Chris Ballard The Plunge review and information book on Maverick Swimmers, An Unlikely Quest, and The Transformative Power of Cold Water. Viking will publish the book by Chris Ballard about the history of the pleasures of cold water swimming on July 30, 2026. On this page you can read information about the content of the book, the author and the publication.
Chris Ballard The Plunge reviews and information
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- “Mesmerizing. Chris Ballard does a deep dive into one of the most controversial health, fitness, and athletic crazes of our time. I still loathe cold water, but I loved this book.” (Amy Grant, author)
- “A Brrrillant book! Ballard artfully explores the culture, physiology, and utter beauty of cold water swimming, a journey of exploration, joy, and enduring friendships. So warm in the utter cold. I couldn’t put the book down!” Lynne Cox, author of Swimming to Antarctica)
- “Before reading The Plunge, I’d have rather sawed off a leg than submerged myself in 30-degree waters. But Chris Ballard’s book is—like an icy plunge—inspiring and invigorating. It also happens to be engrossing, masterful and life-affirming, all the hallmarks of one of America’s best writers.” (Jeff Pearlman, author)
The Plunge
Maverick Swimmers, An Unlikely Quest, and The Transformative Power of Cold Water
- Author: Chris Ballard (United States)
- Book type: on the pleasure of cold water swimming
- Publisher: Viking
- To be released: July 30, 2026
- Length: 528 pages
- Format: hardback / ebook / audiobook
- Prize: £ 22.00 / £ 9,99 / £ 14.99
- Buying options >
Blurb of the book by Chris Ballard on cold water swimming
A globe-spanning narrative adventure about how the euphoria of cold water can transform — and even extend — your life.
Lifelong athlete and Sports Illustrated writer Chris Ballard worried his days of exercise were numbered. Then he received a fateful text message about a trend taking hold around the world: submerging in freezing cold water.
It wasn’t only thrill seekers or wellness gurus extolling its power. Swimmers have long known that when paired with cold, their sport delivers extraordinary rewards; now, modern research has shown that just a few minutes in cold water can deliver remarkable benefits: heightened energy and focus, reduced inflammation, and relief from depression and anxiety.
In The Plunge, Ballard travels to laboratories and swims in waters around the world, from Portsmouth to the Pacific, tracing the roots of cold water swimming in ancient practices largely lost in the modern world.
He immerses himself in the growing tribe of cold-water junkies of all ages, shapes and nationalities, from pioneers like Lynne Cox to visionaries like Ram Barkai, whose audacious dream of getting ice swimming into the Olympics edges closer to reality.
And, from cold plunging to open water swimming to ice swimming, he tests his limits in this extreme sport, eventually becoming a US national champion, his body and mind transformed along the way.
Blending history, cutting-edge science, colourful characters, and propulsive narrative storytelling, it’s a rollicking, eye-opening adventure that reveals how a single act — stepping into cold water — can unlock resilience, connection, meaning and joy.
Chris Ballard is an American award-winning author and journalist who has written for The New York Times, National Geographic, and Sports Illustrated, where he was a Senior Writer for two decades. When he started writing The Plunge, he had no idea about the power of cold water. In 2024 he became the US national ice swimming champion in his age group for the 50m and 100m freestyle. In 2025 he competed at the 6th International Ice Swimming Association World Championships in Italy.