About 10 km from the center of Trondheim lies Lian (from the Old Norse ‘hlið‘ = sloping hill or mountain side), as part of Bymarka. There was little activity here until the idea of a tram line emerged, probably inspired by the ‘Holmenkollbanen‘ in Kristiania (Oslo). Construction work started in 1922, but the rails did not reach Lian until 1933. And then things started to happen. The place quickly was taken into the heart of Trondheim’s residents. In the summer, this is a splendid area for swimming, fishing and camping. However, the fishing has been poor for a number of years, after rotenone treatment to remove fish parasites in 2017, but now (2024) it’s said to be good again (trout). What about winter activities, one might ask. Is there anything going on during winter time?
In the 1930’s, it wasn’t just skiing or ice skating on Lianvatnet (Lake Lian), there were also motorcycle and horse races on the ice. However, we haven’t heard any stories about ice bathing from ancient times. Has anyone heard about that? We want to know!
On a wet and grey December day in 2024, there was little else going on at Lianvatnet other than bathing in our bathing friend Taru’s swimming hole. Taru posts a video clip from her bathtub every day in Advent, like a ‘bath-vent‘ calendar. Tobatheornottobathe really wanted to be a part of that!
Parts of Lianvannet are very shallow. Both Idun and Knut have partied and bathed in/by Helgelandshytta, and there it’s almost too shallow to swim. For Taru, who often bathes alone in her bathing hole, it is good to be in contact with the bottom, to be sure to get safely up again (good HSSE). That way, no bathing ladder is needed either.
But as in Finnish television theaters on Norwegian TV in the 1970’s, the bathing couldn’t be all peaceful. One could hear both ‘fu*@‘ and ‘per&%#%‘, and in the end the axe was brought forward.
To reassure worried readers: Everyone came home safely!
