Summer is half a world away for the ‘Frozen Ferns’ New Zealand’s Ice Swimming team who are competing in Molveno, in northern Italy this week.

The International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) is holding the sixth World Championships from January 13-19. 

Registration was on Monday followed by five days of chilly swimming events where the water must be below 5degCel.

The New Zealand team features two Central swimmers, sisters Heidi (16) and Sophie Winter (18). 

Two other Otago based swimmers are also competing, Cameron Stanley from Wānaka and Emilia Finer from Dunedin. 

Alexandra Swimming Club head coach Ashleigh Rankin said the club was ‘’so proud’’ of the sisters and wished them all the best for their races. 

In Heidi’s first event, the 100m backstroke final she placed third with a time of 1 min and 16.4 seconds. Sophie swam the 500m freestyle in 7 minutes and 6 seconds placing 11th. 

Central residents can follow the competition by live stream and online results are available. 

Prior to the World Championships, the Frozen Ferns 17-strong team spent a week acclimatising to winter in England.

One spot where they wanted to train, Castle Ashby in Northampton, was hampered by the lake being frozen over. 

The Ice World Champs have 48 countries and 752 swimmers competing. 

Officials have been removing up to 10cm of ice from the top of the 50 metre pool in recent days.

In July last year the Winter sisters, who grew up swimming for Alexandra Swimming Club, both earned world records in the 100m individual medley at the IISA New Zealand & Southern Hemisphere Ice Swimming Championships in the Alexandra outdoor pool. 

It was their first time trying ice swimming and they were selected for the New Zealand team to travel to Italy. 

In 2022 Sophie (at age 15) won emerging swimmer of the year in the annual Swimming Otago awards, and in 2023 Heidi (then 14) followed in her sister's footsteps and won the same award.  

This year the IISA New Zealand National & Southern Hemisphere Ice Swimming Championships will be held at St Bathans and the prestigious ice mile swim is expected to attract a strong number of participants.

IISA began in 2009 with a vision to make swimming in icy waters a new sport and now has members in 73 countries.

IISA rules state swimmers must only wear one standard swimming costume, one pair of goggles, and one standard swimming silicon cap. Earplugs are allowed.

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