Skating in the Netherlands
Natural ice in the Netherlands is a rare occurrence. In fact, some winters there's no natural ice at all. Maybe that explains why the Dutch love to skate outdoors. They hardly ever get the chance! But when a cold wave hits, and the interconnected maze of canals, rivers and lakes freeze over, it's a spontaneous celebration, a national holiday. Businesses close their doors and everyone goes skating. According to Richard van Ammerzoden, a skater from Rotterdam, skating in Holland originated as a poor man's sport. Isolated by mud and water in the damp winters, rural farmers prayed for ice. When it came, just like Hans Brinker, they strapped on their wooden skates with leather thongs, and traveled great distances to visit friends and relatives they hadn't seen in months. Then they skated home. Perhaps that explains the origin of the Elfstedentocht or "Eleven Cities Tour", a 200-kilometer mega-tour in the province of Friesland known as "the mother of all skating tours." In the 1890s, some Frisian farmer with well-developed leg muscles tried to skate through all eleven cities of Friesland in a single day. He succeeded, and the rest is history. The first official Elfstedentocht was held in 1906, but the event has changed a bit. It keeps getting bigger and bigger. Every winter without ice just adds to the anticipation. When cold air descends on Friesland and ice covers the canals, the preparations begin. The first volunteers to mobilize are the "ice transplanters." They shovel up truckloads of ice chunks and dump them into the canals in the trouble spots where the ice is slow to form.
The Vereniging De Friesche Elf Steden meets and chooses a tour date. Usually it's only 48 hours in advance.
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