Skating fever rises as temperature dips

Hundreds of people flocked to watch the first long-distance skating race over natural ice this winter on Sunday night as the outdoor rink outside the town of Haaksbergen in Overijssel province was declared ‘perfect’. Dutch towns always compete to stage the first outdoor events when the temperature dips below freezing.

The marathons were won by brother and sister Elma and Bob de Vries. Elma de Vries had already come second in the national allround championship on artificial ice at Heerenveen earlier in the day.

And weather forecasters say the prospects are good for more skating outdoors in the run-up to New Year. This weekend a number of people attempted to skate on lakes but went through the ice because it is not yet thick enough.

Skate shop owners report brisk sales, even before the first ice layer was formed. “It was a madhouse here on Saturday,” said wholesaler Roelof Emck. “We are open all day with 35 people working but customers had to wait up to two hours. One customer with five shops bought 1,750 pairs of skates.”

The covered ice rinks were also popular over the Christmas weekend as people turned out to practise. “It is the combination of the Christmas holiday and the good prospects,” said a spokesman for the IJshal rink in Leeuwarden. “It is incredibly busy here. Not just on the rink; almost all the skates have been rented out as well.”

The weather forecast for the next few days is for continued frost at night, with the temperature dropping to as much as -8 Celsius on Tuesday night.

- Source: DutchNews.nl in partnership with NRC International, 29 December 2008 -

Go back