Skating in the winter is far from ideal.
Warming up takes twice as long. Ledges are slippery from rain. The concrete, somehow, feels harder, making slams even less welcome than usual.
Now imagine how much those complaints would be amplified if you had to skate in Scandinavia. Think: Temperatures rarely exceeding 0 celsius, freezing rain on the program most days, and the sun setting around 3:30 PM. You really have to be truly dedicated to go out there.
For some, the warmth of a cafe or pub with frosted windows would be the sensible, ideal option over literally freezing. But for others, it’s all part of the regular run-of-show. Others like Copenhagen/Malmö-based rider, Samuel Norgren, who keeps skating with his entourage in the midst of winter, paying no mind to the extremely harsh conditions.
The title “6 1/2 (Hours)” comes from the approximate duration of daylight on the 21st of December in Copenhagen and Malmö, the shortest day of the year. Filming these grim winter moments was the base of the film, and what better way to document them than spending a week in Copenhagen in December with Samuel, right on the edge of the winter solstice.
There’s only a certain amount of snow, hail, and rain you can can take, of course. So it’s only appropriate Samuel and his comrades at Poetic Collective made their way to Bordeaux, considering they have a certain love affair with France. A well-needed dose of sun and warmth indeed, with some very impressive skating sprinkled in.
Starring Quentin Boillon, Tom Botwid, Johan Bergljung and Gary Beesley and narrated by Tom Botwid as well.
Filmed and edited by our very own Yentl Touboul, who remains incredibly talented.
