There are bellies, and then there is skating, while half-naked on a half-frozen river, towards a melting zone and landing face forward in a mixture of ice, wetlands and very cold water.
This is an experience that at least one Dutch ice skater and Twitter users who have seen the video images 5.2 million times are familiar with.
The video, released Monday, was labeled “ijs niet overal goed” or “ice isn’t good everywhere.” After diving into the icy depths of an Amsterdam canal, the swimsuit dressed in a bathing suit seems to be fine, if surprised, declaring his fall as an “expensive plant.”
Geertje
(@ikkomuitdrenthe)#Amsterdam #not everywhere is good #keizersgracht pic.twitter.com/mhZAuCQ9x6
Finally, he is helped by another skater who runs the same destination to throw a rope at him. The man slips out of the water and enters the stomach ice, then stands up and bows to the spectators before skating.
Wearing a swimsuit had its advantages: other ice-breaking skaters had to go out while dressed in jackets and other winter items. A woman was placed on an ice ladder and dragged to shore by emergency workers. Others were rescued by spectators using hockey sticks.
On Sunday, the Dutch had a rare chance to hit the canals after freezing for the first time in almost three years.
Hard ice was also risky and some skaters suffered falls that landed them in hospital, despite the official request to save excessively stretched emergency services.
Authorities in the Netherlands had declared a rare “red code” emergency when Storm Darcy dropped temperatures to -5 degrees Celsius (23F), the first snowstorm to hit the country in a decade.
Elsewhere in Europe, officials called on people to stop skating on thaw lakes. Over the weekend in Berlin, police with helicopters urged skaters to leave the ice, the BBC reported.
In the north of England, skaters have been trying to recreate movements seen on the reality show Dancing on Ice on frozen lakes in nature reserves. It has been warned that in addition to the risks of thin ice, the remoteness of the lakes means help is far away.
Two girls were rescued after falling through ice on a river in Nottinghamshire on Sunday, the BBC reported.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte had warned against mass skating to avoid the risk of Covid-19 spreading, as well as injuries that could obstruct hospital emergencies.
However, the emergency rooms were twice as busy as usual on Saturday, as people showed up with broken wrists and other injuries suffered during the falls, medical staff associations noted on Twitter.
However, the problem is unlikely to last. Temperatures are expected to rise to 14 ° C in the Netherlands on Saturday.