I do not know where these people come from or what they do the rest of the year, but when the snow comes they remove it from the top of roofs. This is a fairly common sight in Stockholm in February and it serves two purposes, avoid collapsed roofs and avoid icicle buildup that could potentially result in 20 lbs. of ice falling on someone's head.

The only thing between them and a fast trip 5 floors down is a thin rope they have wrapped around them mountaineer style. Considering they are on a slanted roof covered with ice and snow it amazes me that there aren't about 100 near-fatal incidents a year. On the contrary I've never heard of a single incident. Regardless, I am glad that this is something I can be content to watch from a warm office and not take part in.

Permalink    Labels: Stockholm, Snow, Weather, 1 Minute Video

This is the umm...beautiful view from work on this windy, cold and snowy day. Looking south you can barely make out the ski slope in the background and a huge water tower further on. Not to belittle this particular area of south Stockholm but it looks like Vladivostok on a day like this. It also feels like it.

It has snowed all day, I think in the end we accumulated about 8-10 inches in some places. The rest of this week is supposed to be below freezing. So, with some luck, we may actuall have snow on the ground for Christmas for the first time in a number of years.

Permalink    Labels: 1 Minute Video, Snow, Weather, Stockholm

We've been getting the first real snow of the year over the last few days. I think they are currently forecasting a "class 1" snowfall for the day here. That indicates slippery conditions and possible delays/problems with traffic and other communications.

Stockholm doesn't actually tend to get much snow, although it's a welcome site as it brightens up the constant dusk that is in place between November and March.

The film to the right was taken on the way to work this morning. It is filmed from the tram that skirts the side of the city.

Permalink    Labels: 1 Minute Video, Snow, Weather, Stockholm, Trains

Some insane amateur video above showing conditions at Waimea Bay yesterday. The waves could hit 50 feet today prompting the first Eddie Aikau Competition in 5 years. The event, which requires perfect conditions and waves over 30 feet, is not officially on quite yet but, if when it gets the go ahead, surfers have a 12 hour window to register and get to the North Shore...this has people already flying in from Brazil, Australia and South Africa. This would be only the 8th time the event has been held since it started in 1985.

More on the contest and Aikau can be read on Quicksilver's official site for the competition here:

2009/2010 Quicksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau

Permalink    Labels: The Ocean, Surfing, Weather

YES! Snow! I love snow (otherwise I wouldn't live in Europe's Attic) and here we've got a documentary all about it.

Modern Marvels takes a 45 minute look at how snow forms, snowflakes, blizzards, snow removal and even how to build an igloo! Everything you ever wanted to know about the best weather in the world...

The video can be viewed via Google Video (to the right), but is also available for download in mp4 format for the iPod Touch and iPhone on this page:

Modern Marvels: Snow

Permalink    Labels: Documentaries, Google Video, Snow, Weather