The frigid water under the frozen Ravalen lake north of Stockholm doesn’t intimidate Elton as the 11-year-old schoolboy takes the plunge to the applause of his classmates.

Forty pupils are taking part in an “isvaksovning”, or a hole-in-the-ice exercise, part of their school’s physical education class to learn what to do if they ever fall through the ice on one of Sweden’s many lakes or out in the archipelago.

Every day for three weeks, 750 pupils in Sollentuna municipality will take turns jumping into the hole in the ice, which measures about two by four metres.

Courses like this are common in the Nordic country. For the students taking part on this day, it’s optional if they want to jump in – but all of them do.

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Holding his head above the one degree Celsius water, Elton grabs two small ice picks hanging around his neck, jabs them into the ice and drags himself out onto the snow-covered lake.

Read more: yahoo