Tour skating
Encyclopedia
long distance ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
on natural ice.
The Nordic style of tour skating is popular in the Nordic countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
,
especially Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, but increasingly in
Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, where it is respectively called långfärdsskridsko ,
retkiluistelu and turskøyting . In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the USA
this style is often called Nordic skating. Other names used are trip skating
and wild skating.
Another style of Tour Skating, which is popular in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, is called toerschaatsen .
While the Nordic version usually involves choosing your own tours over the ice, in the Netherlands skaters follow marked routes on frozen canals and lakes. Consequently the equipment used and safety requirements differ somewhat between these two schools of tour skating.
Nordic tour skating
Nordic skating was developed during the 1900's in Sweden from the original Dutch Tour Skating which is another sport. Nordic skating is not known nor practised in the Netherlands. Long distance races are organized annually in the Nordic countries, such as VikingarännetVikingarännet
Vikingarännet, , is a long distance ice skating race and Tour skating event between Uppsala and Stockholm in Sweden. The race length is about 80 km. The first race was in 1999 when about 4000 skaters participated...
(the Viking Run) in Sweden and Kuopio Ice Marathon in Finland.
Nordic skating usually involves choosing your own tours over the free ice in groups with all safety equipment. Nordic skating is only practised on free and open ice, not in tracks nor other manmade iceways. Nordic skates differ significally from the Dutch tourskates.
Nordic equipment
similar to walking boots or cross country skiing boots, often with a free heel.
Since tour skating often involves walking between lakes or around sections not suitable for skating, the fact that the blades can be easily removed from the boots is convenient.
In addition the following safety equipment is often recommended:
- ice prods or ice claws - a pair of metal spikes with handles like sharpened screwdrivers for hauling yourself out of holes in the ice
- ice pike or hansa pole - a pole with a metal spike like a particularly sturdy skipole used to test the ice thickness
- throwing line - a rope to be pulled out of the water by
- rucksack with waistband and groin strap containing a change of clothes in plastic bags. This also acts as a buoyancy aid.
Knee and elbow pads and a helmet are also commonly used.
Skating season
In late autumn/early winter the small lakes freeze first, sometimes as early as October. If snow falls these lakes can become unskateable. Next the somewhat larger lakes freeze and become skateable.In January-February parts of the archipelago in the Baltic sea often freeze. This is the time when long skating tours can be undertaken. Tours of 60–80 km in one day are not uncommon - some skate over 150 km.
Associations
Sweden's largest tour skating association is The Stockholm Ice Skate Sailing and Touring Club (SSSK) . Finland's largest tour skating association is Finland's Tour Skaters . Several associations in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, and U.S.A. are members of Skridskonätet (Skridsko Net). Through Skridskonätet, the members of the various associations share information on where ice suitable for skating can be found. Skridskonätet also maintains a list of tour skating clubs in mainly Sweden, Finland and Netherlands.Dutch tour skating
where skaters follow marked routes on frozen canals and lakes, which are coordinated by the Royal Netherlands Skating Union.
Despite its moderate climate in which real cold winters are rare, skating is traditionally the most popular winter pastime in the Netherlands. Thousands of Dutch leap at the chance in cold winters to tie up their skates and glide across frozen lakes and canals, and sports stores all over the country sell out their skates.
Dutch equipment
The skaters mostly use common speed skates, with blades rigidly attached to the skating shoes. Ice-poles and other safety equipment are normally not carried.Dutch skating tracks
The Netherlands is home of ElfstedentochtElfstedentocht
The Elfstedentocht is the world's largest and longest speed skating competition and leisure skating tour, and is held irregularly in the province of Friesland, Netherlands.The tour, almost 200 km in length, is conducted on frozen canals, rivers and lakes between the eleven historic...
, a 200 km distance skating race of which the tracks leads through 11 different villages in Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
which is a northern province of the Netherlands.
Skate tracks on natural ice are maintained by the towns and communities, who take care of the safety of the tracks.
External links
Royal Netherlands Skating Union KNSB Nordic skating official terms by the Finnish Skating Union SLL-SLU of Finland Nordic skating Association of Finland- Timo Salmi in Finland on long distance (tour) skating
- Tour skating glossary in English, Swedish, Finnish, and Dutch from Linköping Skating Club (LLK) in Sweden
- Jamie Hess in Vermont, USA
- Nordic Skater, USA
- Skyllermarks, Sweden
- Mark Harris, Uppsala, Sweden
- New Horizons, Stockholm, Sweden
- Tour Skating In Sweden, Simple overview but mentions new bindings for use with non-specialist footwear, UK