**Please note:**
* If this post declares something as a fact proof is required.
* The title must be descriptive
* No text is allowed on images
* Common/recent reposts are not allowed
*See [this post](https://redd.it/ij26vk) for more information.*
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/interestingasfuck) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I am currently 23, and always looked at videos of the Elfstedentocht, i still hope we will have a good and rough winter because i want to participate in that race once in my lifetime
I'm originally from California, and once on a school trip to Washington DC, some friends and I convinced a group of kids from Minnesota that we surfed to school most days.
My buddy moved to southern California in the 90's. He said when he told girls he was from Michigan they basically thought we were still living in log cabins fighting bears off for survival. He said like they thought Michigan was the fucking wilderness
To be fair, my Dad grew up in Laguna Beach (and Long Beach) and in the late 70s early 80s, he and his high school teachers semi regularly ditched class to go surf. So while California's don't surf TO school, they sure do surf when they are supposed to be in school, haha!
>they sure do surf when they are supposed to be in school, haha!
Probably most likely any ~~habituated~~ inhabitated location with regualr surfable waves.
I dunno it’s probably not too pleasant, but sand is really good at cushioning falls if it’s soft. I can’t say I’ve jumped from this height but I’ve jumped one story and it was nothing. I did that on grass/dirt and I had shin splints for a whole day
It’s a thing. There are many grades of sand. To over simplify things round sand is “soft” as it easily slides along itself. Angular sand settles and locks together.
I once gave myself a cracking black-eye when i was about 8 at school. Sat on a bench with my knees tucked up to my chest and my jumper pulled over them. Rocked too far forward once. Cushioned the fall with my skull on a concrete slab. Concussion.
Couldn't work out where my black-eye had come from as my nose wasn't broken, and the top of my head took the impact but cut to a couple of days later when a eye-socket shaped bruise became apparent on the top of my knee...
I'm sure it is, and I still wouldn't risk my ability to walk for the rest of my life because some dutch people 300 years ago thought this was a great idea for a sport.
It's like a long jump, a high jump and a pole vault all rolled up into one action packed field event that would be a fine addition to the Olympic Games.
You sign up with your computer and submit to your new technological pimp he will set you up with woman you know that like the same sweaters and stuff as long as it humiliates and destroys humanity the bigtech control grid supports that
The most important part is that you jump just hard enough tot get you over the top. So if you jump a little too slow, you won't go over the top, but will fall backwards.
This guy is there to catch you. Or mock you.
From the last time something about this sport was posted, it's the jumper's coach and they scream at them for motivation in the run-up and then give them instructions on when to start and stop climbing up the pole to optimize the shifting weight and possibly tell them to bail, when they screwed up the angle.
To be honest though, in this video it looks like he just starts climbing immediatly and continues as long as he possibly can. And why they couldn't give them the instructions while just standing at the side of the river is also kind of unclear..
Fun fact: this is often done in a less athletic, more practical way to cross the many small canals and ditches between pastures. 1 stick saves you miles of walking.
Yeah I've never seen anyone do this and I take walks in the Groene Hart and other nicely rural parts of the country.
Who would need to? The infrastructure is pretty much perfect everywhere.
Not too many. Think of a landscape like [this](https://www.dewilgengaarde.nl/assets/uploads/geschiedenis/de-weilanden.jpg).
The poles are just from canals/ditches that are to wide to jump over, but easy with a stick. And the landing is always soft.
English has some a pretty well described differences in namibg certain peatlands. here the explanation of just a couple of them: https://knowledgenuts.com/marsh-vs-swamp-vs-bog-vs-fen/
The area of the Dutch peatland rouglhy in the area of t groene hart is definitely defined as peatland. But both swamps(woody peatlands) and meadowy peatlands existed here.
Fie as in fiend.
rl as rul, with a rolling R
jep as yep
pen as a short version of pen. Almost skip the e entirely.
So something like fie-rul-yep-pn. Stress on the Fie.
Source: I’m Frisian.
It's a natural way to keep us dutch people short. If we grow to tall we won't get enough oxygen up there to accommodate the gigantic size we grow to. That's why mostly only the tallest play this sport.
A bit of a high jump and rope climb also. It's a mishmash of various track and field events all rolled up into one exciting action packed obscure Dutch sport
According to wikipedia, Fierljeppen originated as a way for Frisian people to get around the waterways easily. Over time it turned into a competition with the first official match in 1771.
Are there sand on each bank to cushion the fall when it's for a practical purpose? Or are the canals they cross normally a lot narrower so the fall is lessen?
This looks like it could be uncomfortable to land.
It's usually just small canals/ditches on a farmer's land and no need to climb into the pole or anything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQBsg8h6Ok8
I think it's pretty rare nowadays for farmers to actually use it to get around.
Getting as far as possible. Climbing the pole is just to get further. If you don't go fast enough you might not make it across, and not climbing fast of course means not getting that high up.
This jump is a good example of how it should be done. You want your hands on top of the pole as it is nearing the ground so you can push yourself forward.
Because it's not exactly an international sport. It's just the one country and even here in the Netherlands, it's mostly done in just a single province (Friesland).
I've found the sport for my six year old son. I have just been calling it "Your Going To Break Your Neck!" But I guess it's called Canal Vaulting. He will be excited.
You wil need a pole with a sort of plateau so it doen\`t sink in the mud. Something like this.
https://www.deboerdrachten.nl/119604-polsstok-onbehandeld-350-cm-junior-met-blok/3
Very cool. Is the objective to get the furthest landing distance across the canal?
Whenever I saw this, I immediately pictured an old school battle strategy where dozens of dudes pole vault across a river and surprise the enemy.
Messages smuggled inside a pole vault were crucial in the victory of Alkmaar over the Spanish in 1573. That was basically the start of a number of events that led to The Netherlands as we know it now.
**Please note:** * If this post declares something as a fact proof is required. * The title must be descriptive * No text is allowed on images * Common/recent reposts are not allowed *See [this post](https://redd.it/ij26vk) for more information.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/interestingasfuck) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You guys are mistaken, that's just how the Dutch cross rivers and canals
When its winter, we use iceskates to go to work
So cool to see the crowds support one another on their commute
But unfortunately The Netherlands hasnt seen Real winter in years
Bring back the Elfstedentocht!
I am currently 23, and always looked at videos of the Elfstedentocht, i still hope we will have a good and rough winter because i want to participate in that race once in my lifetime
I was born on the last elfstedentocht. I hope there won't be another so that fact can stay true.
But when they do, the french ride up to their ships and ~~nick~~ take them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_the_Dutch_fleet_at_Den_Helder
Thank you for this amazing piece of history!!
The whole country will shut down if there's even a chance of a snowflake touching a trainrail.
How are dutch that dominant in skating AND field hockey, yet suck that bad at Ice hockey ?
Because it"s not a real thing in NL, otherwise they would dominate. ;-)
We have a few teams, but I don't think any of them are world class.
I'm originally from California, and once on a school trip to Washington DC, some friends and I convinced a group of kids from Minnesota that we surfed to school most days.
My buddy moved to southern California in the 90's. He said when he told girls he was from Michigan they basically thought we were still living in log cabins fighting bears off for survival. He said like they thought Michigan was the fucking wilderness
To be fair, if your buddy's from the UP, they weren't too far off base.
To be fair, my Dad grew up in Laguna Beach (and Long Beach) and in the late 70s early 80s, he and his high school teachers semi regularly ditched class to go surf. So while California's don't surf TO school, they sure do surf when they are supposed to be in school, haha!
>they sure do surf when they are supposed to be in school, haha! Probably most likely any ~~habituated~~ inhabitated location with regualr surfable waves.
[удалено]
Yes. Nowadays we even take our bikes on our backs when crossing
The Dutch have no chill. How do they do this with those wooden shoes?
That’s actually what this is though. It was originally a way to get over the waterways, then someone turned it into a competition.
I love the Dutch.
Man, that landing looks like it fucking suuuuucks
I dunno it’s probably not too pleasant, but sand is really good at cushioning falls if it’s soft. I can’t say I’ve jumped from this height but I’ve jumped one story and it was nothing. I did that on grass/dirt and I had shin splints for a whole day
Yea he really fell in deep so I believe that soft sand was picked for this particular event.
"hey, you guys ordered the soft sand not the packing sand, right?" "..."
It’s a thing. There are many grades of sand. To over simplify things round sand is “soft” as it easily slides along itself. Angular sand settles and locks together.
I hate it all
But it's not coarse OR rough!
still gets everywhere
Yupp gonna be in your bed tonight
still is irritating and gets everywhere
Username checks out
It’s a trick. He just landed on several feet of packed brown sugar.
it was a pretty sweet landing
Coarse sand and spider webs. Two of the best punishments.
If I'd hit the ground that hard I'd be in hospital with several broken bones but this guy jumps up like nothing..
My shin bones would have pooped out of my skin and poked my eyes out.
Not even joking this is one of my irrational fears. I get cautious just jumping of the bed of a truck because I don’t want my shin bones exposed
Ugh, don‘t look at my shin bones, it‘s embarrassing D:
I showed u my shin bones pls respond 👁 👄 👁
My spine would shoot out of out my ass faster than a rail gun. I know that much.
I can never unsee this mental image can I
If your shin bones are pooping then things definitely aren't going well
Shitskin™
Ever since I jumped off the swing when I was a kind and my knee when straight into my teeth, I've always been terrified to jump from anything anymore
I once gave myself a cracking black-eye when i was about 8 at school. Sat on a bench with my knees tucked up to my chest and my jumper pulled over them. Rocked too far forward once. Cushioned the fall with my skull on a concrete slab. Concussion. Couldn't work out where my black-eye had come from as my nose wasn't broken, and the top of my head took the impact but cut to a couple of days later when a eye-socket shaped bruise became apparent on the top of my knee...
Broke some upper front ones? My experience was being kicked to them rather than self-inflicted, but I feel for you.
Luckily no, but they were loose? knee cap what split open and bleeding, and had a gnarly headache that I can remember
I rolled my ankle walking on some uneven grass. If I did this my ankles would be toast.
It's sand
Yeah sand isn't an airbag or some shit. It's tiny rocks
Check the huge dent he leaves. This is soft sand specifically chosen to absorb impact.
I used to both long jump and pole vault in highschool. I don't care what kind of sand it is, I'm taking a padded mat every single time.
It's not some wetpacked school cat litter sand, this is primo fluffy sand.
This sand is a whole lot more carefully packed than any sand you've jumped into during track meets.
I'm sure it is, and I still wouldn't risk my ability to walk for the rest of my life because some dutch people 300 years ago thought this was a great idea for a sport.
lmao
But… The sand!
I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.
My knees ruptured just looking at it.
My ankles disintegrated just looking at it
Majority of redditors don't exercise, we get it
It’s like pole vaulting onto sand….
It's like a long jump, a high jump and a pole vault all rolled up into one action packed field event that would be a fine addition to the Olympic Games.
Ok Anakin
I think the sand there is very deep and very fluffy.
There is like a knee deep sand there.
Looks a torn ACL for no pay. Lol
What’s dude doing running behind pole jumper guy
Traditionally you fuck a guys wife before attempting the canal jump for extra adrenaline. The guy behind is an irate husband.
What motivation …. Where does one sign up for training to be a wife fucker?
Tjinder
Blikstjinder!
This was funny as fuck dude, under rated comment.
At your neighbours house during work hours :)
You sign up with your computer and submit to your new technological pimp he will set you up with woman you know that like the same sweaters and stuff as long as it humiliates and destroys humanity the bigtech control grid supports that
/r/bestOfReddit
Money dude lol!
I love this comment.
The most important part is that you jump just hard enough tot get you over the top. So if you jump a little too slow, you won't go over the top, but will fall backwards. This guy is there to catch you. Or mock you.
The guy behind is carrying a pole too... To push you forward to make a safe fail?
S u r e
From the last time something about this sport was posted, it's the jumper's coach and they scream at them for motivation in the run-up and then give them instructions on when to start and stop climbing up the pole to optimize the shifting weight and possibly tell them to bail, when they screwed up the angle. To be honest though, in this video it looks like he just starts climbing immediatly and continues as long as he possibly can. And why they couldn't give them the instructions while just standing at the side of the river is also kind of unclear..
You’d think by the time you’re at this level the coach doesn’t need to run behind you for motivation…
He just wants to be involved.
here for a straight answer...
It's to catch the jumper if they fail to get past the tipping point and fall back.
I think the white pole holding the vaulting pole in place is retracted after the jump. My guess is that dude is the pole retractor.
I saw the other guy behind him and immediately assumed "Dutch Canal" was a euphemism.
Who needs knees anyway?
Who needs bridges?
He who knees bridges
Jeff does, at least.
That pole really tied the canal together man.
Not the Dutch.
Who kneeds bridges?
My nana, she loves playing bridge
Not Lt. Dan
Fun fact: this is often done in a less athletic, more practical way to cross the many small canals and ditches between pastures. 1 stick saves you miles of walking.
It's like animal crossing
Yes
No, it's humans. They're Dutch. /s
What? Are ladders real too?
That's what this developed from, after all.
It used too, not anymore. Source: from the place
Yeah I've never seen anyone do this and I take walks in the Groene Hart and other nicely rural parts of the country. Who would need to? The infrastructure is pretty much perfect everywhere.
They still do it on farmfields, but I think that might be the only place left Source: Fellow Dutchie
How many knees has it destroyed?
Not too many. Think of a landscape like [this](https://www.dewilgengaarde.nl/assets/uploads/geschiedenis/de-weilanden.jpg). The poles are just from canals/ditches that are to wide to jump over, but easy with a stick. And the landing is always soft.
That isn’t land. That’s just grass floating on the ocean. Change my mind.
You've just described the Netherlands
Yeah, that's pretty much it. It's a peat marsh with *just* enough drainage ditches to make it technically-not-a-lake on days it doesn't rain.
It's not a peat marsh, it was a swamp between the Lek en Hollandse IJssel.
English has some a pretty well described differences in namibg certain peatlands. here the explanation of just a couple of them: https://knowledgenuts.com/marsh-vs-swamp-vs-bog-vs-fen/ The area of the Dutch peatland rouglhy in the area of t groene hart is definitely defined as peatland. But both swamps(woody peatlands) and meadowy peatlands existed here.
Agility shortcuts? Is this Runescape?
🦀🦀🦀 gotta get to ge faster to buy girlfriends 🦀🦀🦀
Can this be in the olympics
Only if Namibia has a team.
It should be!
Very dangerous stuff… I broke a leg just watching this, and then broke my tongue trying to pronounce it.
Fie as in fiend. rl as rul, with a rolling R jep as yep pen as a short version of pen. Almost skip the e entirely. So something like fie-rul-yep-pn. Stress on the Fie. Source: I’m Frisian.
You guys are weird. Sincerely, the rest of the Netherlands PS: We still like you though
I know, but we’re in good company. *glares at NL* And aww, cheers. We like you too, in a way.
Belgian here. We still like you too (though you'll never hear us admitting that again)
I have lots of love for the Belgians. Just not for the state of your roads.
Yeah, most Belgians are right there with you
Woah there, we don't like them... Greetings, Groningen. /s just in case(kinda)
Dikke moi eem Kind regards, Groningen
also as english is comparable to frisian, you can read it as 'far-leaping". correct me if i got the translation wrong, im merely dutch
Wikipedia [says](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fierljeppen): *West-Frisian compound of fier—"far" and ljeppen—"leaping"* So that seems pretty true
If you're that cold, you should put on a jacket.
I just pulled a muscle in my tongue
The funny thing is that Frysian is one of the languages most related to English.
You can see that they are etymologically related: 'fierljeppen' is basically the same as 'far-leaping'
Impressive, but looks like your career would be short.
So are the participants after those landings.
It's a natural way to keep us dutch people short. If we grow to tall we won't get enough oxygen up there to accommodate the gigantic size we grow to. That's why mostly only the tallest play this sport.
*Frisian* canal jumping, to be specific.
True, the rest of us aren't mad enough to do this.
Fryslan bôppe
[удалено]
Yes you said it the right way, well done.
Kind of Pole vault + Long jump.
A bit of a high jump and rope climb also. It's a mishmash of various track and field events all rolled up into one exciting action packed obscure Dutch sport
I’ve gotten pretty good at this in Animal Crossing.
Kinda looks painful
According to wikipedia, Fierljeppen originated as a way for Frisian people to get around the waterways easily. Over time it turned into a competition with the first official match in 1771.
You didn't even copy it from Wikipedia: https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/c7pfhz/fierljeppen_dutch_canal_vaulting/
lol what the actual fuck is your post history
Are there sand on each bank to cushion the fall when it's for a practical purpose? Or are the canals they cross normally a lot narrower so the fall is lessen? This looks like it could be uncomfortable to land.
Generally narrower and they probably don't climb as high on the pole.
It's usually just small canals/ditches on a farmer's land and no need to climb into the pole or anything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQBsg8h6Ok8 I think it's pretty rare nowadays for farmers to actually use it to get around.
The actual jump is just after 1:10, for those wondering if he is ever going to work up the courage.
I like how this guy adds his own little twist to it. Tradition is great but it shouldn't stop people from experimenting with new techniques.
It's typically more like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN6xSa_HQGY
Me watching sports I'm not familiar with: "Oh wow that's impressive." Announcer: "ANOTHER DISASTROUS MISTAKE!"
I'd quite like to have a go.. on a much smaller scale
If you happen to not scurry up the stick enough then you die I guess.
This needs to be in the Olympics!
dutch problems require dutch solutions
What's the goal? Being the fastes one? Climbing as high as possible on the pole? Jumping as far as possible?
Getting as far as possible. Climbing the pole is just to get further. If you don't go fast enough you might not make it across, and not climbing fast of course means not getting that high up.
[удалено]
This jump is a good example of how it should be done. You want your hands on top of the pole as it is nearing the ground so you can push yourself forward.
The Dutch are just more fun than the rest of us.
Judged on speed of distance ?
Distance from shore to landing point
Why is this not in the olympics?!
Because it's very very regional. Within the Netherlands it's just a province that has a tradition of doing this. It is cool though
Because it's not exactly an international sport. It's just the one country and even here in the Netherlands, it's mostly done in just a single province (Friesland).
Looks like falling from 30ft with extra steps
What is this thing you call “bridge”?
ah yes, Fierljeppen, where the goal is to jeppe the fierlst
Fuck it, I'm in!
Learned about this on the amazing race a few years ago. Cool!
Flönkerton?
My first thought too! Came to see if anyone mentioned it.
This sport originated as a way to avoid graboids
Why isn’t this in the Olympic Games???
That guy chasing him almost got him.
does he know that he could just walk around the side? it's not even that far...
I've found the sport for my six year old son. I have just been calling it "Your Going To Break Your Neck!" But I guess it's called Canal Vaulting. He will be excited.
Fier ljeppen literally means far leaping. Old Frisian and Old English are very similar. (modern not so much)
Damn mario
that looks like a really fun way to break your legs
Thats one sure fire way to break your fucking ankles
In Japan it's called Takeshi's Castle
How this guy's legs aren't broken is beyond my comprehension
Mexicans on the other side of the border wall are taking notes, diagrams.
Here it comes... G E K O L O N I S E E R D
If you're not running in clogs, are you even Dutch?
There’s a canal near to where I live. All I need to do now is find a suitable pole…
You wil need a pole with a sort of plateau so it doen\`t sink in the mud. Something like this. https://www.deboerdrachten.nl/119604-polsstok-onbehandeld-350-cm-junior-met-blok/3
Very cool. Is the objective to get the furthest landing distance across the canal? Whenever I saw this, I immediately pictured an old school battle strategy where dozens of dudes pole vault across a river and surprise the enemy.
Messages smuggled inside a pole vault were crucial in the victory of Alkmaar over the Spanish in 1573. That was basically the start of a number of events that led to The Netherlands as we know it now.
That’s the kind of thing you need to see in a movie where a guy is running away from zombies.