Outdoor Ice - the good and the bad.

[Query]

The place I'm playing rink guard has both indoor and outdoor ice.

Indoor ice is nice. Smoother, more durable surface, better temperature control, no rain, sleet or wind. Easier on the blades too.

But some people prefer outdoor ice. I totally understand. I prefer a hike in the wilderness to walking on an indoor track, prefer skiing unspoiled natural snow to artificial powder, and prefer paddling a natural river or body of water to an artificial course or lake. One of the things that makes playing in the wilderness fun is learning to deal with weather and other natural factors. There is a set of skills to be mastered, appropriate clothing to be worn, appropriate gear to be used. It is an exercise in self-sufficiency, a testing of other limits.

(Not that a true wilderness ice pond is very practical in our area. Our outdoor surface is more akin to a hike in a suburban park than to a trek through the remote bush.)

I am making a suggestion, that they put a little more info about this on the website, and more obviously label which public sessions are outdoors too. Some of the customers come expecting to skate on indoor ice, or are ill dressed for the weather. This discourages some would-be future customers.