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Tour skating is recreational long distance
ice skating Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be per ...
on natural ice. It is particularly popular in the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and the
Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sw ...
. It is becoming more popular in areas of North America such as
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
, Southcentral Alaska, and
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...
. While Nordic skating usually involves tours over open ice on marshes, lakes, rivers, or sea, in the Netherlands skaters follow marked routes on frozen canals and connected lakes. Consequently, there are differences in equipment and skating styles between these two regions. Alaskans often include winter camping on longer journeys of a hundred miles or more. Nordic skating is a popular activity in Sweden but is also becoming more popular in
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...
and Norway, where it is called , and . In Canada and the United States this style is often called ''Nordic skating''. Other names used are ''trip skating'' and ''wild skating''. Dutch skating is called and is regarded by some as a sport in its own right.


Nordic skating

Nordic skating originated during the 1900s in Sweden. It usually involves choosing your own tours over the open ice, sometimes in groups normally with safety equipment. Nordic skates differ significantly from the Dutch tour skates.


Nordic equipment

Nordic tour skates are fitted with a blade approximately 50 cm long and are attached with bindings to specialized boots 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 ski pole used to test ice thickness * throwing line - a rope to be pulled out of the water by * ''backpack'' with waistband and groin strap containing a change of clothes in dry bags. This also acts as a buoyancy aid. Knee and elbow pads and a helmet are also commonly used. Image:Tour skate ice1.jpg, Touring skate with cross country ski bindings and boots Image:Multiskates.jpg, Touring skates with bindings for hiking boots Image:Ice Picks 20070128 001.jpg, Ice claws File:Rettungswurfleine.jpg, Throw rope bag File:Nsnordicskaters.jpg, Nordic skaters with safety equipment for skating on "wild" ice


Skating season

In late autumn/early winter the small lakes freeze first, sometimes as early as October. Next the somewhat larger lakes freeze and become skateable. Light snow does not necessarily prevent skating and in some places tracks are ploughed to keep them open. 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. America's largest tour skating association is Marathon Skating International, a Vermont-based skating group. Founded by Jamie Hess and a number of others, the organization was initially called, "North American Marathon Skating Association". Several associations in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, and the U.S. are members of . 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 the Netherlands.


Dutch (toer) skating

In the Netherlands, the Dutch skating is called , where skaters follow marked routes on frozen canals and lakes, which are coordinated by the Royal Netherlands Skating Union. Despite its maritime climate in which real cold winters are rare, skating is traditionally the most popular winter pastime in the Netherlands even if many
speed skating Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skati ...
competitions have been moved indoors. 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 such skates with long blades or ''speed skates'', with long blades rigidly attached to the skating shoes. Ice-poles and other safety equipment are not carried.


Dutch skating tracks

The Netherlands is home of Elfstedentocht, a 200 km distance skating race of which the tracks leads through the 11 different cities in
Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...
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.


Outdoor skating in Canada


Overview

In Canada, outdoor skating on natural frozen lake and ponds is common but not as a method of travel or tourism, rather people skate in a circular route around the lake, or create an improvised
ice hockey rink An ice hockey rink is an ice rink that is specifically designed for ice hockey, a competitive team sport. Alternatively it is used for other sports such as broomball, ringette, rinkball, and rink bandy. It is a rectangle with rounded corners a ...
for a game of "
shinny Shinny (also shinney, pick-up hockey, pond hockey, or "outdoor puck") is an informal type of hockey played on ice. It is also used as another term for street hockey. There are no formal rules or specific positions, and often, there are no goa ...
",
ringette Ringette is a non-contact winter team sport played on ice hockey rinks using ice hockey skates, straight sticks with drag-tips, and a blue, rubber, pneumatic ring designed for use on ice surfaces. The sport is among a small number of organize ...
, or broomball. However, starting in 1971, the section of the
Rideau Canal The Rideau Canal, also known unofficially as the Rideau Waterway, connects Canada's capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, to Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River at Kingston. It is 202 kilometres long. The name ''Rideau'', French for "curtain", ...
that runs through the centre of
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...
, the national capital, has been used as a skating corridor. This has become a major tourist attraction and a popular method of
commuting Commuting is periodically recurring travel between one's place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regu ...
in with Ottawa's locals. In 2011 932,331 people used the skateway. Starting in the 1990s The Forks area of Winnipeg, where two rivers join, has also been used as a skating trail, and by 2008 was longer than the Rideau skateway (though much narrower). Due to natural variations in ice conditions, the Assiniboine Credit Union River Trail, as it is officially called varies in length each year. Similar plans to turn Montreal's Lachine Canal into a skating venue have been discussed since 2000, but were still awaiting the needed funding in 2012. In
Joliette Joliette is a city in southwest Quebec, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Montreal, on the L'Assomption River and is the seat of the Regional County Municipality of Joliette. It is considered to be a part of the North Shore of Gr ...
, Quebec, two parallel skating tracks, of 4 km each, on the L'Assomption River are linked to form a loop running through the center of the town. In
Invermere Invermere is a community in eastern British Columbia, Canada, near the border of Alberta. It is the hub of the Columbia Valley between Golden to the north and Cranbrook to the south. Invermere sits on the northwest shore of Windermere Lake an ...
, British Columbia, there is a 15 km skating track on Windermere Lake.


List of woodland skating / ice-skating trails in Canada

* Arrowhead Provincial Park Ice Skating Trail (Huntsville, Ontario) * Jasper Park Lodge Oval Trail (Lake Mildred, Alberta) * Lac-des-Loups (Lac-des-Loups, Quebec) *
Lake Windermere Whiteway A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
(Invermere, British Columbia) * MacGregor Point Park Ice Skating Loop (Port Elgin, Ontario) * Magog Skating Trail (Quebec, Lake Mephrémagog) * Red River Mutual Trail (Winnipeg, Manitoba) * Rideau Canal Skateway (Ottawa, Ontario) * Shipyards Park Skating Loop (Whitehorse, Yukon) * Skateway on the Rivière l'Assomption (Joliette, Quebec) * Valens Conservation Area ( Valens, Ontario)


Historical long distance skating in Canada

Long distance skating on lakes and rivers in eastern Canada and north-eastern US was more common in the years between 1850 and 1900. One region of note was the lower reaches of the Saint John River in
New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
. In '' Saint John: A Sporting Tradition'', Brian Flood writes:
However, on the soles of the hearty ladies and gentlemen who lived along the St John and Kennebecasis Rivers, there was a different type of skate. They used the famous "Long Reachers". Around the year 1870, James A. Whelpley patented the "Long Reach Speed Skates". Whelpley's skate factory was located at Jones Creek, on the Long Reach. Here, he turned out skates that became famous all over the continent. The skate had a blade seventeen inches long. The "woods" of the skates, at the widest point, measured less than an inch and a half. A screw protruded up a half an inch at this point. The skates were firmly attached with heel and toe straps made of heavy leather. "Long reachers" were ideally suited for the long expanse of the St John and Kennebecasis Rivers. A man on these skates could travel long distances in a relatively short period of time. From Saint John to Fredericton, by the way of the St John River, is a distance of about eighty miles. It was not uncommon for an able-bodied young man to skate this distance in a little under seven hours.
Some of the skaters from the Saint John River area became world class
speed skating Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skati ...
champions, notably Hugh J. McCormick.


See also

* Touring skates *
Ice skating Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be per ...


References


External links


100% Natural Ice: Wild skating on frozen lakes & rivers
* Royal Netherlands Skating Unio
KNSB

Nordic skating official terms by the Finnish Skating Union SLL-SLU of Finland

Nordic skating Association of Finland

Skyllermarks, SwedenTour Skating In Sweden, Simple overview but mentions new bindings for use with non-specialist footwear, UKIce safety video from ICEGuide Stockholm Adventures on Youtube
{{Ice Ice skating Ice skating sports Ice in transportation