Dear reader,
It’s that time of year again: the Elfstedentocht fever has begun.
The Elfstedentocht
Elfstedentocht translates as “11 cities race.” It’s an ice skating race on the frozen canals in Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands, not far from where I live. As the name indicates, it passes through 11 cities – though I’d call these very picturesque places towns rather than cities – for 200 kilometers (120 miles).
The Elfstendentocht involves 25,000 skaters. That’s a lot of weight for the ice to take, so it has to be at least 15 centimeters thick to support them. We need a hard freeze for a week or more for the race to take place.
Only skaters who are registered with the Association of the 11 Frisian Cities are allowed to skate in the race. People join and keep their memberships for a lifetime in the hopes of getting a chance to skate.
Elfstedentocht fever
So every winter whenever it freezes, the speculation begins: will there be an Elfstedentocht this year? How many days of freezing temperatures will it take? What’s the condition of the ice today? What’s the weather forecast? And so on.
People begin to skate on canals and ponds as soon as they can: not just in Friesland but all over the country. Cities – including mine, Groningen – impose bans on boating in order to let the ice set. Citizens sweep the ice as needed, and the news sites publish lists of places where it is safe to skate.
So that’s what’s been happening this week: the temperatures have dropped, the ice is forming, and the Elfstedentocht fever has begun. The cold weather seems to be lasting longer than usual, with temperatures dropping at night to between -10°C and -15°C (5° to 14°F). Skies have been clear for the last few days, with little wind. The conditions are perfect for the ice to form.
Pandemic skating
This year, though, the situation is complicated by the pandemic. The leader of the Association of the 11 Frisian Cities said this week that the Elfstedentocht will not take place this year, even if the ice freezes enough.
Some members of the lower house of Parliament, though, say that it should be able to go ahead, even though the country has put a complete ban on events of all sorts. The politicians argue that it could be done if the number of spectators was greatly reduced – which would normally be around a million people – and if the skaters were spaced apart in some way. They are urging the Cabinet to make an exception to allow it to happen, and they could force the issue by passing a motion.
Yet, also this week, the Cabinet decided against making an exception so that the Dutch championship marathon skating competition could take place. It’s normally held on artificial ice or in another country, but won’t happen at all this year. If they’ve forbidden that competition, what are the chances they’ll allow the Elfstedentocht?
A rare event
Why are the Dutch so desperate to hold an Elfstedentocht? Because it hardly ever happens! The last one was in 1997. Yes, it’s been 24 years since there was enough ice for an Elfstedentocht! But hope springs eternal.
Before the 1997 race, two in a row took place in 1985 and 1986. Before that, one was held in 1963. In all of the 20th century, it’s only happened 15 times.
Forget those charming images you see in a Bruegel painting: it’s a historical fantasy.
My question is: does this even count as a tradition when it happens so rarely?
Yet every year the fever happens again: the build-up, the excitement as the weather turns cold, and the disappointment when it warms again.
My husband has never seen an Elfstedentocht. He was just a small child when the 1963 one happened. He was in Malawi, where we met, for the 1985 and 1986 editions. By 1997 we were living in San Francisco. He informed me then that wherever he was in the world, it didn’t matter: he was going to fly home to see the next Elfstedentocht.
So here we are, home in the Netherlands, just one province over from Friesland. An Elfstedentocht might happen, and he won’t be able to be there!
I’ll let you know in a future letter how this turns out. In the meantime, stay warm and stay safe!
Met vriendelijke groeten,
Rachel
P.S. I write about independent travel at Rachel’s Ruminations. Please join me there!