There are bellyflops, and then there is skating, while half-naked on a half-frozen river, in a melting spot and land ahead in a mixture of ice, sludge and very cold water.
It’s an experience familiar to at least one Dutch ice skater – and Twitter users who have watched the video 5.2m times.
The video, which was posted on Monday, was endorsed with the hashtag “ice cream is not good everywhere”, or “ice cream is not good everywhere”. After plunging into the icy depths of an Amsterdam canal, the skater seems to be fine with swimsuits, if he is surprised she declares her fall a “face plant”.
Eventually he is helped by another skater who dares the same fate to throw him a rope. The man slips out of the water and onto the ice on his stomach, then gets up and gives a bow to the spectators before skating away.
Wearing a bathing suit has its advantages: other skaters who broke through the ice had to climb out while dressed in a waterless puffer jacket and other winter gear. One woman was placed on a ladder that lay flat on the ice and was towed ashore by emergency services personnel. 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 made tumbles that landed them in hospital despite an official plea to save too many emergency services.
Authorities in the Netherlands declared a rare ‘red’ state of emergency when Storm Darcy dropped the temperature to -5 degrees Celsius (23F), in the first snowstorm to hit the country in a decade.
Elsewhere in Europe, officials have asked people to stop skating on thawing lakes. Police in Berlin at the weekend encouraged skaters to leave the ice, reports the BBC.
In the North of England, skaters tried to recreate movements seen in the reality show Dancing on Ice on frozen lakes in nature reserves. They were warned that, in addition to the risks of thin ice, the distance from the lakes also means that aid is far away.
Two girls have been rescued after falling through ice on a river in Nottinghamshire on Sunday, the BBC reports.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has warned against mass skating to avoid the risk of Covid-19 spreading as well as injuries that could clog the hospital’s emergency rooms.
Nevertheless, the emergency rooms were twice as busy as usual on Saturday, as people with broken wrists and other injuries sustained during falls, medical staff associations noted on Twitter.
However, the problem is unlikely to last. The temperature is forecast to rise to 14C in the Netherlands by Saturday.