During winter there is only one question that arises in the Dutch province
Elfstedentocht ( Eleven cities skating tour )? This is a skating tour of almost 200km on natural ice through the eleven historical cities of Fryslân . When it is likely the tour will go on , the Elfstedenfever rises .
The Elfstedentocht is also called The Tour of Tours . In 1909 the official tour took place for the first time with only twenty-three participants . Over the years the tour has become increasingly popular . During the last tour organized in 1997 almost 17000 people appeared at the start . It ’ s a rare occurrence for the tour to take place , in total only fifteen tours have been held . The temperature needs to drop below minus ten degrees Celsius for over a week for the ice to be strong enough . There has never been more time between two editions than now . Fans are impatiently waiting for the next edition to happen !
Some people even question if it ’ s possible to organize the
Elfstedentocht ever again because of the global warming . Never say never .
According to
NASA researchers , there is a sunspot minimum happening in 2020 . This could lead to an extremely cold winter which increases the chance of an Elfstedentocht ! During the last sixty years , all editions apart from one took place during a sunspot minimum . However , the KNMI ( Dutch Royal Meteorological Institute ) claims that it could also be a coincidence . We will have to wait and see . For people who don ’ t have the patience to wait for the next edition , alternatives have been devised . The main alternative is ice skating on the Weissensee . This is a skating tour of the same length as the Elfstedentocht but takes place on a lake in Austria instead . The winters are colder in Austria , which makes it possible to organize a yearly tour on natural ice . Other alternatives for the Elfstedentocht are to use a motor , ( electric ) bike or boat to get through the eleven historical cities of Fryslân . The main benefit is that his can be done all year round .
Although the alternatives are nice , nothing can beat the authentic Elfstedentocht on ice . We have been waiting long enough for the next edition to come . Let ’ s hope the NASA researchers are right , so this winter we can say : It giet oan !
Danique de Haas