Ice swimming is becoming a popular activity in cold Russia during the winter months when the country’s thousands of lakes freeze over and are covered with a thick layer of ice.Cutting a hole in the ice on a frozen lake and swimming in the freezing water sounds mad, but more and more Russians go ice swimming in the winter. Pictured: January 29,2011.St.Petersburg,Russia. ParticipantS of the ice swimming festival warm themselves harmony and fire ; air temperature is minus 18°C (Celsius)or -0.4°F (Fahrenheit).