Several days of clearing snow and cutting with a chainsaw an immense circle of ice more than 300 meters in diameter to make it rotate on a frozen lake: in Finland, a team is trying this weekend to break the world record for the biggest ice carousel
.
On the vast lake of Lappajärvi in the west of the country, the small group is led by Finnish inventor Janne Käpylehto, who claims to be behind the concept in a viral video published in 2017.
The principle ? A boat motor connected to the huge circle of ice should spin it around, like an enchantment in the middle of a beautiful frozen landscape, once its trail is cleared of snow and carved.
Once its route is cleared and cut, the huge circle should turn on itself thanks to a boat engine connected to it. © AFP / Alessandro RAMPAZZO
The idea has since been copied elsewhere with rides
bigger and bigger, to the point where a category was created by the Guinness Book of Records.
“If it is not perfectly circular, the merry-go-round does not turn”,
It’s pretty crazy
, confides to AFP the fantastic Finn, whose team had to start by removing 40 cm of snow on a circle whose perimeter exceeds 900 meters.
If Janne Käpylehto has held it four times, the record is currently held by an American in Minnesota, with a diameter of 228 meters.
To certify the performance, the merry-go-round must complete at least one complete turn on itself, which its designers hope to be able to do this Sunday or Monday. The main difficulty is to form a perfect circle so as not to block the rotation.
If it is not perfectly circular, the merry-go-round does not turn
, explains Thor-Fredric Karlsson, one of the project assistants.
–
Inventor Janne Käpylehto on the merry-go-round construction site on Wednesday February 24.? © AFP / Alessandro RAMPAZZO
Inside the Lappajärvi carousel, the team cut a smaller circle, which is powered by an electric boat motor when the large carousel requires a gasoline engine.
The municipality has supported the project to warn of the shortening of northern winters due to climate change, meaning that lakes freeze less often. In fact, positive temperatures have reigned in recent days in this little lost corner of the Finnish forest.
Janne Käpylehto, who already has more than 60 rides to her credit, confides lots of other projects
. But I’m focusing on this one, I’ll think about it next week
, he slips.
– .
