Cecilie Thunem-Saanum is a Norwegian speaker, author, mentor, and columnist.

For her book Vinterbading (Cappelen Damm, 2021), we set out to capture the quiet beauty of ice bathing — that meeting point between cold clarity and inner calm.

Cecilie isn’t the typical image of an ice bather. With her graceful presence and manicured, axe-wielding hands, she embodies a striking contrast — like soft, untouched snow resting on a rugged, glassy sea.

Person dressed warmly in a white coat and beige pants holding a sledgehammer in a snowy landscape.
A snow-covered outdoor scene with a towel hanging on a wooden stick, a cup of coffee or tea, and a piece of cloth on the snow. In the background, snow-covered hills are visible.
A snowy landscape with a frozen lake and snow-covered hills in the background. In the foreground, there is a pole with a beige scarf draped over it and a white block of ice or snow beside a piece of glass or transparent material.
Woman standing in snow-covered landscape, wearing a fur hat, gloves, and a large beige blanket in winter.
A person dressed warmly in a beige hat and scarf looking out at a snowy landscape with snow-covered ground, distant trees, and houses under an overcast sky.
Ice fishing hole with metal ladder in snow-covered landscape in winter.
Woman standing outdoors on a cold day, wearing a beige knit hat and gloves, wrapped in a cream-colored blanket, near a partially frozen body of water, smiling and looking to her right.
Black and white photo of a person's hand wearing a ring, reaching out to touch or hold a cloth or towel hanging from a chair or stand.
A woman wearing a knit hat and gloves sitting outdoors in bright sunlight, holding a cane.