Skating in the rain!

[Query]

I just had a very fun session skating in our facility's outdoor rink in the rain.

With a layer of water on top, the ice was very slick. For completely unknown reasons  there weren't many people there. In many ways, perfect conditions for skating.

Of course, it takes a special attitude to enjoy any outdoor activity in other than warm sunny conditions. The people there had the proper attitude. (Are you shaking your head, thinking I'm nuts? You are right! But do you ever go to ice rinks when it's warm outside?) (The proper attitude is easier when you are properly dressed for the weather.)

We couldn't get our music system to work - so I talked some of them (from a high school chorus) into singing in the rain. I talked a couple spectators who dubiously came to look into joining us, pointing out how absolutely crazy a thing it was to do.

All in all, fabulous fun.

[twinskaters]

It's been raining here in NY all day, but we skated indoors. I can imagine outdoors in the rain being fun for my kids, who love playing in the rain. If I'm going to get wet while skating, I will stick to my usual fall-in-the-puddles right after an ice cut.

[jbruced]

Wow! The last time I skated in the rain was back in the '60's! We had lots of fun doing hockey stops to throw water on each other. There have been a few times in the last few years where ponds have frozen over and I really want to skate outdoors but I know not to trust the ice in this area. I miss outdoor skating.

[Loops]

Query, it sounds like you had a good time, in the right place with the right people at the right moment.  Awesome.

[lutefisk]

Last night we were downtown (DC) at the Swedish Embassy for the annual St. Lucia procession and  Swedish bazaar.  Later, some of us walked in the rain to a neighboring bar which fronts an outdoor rink along the Potomac River.  There were a couple guys on hockey skates slopping about having a hilarious time.  Each attempted hockey stop created a small tidal wave of rain water.  My only thoughts as I sipped my glass of Cabernet from a warm window seat, were that it looked like fun so long as you a). stayed upright and b). were in cheap plastic skates.  Expen$ive leather boots would've have liked it one little bit.

[Lola]

Sorry in advance for hijacking the thread, but Lutefisk, do you know where one could get lutefisk in the DC area?

[lutefisk]

Sorry in advance for hijacking the thread, but Lutefisk, do you know where one could get lutefisk in the DC area?

Lola:  Try IKEA.  I know they've had it the last few years.  If they're sold out let me know and I'll ask my mother-in-law.  She has her sources.

[Query]

Expen$ive leather boots would've have liked it one little bit.

I thought about that. Afterward I dried them out as well as I could. Next time I may use boot covers, to slow the rate at which cold water gets inside the boot. Unfortunately, the rink's rental skates aren't sharp enough (they are sharpened by someone who is actually quite good at it, but rental gear is treated poorly) and are too cold for me.

I wonder if I should cover my boots with an acrylic art spray last longer. Or fix up a pair of hockey or speed skates from the thrift store. For now, I look at my skates as somewhat like work clothing, that gets a fair bit of wear while I work.

I didn't choose to practice falls. Most of the skaters were beginners, or near beginners. One fell - fortunately, in the last few minutes of the session, and she had nice warm pile clothing on.

Our setting isn't as picturesque as a pristine alpine lake, but it was quite pretty when the rolling fog rolled in. It came in over a building, so the fog and rain cavorted above us in conditions of clear visibility.

I hope you enjoyed your embassy Cabernet. Like I said, not everyone has the right attitude for foul weather outdoor sports.

That which others perceive as insanity is something you either flee from, or embrace with wholehearted enthusiasm.

[Meli]

I've skated in the mist, but really prefer skating in the snow.  I've skated out on the lake at the resort in Keystone, CO, and it felt so perfect with the flakes falling all around.

[Bill_S]

Have you seen this skating routine to "Singing in the Rain"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXtd7xq7URM

[lutefisk]

I hope you enjoyed your embassy Cabernet. Like I said, not everyone has the right attitude for foul weather outdoor sports.

That which others perceive as insanity is something you either flee from, or embrace with wholehearted enthusiasm.

More to the point, Query--I hope the dye in those orange boot laces of yours didn't run!  Oh, and the Cab was quite satisfactory, thank you very much!

[Query]

Thanks Bill - Looks like Kurt Browning gets it.

Lutefisk, pretty much everything is made to take water, especially stuff that goes outdoors. But your Cabernet, spilled, might possibly dissolve the water-proofing clear coat layer your skates were built with, the die underneath, and the wax that likely waterproofs the bottom of your boots.

[FigureSpins]

This is one of the most fun-to-read threads we've had since the new skatingforums.com came online.  I still miss the old online "parties" - they were always entertaining.  We should have a Holiday Party one Saturday night -- maybe in January for National Skating Month and have it be public so lurking members join the fun.

As for the rain, I used to skate outdoors and the rink was usually open in the rain as long as it wasn't too warm outside.  All the figure skaters were careful not to fall because no one wanted to go home wearing wet clothes.  (In my case, it was a 40-minute ride by bus, with a transfer.  Brrrrr!)

[nieves]

I do think skating in the snow is the most fun

[davincisop]

Was it like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXtd7xq7URM