Weissensee Alternative Dutch 11-City Tour and Runn Winter Week 2021 cancelled

The corona die is cast for skating. The Weissensee Alternative Dutch 11-City Tour and Runn Winter Week 2021 have been cancelled. Both organisations have issued statements in which, understandably, the corona crisis plays the leading role.

Weissensee Alternative Dutch 11-City Tour, Austria

Among other things the AEW points to the negative travel advisory and the quarantine requirement on return that comes with it. “Besides the government guidelines, we consider it irresponsible to organise an event that thousands of Dutch people travel to Austria for.”

“That applies not only to the participants, of course, but also to the many dozens of volunteers”, the organisation says.

“Another important argument for us is the current pressure on Dutch and Austrian healthcare. Healthcare has it hard enough already and is not waiting for injuries sustained by participants in our event.”

The annual alternative to the ‘real’ 11-City Tour fills the Weissensee every winter. This Austrian mountain lake is usually the most popular destination for a skating holiday abroad.

Runn Winter Week, Sweden

Sweden, too, draws Dutch skating tourists every year with its ‘natural ice guarantee’. The crowds are nothing like those on the Weissensee. Which is precisely why Runn Winter Week is a favourite among the purists.

This Swedish winter week consists of several skating tours and enjoyable events on Lake Runn near Falun. Like the Weissensee, Lake Runn offers the 200 kilometres as a tour ride for recreational skaters. And here too corona puts a spoke in the skating wheel.

• “Unfortunately, on the basis of the current Covid-19 situation and the regulations and measures tied to it, we have had to decide not to let Runn Winter Week 2021 go ahead.”
• “We will, as usual, sweep and maintain a number of tracks during the winter, so that, ice and weather permitting, there will be skating. We wish you all a safe winter and hope to welcome you again during Runn Winter Week in 2022.”

Sweden is one of the few countries in the world without a negative travel advisory, bar one city. So tourist travel there is still ‘responsible’.

There is only a very local hotspot in Uppsala, according to the travel advisory from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Falun is a good two hours' drive from Uppsala, which by Swedish standards is still quite close.