How is the ice on the Weissensee? A member of the ice team gives an update
The Alternative Dutch 11-City Tour starts in a few weeks, but how is the ice on the Weissensee? It simply refuses to turn properly cold. Even so, the skating is good.
And that is good news, because around New Year skating briefly looked impossible. But since Tuesday 3 January it is on again. This concerns the shallower west part, with the route from Praditz.
The circuit then runs mainly along the south shore. “(…) Partly with two-way traffic”, says spokesman Bernhard Jank. “Watch out for oncoming skaters!”
How is the ice on the Weissensee?
The ice on the Weissensee is currently 15 cm thick. That is almost, or as good as, ‘11-City worthy’. The ice thickness will be fine for the Alternative. And the earlier slush is not too bad.
In mid-December snow mixed with what was then still a thin layer of ice. In the period after that it levelled out somewhat through light rain, mild temperatures and a few frosty nights.
Which is why ‘the small lake’, the western part, was officially opened just before New Year after all. After a brief interruption around the turn of the year itself, the situation now looks stable.
“For now there are no essential changes on the ice”, says the youngest Jank at natureislauf.at. “If possible the north side will be brought back into use – as soon as we can get there safely.”
According to the local ice team member, recreational skaters should bear a number of points in mind:
- “Avoid the north shore, the reeds and the jetties and footbridges.”
- “Stop skating once the top layer is soft.”
- “Changes are possible at any time.”
That last point includes a possible temporary halt to preparing the ice. “(…) We do not know how long it will last. (…) It needs cold, and please, no snow.”
Happily there is already a rather fine sheet of ice. And the people who take a skating holiday on the Weissensee every year know this: even a single night of good frost can do a great deal.
Snow as both ‘jewel’ and ‘devil’
Slush ‘destroys’ the dream
Opening not yet possible
You can skate now
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Magical ice between the mountains. Oases that are a feast for the eyes under the sun. Team dionvacation is made up of recreational skaters and sun lovers, people who savour life. We share that zest for life from the Weissensee all the way to the Catalan coast. The holiday home ‘Vida Daurada’ (the golden life) suits that lifestyle, between mountains and sea. All articles are written by our own travel editors. Vida Daurada sponsors the Sun destination section.