Rink Links

For new and/or young skaters

Here's my list of good rinks for new and/or very young skaters.

Here's my advice for teaching people how to skate

Great Skate Project Miscellany





Websites with information about particular skating rinks:

City of Toronto Parks & Recreation
Locations and schedules for all city-owned rinks in Toronto.

City Rinks
An unofficial compendium of locations, schedules and reviews for all the outdoor rinks in Toronto.

Brickworks Skating Trail
Everything you need to know about the rink, and the whole Brickworks complex.

Harbourfront skating programs
One of my favourite rinks.

The Bentway Skate Trail
One of the newest skating rinks in Toronto.

BlogTO: Top 25 outdoor skating rinks in Toronto by neighbourhood
As of November 2015.

Orillia outdoor skating rinks
Taking the Great Skate to Orillia gave me a fresh perspective on outdoor skating rinks.

Arrowhead Provincial Park Ice Skating Trail
An amazing skating adventure in northern Ontario.

New York City skating rinks
There are more rinks in the Big Apple than you might expect.

Rideau Canal Skateway
Everything to know about the world's largest outdoor skating rink.

City of Ottawa Parks & Recreation
The Rideau Canal isn't the only place to skate in Ottawa. The city's website has a map listing all the outdoor rinks.

Where to Ice Skate in Ottawa
The Ottawa Tourism board lists its recommended rinks for visitors to Ottawa.

Skating stories in the media:

Toronto Star: A Canadian on what it's like to skate in Bath
by Elle Wild (December 27, 2014)
The author compares a public skating rink in Bath, England to her memories of skating on a pond in rural Ontario. "Skating in Britain is an exercise in the avoidance of moving objects in a small area whilst skating in a circle." Doesn't sound much different from Canadian skating to me. Except for the "whilst" part.

Chatelaine magazine: Health benefits of ice skating
by James Fell (January 31, 2012)
"Will you remember another night (or afternoon) on the couch? No. Will you remember everyone getting cold-weather-geared-up-the-wazoo and spending a couple of hours skating along a river, around a pond, or even at the outdoor rink of your local community centre? Yes. Forever."
Can't argue with that.

Globe & Mail: Properties that skate circles around the competition
by Shelley White (February 27, 2012)
For shopping centres such as the West Edmonton Mall and the Shops at Don Mills, skating rinks are seen as "a magnet to get good folks into the building". The Brickworks rink is also featured in this article, along with a list of shopping mall skating rinks around the globe.

CBC Doc Zone: Life Below Zero
By filmmakers Josh Freed & Barbara Doran (February 9, 2012)
How Canadians cope with the cold, and what we can learn from other countries.

Other websites about skating:

How to build an ice rink in your backyard

RinkWatch - where backyard skating meets environmental science

Latvian Ice Carousel

Old Skating Photographs from Toronto

Top 10 Health Benefits of Ice Skating

How Toronto's Skating Rinks Stay Frozen When Temperatures Rise

A sign that says "Skate!" at the Bryant Park skating rink in New York City



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