There are somersaults and then skating, half naked on a half-frozen river, in a thaw spot and landing face first in a mixture of ice, mud and very cold water.
This is an experience that at least one Dutch skater – and Twitter users who have watched the video 5.2 million times – are familiar with.
The video, posted on Monday, is captioned with the hashtag “ijs niet overal goed” or “ice is not good everywhere”. After diving into the icy depths of an Amsterdam canal, the skater dressed in a bathing suit looks fine, if surprised, declaring his fall a “face plant”.
Eventually, he is helped by another skater who risks the same fate to throw a rope at him. The man slides out of the water and lies on the ice on his stomach, then gets up and bows to the spectators before skating.
Wearing a swimsuit had its advantages: other ice-skaters had to climb out wearing inflatable jackets and other winter gear. A woman was placed on a ladder lying on the ice and dragged to shore by emergency crews. Others were rescued by onlookers using hockey sticks.
On Sunday, the Dutch had a rare chance of reaching the canals after freezing for the first time in almost three years.
The hard ice also proved to be risky and some skaters suffered falls that took them to the hospital, despite an official call to spare overloaded emergency services.
The Dutch authorities declared a rare “red code” emergency when the Darcy storm caused temperatures to drop to -5 degrees Celsius (23 ° F), the first snowstorm to hit the country in a decade.
Elsewhere in Europe, authorities have asked people to stop skating on lakes that melt. In Berlin over the weekend, police in helicopters asked skaters to leave the ice, the BBC reported.
In northern England, skaters have been trying to recreate movements seen on the reality show Dancing on Ice on frozen lakes in nature reserves. They were warned that, in addition to the risks of thin ice, moving away from the lakes means that relief is far away.
Two girls were rescued after falling on the ice in a river in Nottinghamshire on Sunday, the BBC reported.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte warned against mass skating to avoid the risk of spreading Covid-19, as well as injuries that could clog the hospital’s emergency rooms.
However, emergency rooms were twice as busy as usual on Saturday, as people appeared with broken wrists and other injuries sustained during the falls, medical staff associations observed on Twitter.
However, the problem is unlikely to last. Temperatures are expected to rise to 14 ° C in the Netherlands on Saturday.