The main idea of the article is the possible demise of the legendary Elfstedentocht ice skating race in the Netherlands due to changing weather patterns. While once a regular event, the harsh ice-skating conditions required (two weeks of consistent sub-zero temperatures) haven't occurred in over two decades, leading to fear that the race may never happen again. Despite this, the Elfstedentocht remains deeply ingrained in Dutch culture, inspiring alternative events, cultural activities, and unwavering hope for its eventual return.
IMAGE SOURCE, ANNEKE BLEEKER Image caption, Oldenkamp (front) was one of only a handful of skaters to make it through the dreadful conditions to the finish line Only once has Wiebe Wieling come close to announcing that the race would take place. That was back in 2012, when the Netherlands was briefly gripped by 'Elfstedentocht fever'. A long period of cold weather left large swathes of the country frozen, but the ice never reached the required thickness in the south of the province. Instead of triggering all the frenzied last-minute preparations that would be needed, Wieling's eventual task was to disappoint millions. But he has not given up hope of being able to finally put his plans into action. "I am getting less confident, because of the things we see round the world in weather and climate changing," he says. "But we always say here we only need two weeks [of] high pressure in the north of Europe and we can have an edition, and there are exceptions in the weather and climate all ov
id: a2225c2a926a2f38d533d7872c4b52ea - page: 3
"So because there is still a small chance, we have to be prepared to use that chance and take advantage of this possibility. So everybody is still working, each year." Observing the frenzy which greets the onset of cold weather, he is phlegmatic. Frisian locals, he says, are less likely to succumb to over-optimism than their neighbours in the rest of the Netherlands. "We know what it takes to organise it, so we don't get excited if there's a prediction for one week of ice," Wieling says. "But the rest of the country already gets hysterical about a period of frost that will lead to people on the ice."
id: 7a523d2fba47521b1b3fdcf0e34dd243 - page: 4
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES Image caption, A volunteer measures the ice in 2012 when hopes were raised and then dashed that the race might be staged for the first time since 1997 As Oldenkamp and his companions struggled, the bitter 1963 conditions bit harder. The wind picked up, temperatures fell further, and it became even more difficult to find the route. Information gleaned in each town where participants get a stamp on a card to prove they have passed that way was sketchy. Oldenkamp thinks he was about 10th and was told that Paping the leader was "10 or 20 minutes in front". No-one seemed to know for sure. At the small settlement of Bartlehiem, where skaters must turn away from their ultimate destination in order to reach the final staging post of Dokkum, someone tried to stop Oldenkamp from continuing. They told him the weather was too bad and tried to untie his skates. With his frozen fingers, it took him many minutes to retie them. Oldenkamp's chance of winning was long
id: 92c5b701d25703e6e7a64af52fe77410 - page: 4
"It was horrible, but you must be narrow-minded then. You must have only one purpose. I have to reach Leeuwarden," he says. Strung out behind him, as the weather worsened and daylight began to fade, were thousands of participants, whose chances of reaching the end in one piece were receding fast. Battered by strengthening winds, with the course increasingly covered in windblown snow, many had barely made it halfway round.
id: d24222d169d1cf8fe83b4aabff1b06d3 - page: 4