THE NETHERLANDS — While reading this new book about « Iceman » Wim Hof, one scene lodged itself most prominently in my mind: the one in which he goes to Amsterdam’s Vondelpark and decides to sit bare-assed on a fountain that perpetually shoots liters of water skywards. The anal cleansing ends with the wailing sirens of an ambulance, and perforated intestines.
Up until this unorthodox and unfortunate enema, I had gathered some sympathy for the subject of De ijsprofeet; Wim Hof: het duistere verhaal achter zijn wereldwijde succes (De Arbeiderspers, 2025), in English: « The Ice Prophet: Wim Hof, the dark story behind his global success. » He had grown up in a poor, unsafe environment, and moved to squats in Amsterdam to taste freedom and escape bourgeois society. Gradually, he discovered that he could command attention — and thus a kind of right to exist — by swimming under ice or hiking a snow-covered mountain in shorts.
But the writers, Robert van de Griend (a friend — just disclaiming) and Anneke Stoffelen, shed a light on lies about his past and his records, neglect of his family, and violence against his second wife and children. If it had been proven that his breathing techniques and ice baths would substantially reshape immune systems and prevent diseases, they would be on every insurance form between the statins and the colonoscopy (sorry, image of fountain-enema still floating.)
The book is all about the worship of gurus in contemporary culture. Celebrities and even the BBC happily went along with a story from which they profited in ratings and clicks. The book is a great read and was lauded by reviewers, but it is not a bestseller. Why not? Please don’t tell me people want to be deceived, please don’t.
De ijsprofeet
Robert van de Griend & Anneke Stoffelen
(De Arbeiderspers, 2025)
