Standing in Holland on the first skate-able natural ice in years, and in front of a windmill, no less. And the inside of the windmill is a pub where you can get hot chocolate (or a Heineken). The only thing missing is Queen Beatrix in wooden shoes handing out tulips.
My friend, Peter van der Swaluw, took me to Ankeveen to experience something very Dutch. While there are many groomed ice ovals (kunstijsbaanen) in The Netherlands, this is what they really live for--frozen polders and canals. You can skate and skate and skate without having to go around in circles.
Here in Ankeveensche Plassen, you can participate in an official tour. You purchase a punch card and collect punches at various checkpoints, which proves just how far you skated. You can opt for a 10km or 25km tour. We just went for the "natuurijs" experience and made our own way around.
Tour checkpoint...
In most spots, the ice was about five to seven inches thick. Much of it was the highly-prized "black ice", which is actually very clear. This is the result of ice forming when there is very little wind or currents.
The rule of thumb is to never go anywhere that doesn't already have tracks in the ice. There's nothing to be gained by being a trailblazer, other than a cold swim. Actually, the water in Ankeveensche Plassen is no deeper than one meter, so you're not going to drown unless you're really short. However, I did see someone with a pair of purpose-built ice picks dangling on a string around her neck. These help you climb out if you fall in.
As you skate along, especially in low-traffic areas, you can hear a faint cracking sound accompanied by a reverberation of the cracking. Think of the old Star Trek photon torpedo sound. Peter says this is actually a sign of good, safe ice. I think it means that the pressure of your skate is being dispersed over a large area, which is better than highly localized cracking.
The surface is a bit bumpy because they don't run Zambonis over it, so it can be a little fatiguing to those of us whose skating season has just started. Newly-fallen snow can also rough it up a bit. Peter has been to the track twice a week since October, so he's ready to rip.
Another trying moment is when you have to transfer from one canal to another, known as "kluning". Hard on my poor tired feet. They put down protective fabric in some spots so you can walk right over directly on your blades.
After about 90 minutes of skating, all the ruts and rough spots were catching up with the extent of my ankle stamina. It was hard to keep my ankles from collapsing inward like a beginner (keep in mind that speed skates are almost like ballet slippers with blades bolted on). I almost fell on my face about 100 meters shy of returning to the windmill, but I kept it together and managed no falls the whole morning.
The highlight reel (Dramamine recommended)...
No comments:
Post a Comment