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Tour Skating: Winter exploration Ahead of me stretches a wide expanse of endless smooth black ice. Helped by a light wind from behind, I am gliding along swiftly, passing islands of coastlines, archipelagos, lakes, canals and the size of the population are ideal. The largest and most influential club, Stockholms SkridskoSeglarKlubb (SSSK), has over 10,000 members and more than 200 leaders. It also has the longest name in English, and inlets. The sky is clear and the late winter sun warms my face. Today I am the leader, and following behind me and more “The Stockholm Ice Skate Sailing and Touring Club.” In addition, there are over 100 more clubs around the is a line of skating buddies, each one country, mostly with memberships synchronizing his or her movements By Leif Lundquist in the hundreds but some reaching a with the one ahead. We minimize our thousand or more members. effort by working together creating a Ice conditions change fast. After harmonious rocking movement of the a cold spell you may be able to find a whole group as we push along in step. lake or a bay with a large area of hard The ice sings, and the tone tells us and smooth ice, but by the following about the condition. I stamp my foot night it may have snowed heavily, like a rabbit now and then to hear the and that stretch of frozen water is no tone better. A high pitch is a warning longer useful as a skating destination. about thin ice. I also use my sharp- To plan tours you need access to the pointed skating poles to probe the ice. latest ice information, and the majority
I am describing a perfect moment, of tour skating clubs have joined but it is not always like this. Tour skating is very much dependent on ice and On Kyrkfjärden, 14 km from Stockholms center as the crow flies. Photo: Jurgen König, DLS forces to exchange information on the web under the name “Skridskonätet” weather conditions. On a perfect day it natural ice is very popular in the Nordic (https://skridsko.net/). During the is magic! Historians tell us that humans countries. In Sweden it is practiced all winter season, reports on ice conditions have been skating for thousands of over the country, but Stock- and tours are constantly being filed years – according to some perhaps as holm is the nexus of the tour at this site for others to use in their far back as 20,000 years ago. There is skating movement due to its planning. This is also a place to see a lot of evidence that people skated on location on the Baltic Sea. great pictures from past tours, and it is ice about 4,000 years ago. Most of us There is an abundance of not unusual to find reports from other have seen pictures by Dutch painters lakes and also the coastal countries. These include some very showing people skating in Holland in Baltic archipelago exotic destinations, such as the Baikal the 17th century. with around 25,000 Lake in Siberia or even the Antarctic.
Today, långfärdsskridskoåkning islands. The local “Don’t you die if you go through the (long distance or “tour” skating) on weather conditions ice?” That is the first question
asked by novices. “Yes you could, but not if you’re prepared for the eventuality” is the answer. Ice conditions change and there may be weak spots here and there due to undercurrents, wind and several other causes. If you follow a few simple rules, tour skating is as safe as any other sport. Sällskap (company), Kunskap (knowledge), and Redskap (equipment) is the mantra, and all skating clubs organize safety courses with practicing sessions. Don’t ever skate alone. Go to the introduction courses, learn the rules, and bring the proper safety gear. A backpack with a change of clothes in a watertight bag helps you stay afloat in the water if you do go through. A safety line can be thrown to help you out, and ice claws allow you to get a better grip on slippery ice.
There is more, but knowledge and practice take a lot of the drama out of a simple dip in the water. Going through thin ice is a serious event, but statistically you will be out of the water in less than a minute. By the way, on a leader-led tour it is the leader that goes through, so stay back a bit, be ready to throw your line and help him or her to get out. While we are on the topic of hazards, the greatest danger is a fall. If you wonder why tour skaters
Ice skating around Stockholm City Hall. Photo: Jann Lipka/imagebank.sweden.se
wear knee and elbow pads as well as helmets, remember that ice is very hard, and heads and joints are very difficult to repair. Poles are a great help for balance and also for testing the ice thickness.
Why do we go through all of this just to skate? Well, the feeling of almost flying over ice that is smooth as glass, gliding along shores, exploring little inlets and going around islands is fantastic. The same is true for going along an edge of the ice with open water a few meters away (the lapping water makes the ice thicker at the edge). After a few hours of skating, the group rests in the sun on the shore. We open our backpacks and have lunch. Not a bad way to spend a winter day.
In addition to coastlines, there are lakes and canals suitable for skating, some of them in cities. Lake Mälaren in Stockholm often freezes over, and then you will see several groups out skating near the City Hall and around the city islands. Some years you can step off the ice at the Old Town and take the subway home. When the Göta Kanal freezes, skaters make pilgrimage tours along the parts that have not been drained for the winter.
In North America, Tour Skating is often called Nordic or Wild Skating. There are pockets of enthusiasts but no organized clubs as far as I know. The conditions are quite good in many places, and Lake Champlain in Vermont/New York stands out. On the site http://lakeice.squarespace.com/ there is a comprehensive description of ice activities with an emphasis on skating. There is also Nordic Skating on lakes in New England, New York State, Alaska and Montana, to name a few.
In Canada, ice hockey rules, but there are Nordic Skating enthusiasts to be found – see for instance http:// www.dermott.ca/ski/skating.html. Many municipalities plow skating courses; the most famous is the Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa, with warm refreshments being on offer along the 7.8 km track. Not very wild, but very civilized.
Footnote: Leif Lundquist has been skating for over 30 years. He is a founding member of Danderyds LångfärdSkrinnare (DLS) near Stockholm and was a tour leader for many years.
Ice skating in the city of Stockholm. Photo: Helena Wahlman/imagebank. sweden.se
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När skidorna och föret måste samsas
Team Ramudden – Lina Korsgren. Foto: Magnus Östh, Visma Ski Classics
Lina Korsgren är professionell elitskidåkare med inriktning på långlopp. Åren 2018 och 2020 uppfyllde hon ett av sina stora mål när hon vann det 90 km långa Vasaloppet där cirka 14 000 tävlande deltog. Dessförinnan, år 2016, kom hon först i det ännu mer krävande, 200 km långa Nordenskiöldsloppet i Jokkmokk, dit 330 tävlande från 17 länder infunnit sig. Lina Korsgren har uppnått Vasaloppets bästa damplacering genom tiderna. Utöver skidåkning trivs Lina bäst med matlagning och inredning.
Lina är född i Falun i en liten förort som heter Hosjö. Det pågick mycket idrott i närheten – skidklubbar och orienteringsklubbar bara några hundra meter från där hon bodde. – Både min syster och min mamma och pappa deltog aktivt och tjänstgjorde som förebild när jag var ganska liten – kanske 5 eller 6 år, berättar Lina. Då blev det både skidor och orientering, fast orienteringen var en väldigt kortvarig period i mitt liv. Men skidorna fortsatte jag med. Sedan blev det även gymnastik på ganska hög nivå, så jag alternerade mellan gymnastiken och skidåkningen. Jag började på skidgymnasium när jag var 16 år i Torsby i Värmland.
Lina är nu 32 år gammal. – När jag var 20 hade jag inget mål eller någon dröm om att vinna Vasaloppet. Sedan började jag gå in mer och mer på långloppsåkningen. Då insåg jag hur stort det skulle vara att göra bra ifrån mig under Vasaloppet, och jag har alltid sett upp till dem som segrat. Fast det där har ju kommit de senaste åren. Efter första vasaloppssegern fick jag en bekräftelse på att ha gjort något stort.
Lina ligger på 57:e plats totalt i Vasaloppets historia – den bästa damplaceringen någonsin. Hon förklarar: – Det är ju en stor bekräftelse på att damlångloppet har tagit enorma steg
Lina kom först i Nordenskiödsloppet i Jokkmokk 2016. Foto: Red Bull Nordenskiödsloppet de senaste åren, och jag har fått vara med på att utveckla den här styrkan som tjejerna har. Det var ju inte så länge sedan som damer inte ens fick delta i Vasaloppet. Jag tror att nästa kvinna återfinns på 72:a plats.
Lina berättare vidare om hur hon upplevde stressen – både fysiskt och mentalt – under Vasaloppet 2018 till 2020, och även under Nordenskiöldsloppet 2016. – Man har fått lära sig att åka långlopp är som en berg- och dalbana. Iblad går det uppför och ibland går det utför. Jag har lärt mig att man måste fokusera sig mentalt på att övervinna sin trötthet under korta perioder och bevara sin energi. Men jag känner mig numera väldigt trygg. Efter att ha deltagit i Vasaloppet sex gånger så har jag skaffat mig den nödvändiga erfarenheten och känner väl till förberedelserna. Visserligen upplever man mycket nervositet på tävlingsmorgonen, för alla vill ju lyckas just den dagen. Jag vill inte påstå att jag är lugn inför tävlingen, men tack vare min erfarenhet så har jag ett självförtroende och en trygghet i vetskapen om att jag har varit med och lyckats förut. Vad man hoppas när man står där på startlinjen är att man har bra skidor och att föret är bra.
Kvalitén på snön från ett Vasalopp till nästa gör en stor skillnad på tävlingsresultaten. Därför kan man aldrig jämföra tiderna i mål från år till år, för det beror helt på parametrar som dagstemperatur och luftfuktighet.
Vasaloppet i mars 2021 kommer att se annorlunda ut på grund av coronaviruset, inte minst vad gäller antalet deltagare och publikens storlek, liksom de normalt åtföljande festligheterna. Lina har för avsikt att deltaga, och så här ser hon på utsikterna. – Man kommer att köra Vasaloppet för elitåkare – cirka femtio
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damer och kanske tvåhundra herrar, till skillnad från de tusentals deltagare som vanligtvis infinner sig. Det kommer att bli ett annorlunda Vasalopp. Vi damer kommer undantagsvis att få starta 20 minuter före herrarna. Ofta gör man så på andra tävlingar, men inte Vasaloppet. Det kommer att kännas lite tomt, för det kommer inte att finnas lika mycket publik och funktionärer.
Vi frågar Lina hur hon tror att klimatändringarna kommer att påverka skidåkning i framtiden. – Tyvärr kommer det att påverka längdåkningssporten. Vi ser ju framför allt här i Sverige att föret blir sämre och sämre. Men man har kommit väldigt långt med tekniken att spara snö från föregående vinter. Man lägger snön i en väldig hög och sprider sågspån på ytan för att snön inte ska smälta under sommaren. På det viset kan man öppna skidanläggningar mycket tidigare än förr genom att pytsa ut sparad snö med grävskopa redan i oktober. Jag hoppas i alla fall att villkoren inte ändras alltför mycket så länge jag håller på med det här, men jag tror absolut att det kommer att ske en förändring på lång sikt.
Lina Korsgren vinnare av Vasaloppet 2020 här med kransmasen Daniel Duhlbo. Foto: Henrik Hansson/Vasaloppet
Sverige är ett litet land. Man kan fråga sig vad är det hos den svenska kulturen och mentaliteten som har gjort att Sverige har uppnått sina internationella framgångar inom sport. Så här svarar Lina: – Just längdåkningen tror jag är djupt rotad i Sveriges historia. Vi var ju duktiga i vintersport väldigt tidigt. Det blev till en folkrörelse, och just skidåkning har blivit en folksport genom generationerna, även om det finns relativt få elitutövare. Skidåkning var förr främst ett fortskaffningsmedel, varvid exempelvis barnen på landet åkte till skolan på skidor. Att åka skidor ligger i vårt DNA.
Avslutningsvis berättar Lina om sina planer inför framtiden.
– Förhoppningsvis kan jag köra Vasaloppet ytterligare en vinter eller två. Jag är inbokad på den här säsongen, och likaså nästa säsong. Sedan får vi se om jag har kvar motivationen. Jag omger mig med ett eget team på fem skidåkare. Den dagen då jag lägger av, kan jag kanske arbeta som coach åt ungdomar som är tio år yngre och verkligen har framtiden framför sig. Ännu så länge älskar jag min roll som idrottare. Sedan kommer jag nog att ägna mig mer åt matlagning – en favoritsysselsättning som det kanske går att göra något av yrkesmässigt. Såsom egen företagare inom idrotten, skulle jag vilja fortsätta inom ramen av ett eget företag. Intervjuad av Peter Berlin
Summary in English: Swedish skiing athlete Lina Korsgren has won the world-renowned 90 km Vasaloppet twice, and the gruelling 200 km Nordenskiöldsloppet once. In this interview she talks about her upbringing, what kindled her interest in competitive skiing, and the physical as well as mental stress associated with competing. She reflects on the near-term and long-term detrimental effects that COVID-19 and climate change will have on skiing. She nevertheless hopes to compete for another couple of seasons before contemplating retirement.
Foto: Red Bull Nordenskiödsloppet
Pernilla Wiberg – Famous Olympic gold medalist in alpine skiing
Photos courtesy of Pernilla Wiberg
Meet Pernilla Wiberg, the famous Swedish former alpine ski racer and present businesswoman. She competed on the World Cup circuit between 1990 and 2002, where she became one of the few allevent winners. Having won two Olympic gold medals, four World Championships and one World Cup overall title, she is one of the most successful alpine ski racers of the 1990s.
Please tell us where you were born and about your upbringing.
I was born in Norrköping in October 1970, and I am the middle child. I have one older sister and one younger brother. Our parents were teachers in middle and high school, which meant we were all together during school holidays. In winter time we went skiing, and in the summer we went sailing. Sport was a big part of my upbringing, as my father was a very good 100 metres runner and tennis player. My mother was the school champion in athletics. When my sister beat me running 60 metres – I was 7 and she was 9 – I decided that I was going to be the best in the world in some sport in the future, so that not even my sister could beat me! If interested, read about my ancestry tree here: http://blogg.slaktingar.se/dubblaos-segraren-pernilla-wibergsforfader/
Of all winter sports, what made you particularly passionate about skiing?
Alpine skiing has been part of my life from the age of 4. Living in Norrköping, which is in the south where there are no mountains whatsoever, it is a choice which may seem surprising. However, when I grew up in Norrköping we always had good winters, and the little garbage hill, Yxbacken, offered good training possibilities. Being 400 metres long with a vertical drop of 115 metres, it was challenging enough – or at least until I turned 16. Then I moved up north to attend the Ski Academy in Malung, Dalarna.
Sweden had two great sport stars when I grew up. One was tennis player Björn Borg and the other one was skier Ingemar Stenmark. Of course, Ingemar played a big part in my desire to embark on alpine skiing. Later in life, his legacy made me widen my skiing skills to include downhill and super-G, not only slalom and giant slalom. I wanted to achieve something he never did: winning a world cup race in the speed disciplines and particularly downhill, which I later did and became the first Swede to do so.
Please describe the moments in your career that still give you the greatest satisfaction and pride.
My two Olympic Gold medals, Albertville 1992 and Lillehammer 1994, will always have a special place in my memory, but it is actually an Olympic silver medal which I appreciate the most. That is because I won it in the Formula 1 discipline, downhill, in Nagano 1998.
In the course of your skiing career, you have suffered some serious injuries. Have you recovered completely?
Elite sports in general, and alpine skiing particularly, is not something you do to stay “healthy”. Most elite sports people have suffered injuries during a long career. I have had more than 12 knee surgeries, and I do believe I have to have a final one soon – a total knee replacement!
Global Swedes
... I am very concerned about.”
What were the circumstances that dictated the timing of your retirement from competitive skiing?
When doing the Olympic Games in Nagano, 1998, I decided that I would continue another four years and stop after the Olympic Games 2002 in Salt Lake City. I would then be 31 years old, by which time I would wish to start a family and do things other than travelling around the world and living out of a suitcase.
You and your family now share your time between your home in Monte Carlo and your summer house in Sweden. Does your present lifestyle still offer opportunities for recreational skiing?
All four of us in our family love winter sport and particularly alpine skiing. When I stopped my skiing career in 2002, I immediately jumped into another career. In December 2003 “my” hotel in Idre Fjäll was inaugurated. It is called Pernilla Wiberg Hotel (www.idrefjall.se www.pernillawiberghotel.se). As a matter of fact, we have just been there celebrating New Year, as we do every year. It is a small, very cosy, hotel with 44 double rooms. In the lobby I keep all my nicest prizes from my career.
How do you think climate change will affect alpine skiing?
Climate change is something I, particularly as an alpine skier, am very concerned about. The temperature is getting warmer, and my hometown ski slope is suffering. They have not opened up the slope yet because there is no natural snow, and the temperature is too warm to make artificial snow. The last 10 years have been particularly challenging.
Please tell us how you met your Norwegian husband and where your children feel most at home.
I met my Norwegian husband in the basement of one of the ski lodges in Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. I think it was in November 1995. We then became a couple as from the summer 1996. He was the physical coach of the Norwegian women’s national team. Sweden and Norway always worked together at that time, especially when having downhill and super-G competitions. He moved to Monaco in 1998. Our first child, Axel, was born in 2003, and in 2007 Sofia joined the family. In 2009 we were married in the church in Idre. Our children always say that they have three homes – Monaco, Stockholm and the hotel in Idre Fjäll!
Tell us about your business engagements.
Since I stopped my skiing career I have worked as an alpine expert commentator for the Swedish Television, SVT (https://www. svt.se/sport/alpint/wiberg-langesedan-jag-sag-en-svenska-akasahar-bra). I love that job because it keeps me close to the sport that has given me so much. Now it is my turn to give back to all the Swedish viewers. Maybe I can even convince some new viewers that this sport is the best.
My work with the ski station Idre Fjäll started already in 2000. When the hotel was inaugurated in December 2003 no one was prouder than I. After spending more than 200 days a year travelling for so many years, it was an honour to be able to use this experience to build the hotel. Many of our guests notice the difference with other ski lodges and hotels.
What plans do you have for the future?
Continue working in television and developing the ski station Idre Fjäll. Support our children so that they will be able to follow their dreams, in the same way that my parents supported me. Interviewed by Peter Berlin
Pernilla Wiberg winning the World Champion in Slalom and Alpine Combined 1996. Photo Courtesy: Pernilla Wiberg
