Scott Carney, the former biographer and evangelist for Wim Hof, has released a damning exposé revealing the dark truth behind the famous “Iceman” and his organization’s attempts to suppress damaging information. According to Carney‘s investigation, Hof‘s breathing techniques have allegedly contributed to 33 casualties, yet the organization continues to prioritize profit over public safety.
Carney, who wrote the New York Times bestseller “What Doesn’t [End] Us” about Hof‘s methods, spent over a decade promoting the ice bath guru before turning against him.
In a recent revelation, Carney disclosed that he and his publisher caved to pressure from Hof’s organization in 2017, removing key biographical details that demonstrated Hof’s unstable and erratic behavior. The omitted material included what Carney calls “the fountain incident” – a nearly fatal accident involving Hof attempting to give himself an enema using a public fountain in Amsterdam.
According to Carney’s account, Hof had been performing this unusual ritual at the fountain for years without incident. However, on the day he was scheduled to reunite with his estranged son Michael after a decade of separation, something went wrong. The fountain’s water pressure had been modified, creating a concentrated jet that “skewered” Hof and nearly killed him.
“A jet of water got through my pants and through the intestines and it just cut it and got my stomach or my intestines full of dirty water,” Hof explained in a 2013 interview with Carney, confirming the incident’s authenticity.
Carney now admits he rationalized excluding these details at the time, believing that focusing on Hof’s transformative techniques was more important than dwelling on “sordid personal details.” He was concerned that such stories would discourage people from potentially benefiting from cold exposure and breathing practices that had genuinely changed his own life.
However, Carney’s perspective has shifted dramatically. He now believes that revealing Hof’s reckless personal behavior might have made followers think twice about blindly trusting his instructions – particularly dangerous breathing techniques performed in water that Carney claims have contributed to 33 deaths.
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The censorship efforts extend beyond Carney‘s experience. When Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant published allegations from Hof‘s ex-wives about domestic violence, Hof filed a defamation lawsuit. However, the Dutch court recently ruled against Hof, ordering him to drop his claims and pay the newspaper’s legal fees. The court determined that De Volkskrant had conducted proper journalism in their reporting.
Carney‘s investigation reveals a pattern of dangerous teaching practices, particularly Hof‘s continued demonstration of hyperventilation breathing techniques in water – a combination that can cause shallow water blackout and drowning. Despite warnings from his own organization, Hof continues to perform these risky demonstrations in videos and public appearances.
The expose also details Hof‘s transformation from an affable stunt performer into what Carney describes as following a predictable guru trajectory – accumulating wealth and power while becoming increasingly isolated from those who might challenge his dangerous ideas. Court records and testimonies from family members paint a troubling picture of domestic violence and child abandonment that contradicts Hof‘s public image of spreading
“love”
through his methods.
Perhaps most significantly, Carney notes that since his critical reporting began two years ago, no additional casualties have been linked to Hof‘s water breathing techniques – suggesting that public awareness can prevent further tragedies.
Hof‘s organization has responded by attacking Carney‘s credibility, claiming he turned against Hof for personal gain. However, Carney reports that his book sales have dropped 80% since he began speaking out, undermining claims of financial motivation.