wanted—to spread it, to spread ways that nature and becoming one with nature has all the secrets of the solutions we are eager to find. And I want to reach billions now.”
Taking control
But does his desire to reach everyone and democratise resilience conflict with the fundamentals of running a business? “Yes, sometimes,” admits Hof, whose business, Innerfire, is helmed by his son Enahm Hof. “My mission is to bring [this method] to the whole world. The mission of a business is to make as much revenue as possible. I clash a lot with my son [over that]. [I believe] life is for free, happiness is for free, [but he] is good at framing it, [because] if you give people things for nothing, they think it has no value.”
So, what is the value of The Wim Hof Method? If everyone were to learn and embrace it, what societal problem does Hof believe could be solved? “Emotion,” he says. “Humans are emotion. Learn to control your emotion better and wars will dissipate, because a happy man doesn’t go to war. A happy man is not into greed. He is happy. So, I want to bring happiness.”
Above Wim Hof believes that what he is capable of achieving through his methods, anybody else is also capable of doing (Photo: Zed Leets)
Wim Hof believes that what he is capable of achieving through his methods, anybody else is also capable of doing (Photo: Zed Leets)
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Hof says that this emotional control begins with regulating the endocrine system and the hormones—dopamine, serotonin and adrenaline—that drive our feelings. He extols the benefits of a simple morning practice comprised of “interoceptive focus”—the observation and conscious influence of the body’s internal signals; deep breathing; and a cold shower, which he calls “the best cardiovascular fitness workout,” promising more energy, power and “equilibrium, balance and autonomy”.
“I am like anybody. What I can do, anybody can do,” he reiterates, settling on his core belief in the body’s innate, untapped power, accessed through breathing, focus and cold exposure to awaken the “pharmacy” within us all.
“We have been conditioned to look outside,” he says, “but everything is here, inside of us.”
About
Rachel Duffell is regional content director for Power & Purpose, including Front & Female, and former regional content director for Tatler Dining. She is a journalist and editor who has been covering people, gender, impact, leadership, culture and lifestyle for more than 15 years.
