"Robin Nicholson" schreef in
bericht ...
On Sun, 5 Feb 2006 22:24:28 +0100, "Wijke"
wrote:

C. Yes, bit of
snow, bit of frost indeed, but no real skating ice for us

What is that great skating race along the canals they do/did? Does it
happen these days?

Oh, Robin, I wish!! You probably mean the "Elfstedentocht" ( a 200km tour
along the eleven 'cities' of Fryslân; a province in the northern part of our
country). Well, for this a minimum ice layer of at least 9 cm is needed
(under bridges at least 6 cm) along the whole track. There are many factors
that influence the thickness of an ice-layer. Not only severe frost (which
can be triggered by the nightly radiation of laying snow) -- but once a
layer of ice is formed, no snow needed; for its only insolating! Then there
are elements like windforce and direction, currents; solar warmth;
reflection etc...
http://www.elfstedentocht.nl/sjablon...p?objectID=146

Last time this tour has been organized was January 4th 1997.A while ago.
But still a whole month to go before the sun's really too strong again.

Wijke; SE Flevopolder
Centre of the Netherlands Tc 5.5 c -- still misty, 95% -- but a trace of
mildness in the air as the wind's west; 2 Bft.