Tourist is swept away by Arctic river current while taking part in 'ice floating' health treatment o

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Tourist is swept away by Arctic river current while taking part in 'ice floating' health treatment on 'bucket list' trip

Daily Mail
By WILL STEWART and SABRINA PENTY
8 January 2026

A 'bucket list' trip to Russia's extreme north ended in tragedy after a 57-year-old tourist was carried away by a strong current as she went ice floating.

The unnamed woman from Belarus vanished during a group session floating on the Tuloma River in the Arctic town of Kola, south of Murmansk, during New Year's Day celebrations.

Search teams have been battling thick fog, bone-cracking -30C frost and near-total darkness during the region's polar night, when the sun does not rise above the horizon.

The tourist had travelled with an organised group to take part in a highly promoted Arctic attraction of ice floating - an activity in which participants wear special dry suits to float safely and warmly in frozen bodies of water. It is often promoted is a health treatment.

It is 'almost impossible to drown', according to promotion material, and is seen as offering unique relaxation.

Participants wear bulky insulated flotation suits designed to keep the body warm in icy water, ensure buoyancy, and allow participants to float on their backs, seeming to hover on the surface.

Because the suits are stiff and movement is difficult, ice floaters typically tethered or supervised closely in a controlled section of water — especially in rivers where currents can change quickly.

She is believed to have been floating for no more than 40 minutes before she went missing.

(more)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15445033/Tourist-swept-away-Arctic-river-ice-floating-health-bucket-list-trip.html

[IsailedawayfromFR]

It is considered she could not have survived longer than a few hours floating in the intense cold, and is presumed dead.


I used to use these suits in helicopter flights to rigs in the North Sea.

If the copter went down without wearing the suits, you would have hypothermia and die within 20 min.

With the suits, it only extended the time by another 20 minutes,

[BobfromWB]

Tourist is swept away by Arctic river current while taking part in 'ice floating' health treatment on 'bucket list' trip

Daily Mail
By WILL STEWART and SABRINA PENTY
8 January 2026

A 'bucket list' trip to Russia's extreme north ended in tragedy after a 57-year-old tourist was carried away by a strong current as she went ice floating.

The unnamed woman from Belarus vanished during a group session floating on the Tuloma River in the Arctic town of Kola, south of Murmansk, during New Year's Day celebrations.

Search teams have been battling thick fog, bone-cracking -30C frost and near-total darkness during the region's polar night, when the sun does not rise above the horizon.

The tourist had travelled with an organised group to take part in a highly promoted Arctic attraction of ice floating - an activity in which participants wear special dry suits to float safely and warmly in frozen bodies of water. It is often promoted is a health treatment.

It is 'almost impossible to drown', according to promotion material, and is seen as offering unique relaxation.

Participants wear bulky insulated flotation suits designed to keep the body warm in icy water, ensure buoyancy, and allow participants to float on their backs, seeming to hover on the surface.

Because the suits are stiff and movement is difficult, ice floaters typically tethered or supervised closely in a controlled section of water — especially in rivers where currents can change quickly.

She is believed to have been floating for no more than 40 minutes before she went missing.

(more)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15445033/Tourist-swept-away-Arctic-river-ice-floating-health-bucket-list-trip.html

Sounds like she was practicing being a good Russian ...

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The myth says that Eskimos would put elderly people on an ice flow to drift out to sea and die.
That's what I thought of when I saw this. And, what kind of fool would pay money to do this?
As the previous poster said, these people are deliberately putting themselves in an emergency situation.

[Free Vulcan]

Dude, where I live borders the Mississippi.

You never, never, EVER underestimate the power of the river and moving water, especially in winter.

I can give you a long list of sad stories of those that did and never came back.