To winter rolling

This winter, we set a goal for ourselves — to go out rolling at least once a month for the entire season, no excuses.  Rolling in near-zero degree surface water was a new experience for us, and while it can appear a little intimidating, as it turns out, it is surprisingly enjoyable with a little preparation.

+++

By December

Winter in Stockholm had begun to set in in earnest, but there was still open water in the centre of the city, and with virtually no one else there it was ours to roam.  We found a bright and sunny day to head out, the temperature just a couple of degrees above freezing.  The city is made up of fourteen islands and forms the boundary between lake Mälaren, Sweden’s third largest lake, and the Baltic Sea. The water drains from the lake, through the centre of the city, and into the sea.  Because the bodies of water are not level, by the force of the current as well as a steady stream of ferries and other vessels, the sea side in the city is typically more free of ice than the lake side.

We equipped ourselves with wool socks, baselayers, and drysuits, which I also complemented with the trusty tuiliq.  As we went for a little paddle around the city to warm up, hats and neoprene gloves proved sufficient to keep our extremities warm.  Being someone who easily gets cold, I had decided to wear an extra wool jersey under the drysuit, which actually turned out to be a mistake as I got uncomfortably warm with both the drysuit and tuiliq.  We made sure to wear earplugs to avoid coming down with surfer’s ear when we went rolling in cold water.

+++

In January

The ice was creeping closer to our launching spot, a boat launch by an overpriced parking lot next to one of the city’s better known museums (somewhat ironically containing the wreck of a tall ship that was launched and a short while later subsequently rolled over and sunk, not far from where we were).  The channel to one side of our launch was covered in ice, blocking our path, and there was some snow on the ground.  Bemused passers-by, wrapped up in layers, paused briefly to watch us from a nearby bridge.

By now we had figured out that two rolls were pretty easy, but by the second or third roll you could really feel the cold water on your face.  Paddling around a bit to keep moving between rolls helped the blood to circulate and get us warm again.  With us still getting acclimated to the conditions we could typically keep going for a handful of rolls before it was time to start heading out of the water.  Luckily (or intentionally) our parking lot also had a cafe with indoor seating that served hot chocolate and sweet breads.  We could cram in between the tourists and warm up a bit after loading up the kayaks and throwing the wet gear in the back of the cars.

+++

When we headed out in February

The water by our boat launch was completely covered with ice, some footprints in the snow on the ice suggested that there was no point in us trying to make a hole in the ice just to try to roll there.  A little further out the passenger ferries went back and forth in what looked like a soup of crushed ice, with chunks up to half a meter in diameter, which looked equally unappealing.  We decided to move a little further upstream, closer to the outlet of the rapid coming down from the lake, where the broken up ice gets cleared away by the current.

With the added windchill temperatures were now well below freezing and the sun hid somewhere behind the clouds.  Moving away from our old boat launch meant that not only did we lose the cafe, but we also lost the ramp down to the water.  These are the hardships of paddling in the city.  By now though, the ice was thick enough by the water’s edge that we could step down onto it from the quayside, pass down the kayaks and launch from there.  Easy when heading out, being dry and warm.  Trickier coming back, cold and wet.

+++

As we’re now well into March

The ice has loosened its grip on the city, receding from both the lake and the sea which are once again slowly opening up in places.  We’re hearing whispers of other rollers venturing outside again. Beckoning us out again to find a patch of open water and get immersed — to tuck forward and search for the bottom, to lean back and break the surface.

/Malte