No party too far for ice sailors

Their season is short, ideal conditions are rare, and their passion is high. They are ice sailors, and Deb Whitehorse reveals the upper latitudes have the edge:

It’s time to keep an eye out for the first ice sailors to hit the ice. This year, as far as I know, the honors go to Finnish and Swedish ice sailors who made the long drive to Muonio, Finland, to kick off the 2026–2027 season.

Muonio is in Finnish Lapland, well north of the Arctic Circle, where winter arrives early. One Swedish sailor reported a 17-hour drive from Stockholm through rough weather to get there. For those of us in the Midwest, that’s about the same amount of time it takes to drive from Madison, Wisconsin, to Fort Peck, Montana. Ice sailors will go a long way for good ice!

Congratulations to the ice sailors in Finland and Sweden for getting the season underway. The rest of us are watching the weather and waiting for our turn.

Who’s next?