How long/far is your commute to the rink?

[icedancer]

My main rink is about 7 minute drive - very close and easy.

The rink where I take a weekly lesson is a 40 minute drive in traffic - 30 minues on the weekends or very early in the morning.

Another rink I occassionally skate is about 15-20 minutes drive - and it is in another state!!

[PinkLaces]

There is one 5 minutes from my house. I can walk it in 10 if I cut through the park. Problem is there are only publics twice a week and no freestyle.  My usual rink is 20 mins from my house with traffic. Secondary rink is 40 mins away.

[mamabear]

About 5 minutes.  I should bike/walk it more. 

[HannahLouise]

 

It takes me an hour and a half to get there as our rink (blocked) down (I'm from England) and I go every week at least once.

I hope you continue to skate despite the distance

[Icicle]

It takes me an hour and a half to get there as our rink (blocked) down (I'm from England) and I go every week at least once.

It's totally worth it. Have fun skating!

[HannahLouise]

It is! It was meant to say my rink 'shut down' but for some reason they changed it to '(blocked)'?...

Thank you, you too! 

[lutefisk]

I'm close enough to my home ice that I can bicycle to the rink in about a half hour.  It's about 15 minutes by car in afternoon traffic.  I don't ride the bike in v. hot weather but on cooler days it's a great way to arrive with warmed up legs.

[accordion]

The closest rink is always open. It is a 15 minute drive + 3 mins to negotiate the multistorey car park.
18 minute bike ride, easy parking, no car parking fee.

I'd ride every time except now I'm transporting kids & it is winter here. Come the warmer weather and they are on their bikes too.

The other rink is not nice and 60+ minutes each way...

[4711]

It is! It was meant to say my rink 'shut down' but for some reason they changed it to '(blocked)'?...

Thank you, you too! 

Swear filters can cause much hilarity...had a lady sign up...did not think much by it, names can be weird...but Thingeyson, that took the cake...had to take Nixon's nickname off the list that time

[AgnesNitt]

It's now two hours on the weekends due to beach traffic. I have an alternate route that brings it down to hour 30. But in the winter it's an hour.

And even though it's summer, public is full. Even on weeknights.

[sk8lady]

I have basically given up and am taking horseback riding lessons this summer. The crappy hockey rink 1/2 hour away has 1 hour of public skating on Sundays if you are willing to put up with hockey kids having sliding contests across the ice while the rink manager organizes games of tag or carries his 2 year old in his arms while he's skating around and pretending to slam her head into the boards (she's wearing a hockey helmet, at least). (I have had to point out to several hockey kids that if they skate right into my toepick, it is highly likely that they will not scare me or knock me down, but that they WILL put their eye out, a la Christmas Story).

I've been going, for what good it does me, because I can't make the next closest ice a hour and a half away because of the times, and I'm too !@#$ old and have too much work to do to drive the four hours there and back to the only other open rink in the state once or twice a week.  Sorry if I sound cranky and bitter...

[4711]

I have basically given up and am taking horseback riding lessons this summer. The crappy hockey rink 1/2 hour away has 1 hour of public skating on Sundays if you are willing to put up with hockey kids having sliding contests across the ice while the rink manager organizes games of tag or carries his 2 year old in his arms while he's skating around and pretending to slam her head into the boards (she's wearing a hockey helmet, at least). (I have had to point out to several hockey kids that if they skate right into my toepick, it is highly likely that they will not scare me or knock me down, but that they WILL put their eye out, a la Christmas Story).

I've been going, for what good it does me, because I can't make the next closest ice a hour and a half away because of the times, and I'm too !@#$ old and have too much work to do to drive the four hours there and back to the only other open rink in the state once or twice a week.  Sorry if I sound cranky and bitter...

you are planning a trip to see ONskater....
I can see it:
Riding lessons...skating....

How are you on concrete mixing and dirt shoveling?

[HannahLouise]

Swear filters can cause much hilarity...had a lady sign up...did not think much by it, names can be weird...but Thingeyson, that took the cake...had to take Nixon's nickname off the list that time

Something on the forum are rather strange...

Well, at least there's a place for all of us figure skaters to talk to each other!

[alejeather]

It is! It was meant to say my rink 'shut down' but for some reason they changed it to '(blocked)'?...

Thank you, you too! 

You probably accidentally typed an i instead of a u in shut

[Kitten23]

From work or from home?

From work:

Rink #1 - 20 minutes via street traffic
Rink #2 - 45 minutes via highway in rush hour traffic
Rink #3 - 80 minutes via highway for 21 miles then via street traffic for last 10 miles
Rink #4 - 90 minutes via Long Island Rail Road, subway and crosstown bus

From home:

Rink #1 - won't go as it's too close to work and almost 90 minutes away
Rink #2 - 20 minutes via highway (most of the time is spent getting onto the highway and then looking for parking)  If taking public transportation: 35 minutes plus 15 minute walk through a large park
Rink #3 - 25 minutes via streets.  If taking public transportation: 35 minutes with only one change of subway
Rink #4 - Never drive to this rink.  If taking public transportation: 90 minutes via two subways and one crosstown bus.

Could be worse.  Used to skate at a rink that took over 2 hours to get to via public transportation (didn't have a car then) and only skated 1 hour.    The things we do for love....

[HannahLouise]

You probably accidentally typed an i instead of a u in shut

Most probably! Whoops! 

[dlbritton]

About 15 minutes from home depending on traffic. Adds about 10 minutes to my drive home from work so weekday (6 PM) LTS lessons work out great. 

[jjane45]

Recently moved. Nearest rink is about 10 miles away and takes 25+ minutes to drive, second nearest rink is 25 miles away but has easy freeway access and 30+ minutes by car. I opt to spend 50 minutes taking bus to the nearest rink because it's the easiest and cheapest considering gas & parking, plus I get to relax (or get stuff done on the phone) rather than drive 

[skategeek]

My main rink is right on campus- 20 minutes from home, or about a 15 minute walk from my building on campus.  Parking on campus is a nuisance, though.  There's plenty of free parking by the rink, but only for the rink- I can't stay there all day.  And if I try to go there and then park up on the main part of campus after morning skating, there's no way I'd find a spot- our lots fill up by about 9.  It's a conundrum I haven't quite solved.

My secondary rink is about 15 minutes from home in the other direction.  But I'd have to pay for public sessions there so I go less often.

[Christy]

Closest rink is less than 5 minutes drive but I usually walk, and take the scenic routes so anything from 15 minutes to over an hour, however no options for lessons there.
Next closest is around 10 -15 minutes drive depending on traffic then there are 2 others that are around 15 - 25 minutes drive depending on traffic and there's another around 30 minutes but I've heard they're a bit funny about anyone doing anything other than laps then there are 2 others within 45 minutes drive
So plenty of options but they are all closed during the Summer and have limited hours during the Winter as they are only really there for the hockey 

[Qarol]

My old rink was 30 mins door to door (I think it's ~40 miles round trip). But they have slashed freestyle. I now skate at the rink a bit further away; it's about 50 mins drive (it's 76 miles round trip).

[Bill_S]

I'm a visual person, so here's my commute to the rink...



Our rink is seasonal. The nearest year-round rink is 1-1/2 hours away.

[PhysicsOnIce]

I am super lucky on this topic!!!
15 minutes BY BIKE from work, and 5 minutes BY BIKE from Home.  Honestly, I don't complain. This is much better than the 3 hours spent in the car when I was little.
Okay, that was one of my major concerns when finding my new apartment.

[Bostyn]

I'm doing my best to get back to skating this year! Super excited about this. The "local" rink to me is an hour and a half away and only has ice October - April when hockey is in season. There's a club at the civic center and getting to the rink once or twice at week is probably all that I'll be able to do. Eventually, I'm moving to the Atlanta area and will be able to skate regularly there. I have family close by one of the rinks and have plans to make a weekend trip once a month during the off-season to have a lesson and get some practice in. THAT commute is close to 5.5 hours. Crazy things we do for skating!

[accordion]

Success! The two girls and I cycled to the rink. Finally had weather that was good + good attitude from the lasses.

Doing it again next week - weather will be good again.