Nordic Swimming

[Peter Doyle]

These accounts of people going through the ice are reminding me of what it was like skating with Jamie and his crew a quarter century ago. Back then we all had claws; some had poles; a few had throw ropes. The kind of accidents I witnessed and suffered involved tripping and falling. After a few skaters got concussions, people started wearing helmets. Some people started wearing knee pads. I had never heard the word "plurr", and the closest thing I witnessed was someone going in up to the waist when venturing onto broken ice right next to the shore of Lake Champlain because they wanted to "touch New York". I had never seen or even heard of a dry suit.

Back then, I would say the emphasis was on skating, rather than pushing the limits of what the ice can support. People did not turn up their noses at the plowed track on Lake Morey, though of course it was much more fun to be able to skate the whole lake, when the ice was solid and bare. That is not to say that we didn't cross thin spots, like the perennially tricky spot north of "Barking Dog Point" above Wilson's Landing on the Connecticut, but we did this with real caution. We did not try to cross ice that was "perilously thin" by "taking a wide stance and quickly double polling".

Skiers say, ""if you're not falling, you're not trying." Certain of today's Nordic skaters seem to believe "if you're not falling in, you're not trying." 

Of course, many who are falling in are wearing dry suits, which is a fine idea. Others are not. Some who fall in, with or without dry suits, are able to pull themselves out with their claws. That fact that not all are able to do so is an eye-opener to those of us who always figured we could pull ourselves out if we ever went in.

I just discovered the word "premortem": "A premortem is a project management strategy where a team imagines a project has already failed and then works backward to identify all the potential reasons for that failure, allowing them to proactively address risks before they happen. It's a proactive, risk-identifying exercise, unlike a postmortem, which reviews what went wrong after a project is complete.'

One proactive step might be to spin off from NHNordicSkating and VTNordicSkating two new groups called NHNordicSwimming and VTNordicSwimming. This would emphasize that the sport has bifurcated.

Another might be to consider that the Swedish group that  prohibits dry suits might be onto something. I think that the point might be not that drysuits are bad, but what's bad is when some but not all of the skaters/swimmers are wearing them and others aren't.

Best, Peter Doyle

[Doug Merrill]

We should keep in mind that folks are skating in fairly early season conditions this year.   From what is being shared, these skaters are prepared  for the risks.   As the winter progresses and ice builds on our lakes, the risks of a plur (or swim) will drop, but are never zero.   

So why skate now?   For one thing, its been many months since we last skated and many of us are eager to get out on the ice.   For another, some of the best ice presents itself when it is relatively newly formed, before snow and wind have had the opportunity to mar the perfect black surface.   

Skating on thinner ice presents risks, no doubt.   There is a case to be made that the preparations an experienced skater makes to venture forth onto thinner ice may make for a safer overall experience than a trip on established, thicker ice, when our guard is down and we may chose to skate with fewer precautions.   The safest skaters always skate expecting a swim.  Some, and I'll include myself in this category, will skate alone or without a drysuit on ice that I know is mature and thick (>6") on a cold day.   However, accidents happen on thick ice too.

The emails that have gone out recently, to me, show a really healthy appreciation for the risks involved and the value of sharing experiences on the ice.  We all learn from them.  I consciously did not say 'mistakes' on the ice, because if you choose to skate on 2" or less of newer ice, falling through is not really a mistake, its a real possibility that must be prepared for.    Some skaters will choose not to skate on ice less than 3-4" thick.   I see that as a very reasonable choice.   Others want to get time on thinner ice, and if proper precautions are taken, I do not find that unreasonable either.    

Some skiers ski the back country woods, others stick to patrolled trails, no problem with either approach if the skier is prepared for the adventure they choose.

Doug Merrill

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[Matt Steinberg]

Hi Everyone,

We should also keep in mind that all of the recently reported swims were not due to thin ice specifically, but rather wind holes that can be open on thick and established ice. I have seen them in the middle of Mascoma Lake slightly skimmed when the surrounding ice was a foot thick. Today I skated the south side of Mascoma lake, the ice is generally 5+ inches thick, yet sporadically spread throughout were at least 7 windholes that were well disguised. In the attached photo are 2. These can claim anyone at anytime. 

Matt

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[JoAnn Berns]

These pictures of wind holes are very educational and helpful.  Thanks for sending,  Matt & Kate.

Jo

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From: nhnordi...@googlegroups.com <nhnordi...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Matt Steinberg <fios...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2025 1:27:09 PM
To: Doug Merrill <doug.j....@gmail.com>
Cc: Peter Doyle <peterdo...@gmail.com>; NHNordicSkating <nhnordi...@googlegroups.com>; VTNordicskating <vtnordi...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [vtnordicskating] Nordic Swimming

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