Longskating -- Långfärdskridskoåkning

One of my colleagues, Eje, shown in the lead position in the photo, is an avid long skater. The photo was taken by Gregor L. and is available in the original size here. Long skating is known as långfärdskridskoåkning in Swedish. I asked Eje about his hobby and here's some info he provided:

The poles are "ice probes", which are used to check the thickness of the ice, but also used as support when stepping over wider cracks in the ice, and as normal ski poles on bad ice in a tough headwind.

Drafting, like bicycle racers or race cars do, is very common in head wind, but as you see on the flag I am carrying the picture is taken in downwind, hence people spread out and don't draft.

In all normal cases the safest spot is the same track. That is, every skater follows the leader, skating over the same ice. Ice that is so weak that it might break has a "critical radius" of half a meter, hence it doesn't really matter. However, a group of skaters in high speed on thin ice pulls a big wave, to avoid that you would normally skate with some meters distance, but the same track.

Weak "black ice" sometimes experiences a wear effect, hence it could be advantageous
to skate your own track some meters away.

We carry maps, GPS, compass, the lot. Navigation is very similiar to what you do in a boat doing 10-15 knots, but like in orienteering it all becomes more difficult while doing physical exercise.

The speed and distance varies a lot depending on the skill of the skater and the ice of the day. Stronger skaters do day tours well over 100 km every year, when conditions are really favorable.

Groups I lead ofte do distance between 40 and 80 km in a day, the shorter in December/January due to thinner ice and shorter daylight. Speeds in excess of 30 kmph are common among the strongest skaters, I normally try to offer
my groups a very constant pace in the region of 17 (headwind) thru 23 (tailwind) kmph, which is normally very appreciated, rather than short sprints.

A lot of valuable skating time can easily be wasted probing thin ice, passing difficult cracks or walking on land between lakes. Hence I rather skate around all problems, again often very appreciated in groups I lead.

Ice is a very special material (the only having material lower density in solid form than as a liquid?), and I could talk forever about it...

You can see a 7 minute video of Longskating by clicking here. I got this video by searching YouTube - it is not of Eje.

Helenelund and Ulriksdal

There are subcultures with every hobby whether it be bicycling, bass fishing, woodworking, orienteering, traveling, chess, wine tasting, or socializing. One of the favorite Swedish hobbies is sailing on the many waterways in the Stockholm archipelago. I visited a small communuty marina in Helenelund (or very nearby in Sollentuna) and saw people making a social event out of sailboating and they were on land! Now that I think about it, sailing combines the exercise and fresh air of a casual bike ride, the joy of woodworking, the intellectual challenge of chess, travel opportunities, and offers a perfect place to sip wine and to socalize. One could even fish. What a sport!

I also discovered something the Swedes call colonies, one shown in the photo here. They are a group of tiny houses with a small garden. Up close they look like quaint one room houses. I'm told they are just little getaways. People, apparently those that don't go sailing and those without a cabin in the archipelago, go to the colony for some summer weekend variety. I saw people, mostly older folks out in their garden and tinkering around there house. It seemed like a peaceful place.


The other thing I discovered just off the bike path between my apartment and work is the Ulriksdal castle. (There are plenty of Flickr folks that have nicer pictres than mine of the castle and grounds. Just do a search.) It's not a giant stone castle like you find in Germany but it is a large well kept estate - now a park. It always surprises me how taking a slightly different path can produce rewards.

You'll see a few of these shots on my flickr.com collection called April 15, Spring Sunday. Remember you can view as a slide show or individually if you want to see the a short description of each shot.

Of Church Boats and Wife Carrying

Some of my colleagues are Finnish. They've described to me two very Finnish pastimes: church boat racing and wife carrying races. I have stolen the photos here: the church boat photo came from wikipedia and the wife carrying came from a web site. I also stole some of the descriptions.

There are records of church boats from the 1600s. At that time the church started to demand that everyone confess and take part in church services. In the lake districts and by the shores, a boat was the fastest transport because the journeys were long and roads were non-existent. Church boats disappeared by the 1920s because railways, steamboats and coaches and the freedom of religion law made church boats unnecessary. Now church boats have become racing events. One Finn told me it was because originally the men would get their family into the boat and see a neighbor close by in his boat. Then the testosterone would kick in and the two men would unofficially race. Nowadays, church boat racing is popular at Finnish campgrounds and competitions.

There has been a revival in church boats in recent years. Finland's Rowing Association sponsors many church boat racing events and many competitors trains. One Finn told me he trained a lot but didn't train by actually rowing a real boat. Then during the race he developed terrible blisters.


The following is quoted from the web with a little editing on my part: The idea of Wife Carrying Competition originated in Sonkajärvi, Finland. In spite of its humorous aspects, it has deep roots in the local history. In the late 1800’s there was a brigand called Rosvo-Ronkainen in the area, who is said to have required his troops to prove themselves physically. Since, in those days, it was common to steal women from the enemies villages, being able to carry wives (the enemies wives) would be a desirable trait.

In those days the soldier would not only get a new wife but as an incentive to route the enemy, receive the equivalent of the wife’s weight in beer. Nowadays, the old custom morphed into a racing competition, the winners get beer, a bag full of wife carrying products and a statue with wife carrying motif. There are also prises for first and second runners up and "most entertaining" couple. I assume that the modern events do not include village sacking and other men's wives. I also have no idea what would be in a sack of "wife carrying products."

There are a team and sprint competition as part of the more serious wife carrying world championships.

In the team competition the track is the same as Wife Carrying World Championships but three men in the team carry the wife in turns. At the exchange point the carrier has to drink the official "wife carrying drink" before continuing the race. The winners receive wife carrying products and statues. The team with best costumes will be awarded with wife carrying products and statues.

In the sprint competition the length of the track is 100 meters, and the surface of the track is sand and gravel. The track has a water obstacle, about one meter deep. The contestants run the qualification round 5 to 10 couples at a time and the first three of each heat will continue in the next round until there are just three couples left to compete in the final. Winners will receive MP3-players, wife carrying products and statues. MP3 players! Whoa, now that seems out of place.

There is a cheerleaders’ competition for the spectators. Four to six spectators or fans form a group that takes part in the competition. They often have "helpers" in the audience to add humor to the event.

I suggest thigh exercises and a petite wife to be competitive.

Långfärdskridskoåkning

Anybody up for Nordic or Swedish skating? It's called Långfärdskridskoåkning in Swedish. I am told that you can take lessons which include requiring you to escape death from falling in. Actually, there's very little danger, you just get a real jolt of cold for a minute or so before you get out. You can see the sport in a YouTube video by clicking here. You notice from the photo below that some sort of stick is carried. It's for testing the ice. The sound of hitting the ice gives the skater enough warning before it becomes dangerously thin. However, if the skater does fall through the ice into the freezing water, he carries two sharp tools which are designed specifically for clawing your way back up onto the ice. Of course, this is a sport that's done on groups so there should be someone to help you, provide some warm cloths and otherwise prevent disaster.

Swedes, especially Stockholmites, Love to Sail

There's water all around Stockholm. There the Baltic with it's archipelago of more than 15,000 islands. There's also Lake Malerin which is huge. Many sailors prefer the vintage wood sailboats, while other prefer newer models.

Marinas are a common site in and around Stockholm. Some of the marinas are non-profit, run by communities of volunteers. Volunteers are expected to help in the Spring putting boats into the water and the Fall taking them out. They are sometimes expected to stay up all night long a day or two out of the year as a security guard.