New Synthetic Ice Rink

[ARoo]

This just went in at a mall near here:
https://www.facebook.com/skate.room.35

I can't really figure out what they are doing with this. It's $15 (not clear on for how long). You can see people have to really work hard to even glide just a few feet. No figure skates are allowed (but their web site includes almost all figure skate photos). It's so tiny that you almost can't do a crossover at the ends. I'm just looking at all that nice smooth reinforced concrete under the $60,000 worth of fake ice (according to the paper) and wondering why they didn't just make a roller rink instead.

I wasn't sure where to put this topic. Maybe worth noting that this mall is across the street from the Glacier Ice Arena (home to one of the biggest USFS clubs in the country) that offers public skating 5-6 days a week at a more affordable price AND is within a short driving distance of about a dozen other ice rinks.

[sk8lady]

Most of those folks appear to be wearing hockey skates. At one of my son's hockey camps in Canada, they used the synthetic ice room to work with kids to strengthen their pushing, since you have to work so much harder on synthetic ice.

[Query]

Glacier Ice Arena[url] only offers public skating during lunch time. Is the mall rink you mention open to the public more of the time? If so, they serve a purpose. Also, is there a pro shop in the mall? Synthetic ice rinks are very good at recruiting sharpening and blade replacement business for pro shops, because edges don't last very long.

But why would they forbid figure skates? Maybe the person in charge's ex was a a figure skater, and thinks this is a way to get back at the ex? Also, figure skaters often cut deeper grooves than hockey skaters.

This is all pure speculation and fantasy. The best way to find out the answers to your questions is probably to ask the manager. Or would that be less fun?

[ARoo]

The mall rink is open all day, but it's tiny. It seems to be the equivalent of taking the kiddie train around the mall vs. taking Amtrak. I assume they don't allow figure skates because they don't want the toe picks to damage the surface. I wouldn't bother to inquire about any of this since the mall is 2 hours away and I only go there a couple times a year when we're in town to see family. I just found it interesting and a little silly. I don't expect it to last very long in this high end mall.