Small Town Natural: Nordic skating Tips
Disclaimer: Small Town Natural is NOT liable if you injure yourself or fall through the ice! We stress that every person who participates in wild ice sports must understand that anytime you venture out onto ice on a frozen lake/river/pond or wild ice of any kind you are putting your life in danger! If you accept the risk be smart about safety gear for best chances of survival if the unthinkable happens and you end up falling through the ice.
In this blog Outdoorsy Miss Adventures heads out for some skating fun! You have to pay attention to weather and lake ice conditions to take advantage of lake skating windows of opportunity! Skating ovals are great for regular skating but nothing beats gliding across the pond or lake!
Over the years I have discovered several great places to skate. The above photo was taken on my early morning skate on a man-made oval. I will tell you more about locations below. First let's talk safety!
Safety tips for nordic skating:
1. Make sure your blades are sharpened at the beginning of every winter. Sharpen your blades on a regular basis thru the season if you skate daily. Nordic blades cannot be sharpened on a regular hockey skate sharpener. These blades require special care. The only nordic blade specific sharpening service I know of in Ontario is located in Ottawa at Fresh Air Experience. https://www.freshairexp.com/ It is my understanding that they sharpen nordic blades in batches of 1/2 dozen sets or more at a time. They also only do so during the winter skating season.
2. Check that your boots and bindings do not need repair or adjustment.
3. Wear a helmet! Any winter sport helmet will do. ( www.smalltownnatural stocks 100% merino wool beanies that are great for keeping your head warm under your helmet! https://www.smalltownnatural.ca/products/beanie-hat-merino-wool-by-wool-love )
4. Before stepping out onto the lake ice do an ice thickness test! Ice needs to be a minimum of 15 cm (6 inches) thick to carry the weight of one person. If group skating you should make sure the ice thickness is minimum of 20 cm (8 inches).
5. If you are a beginner it is best to only skate on clear lake ice not snow covered ice! Clear ice makes it easier to see ice flaws and heaves and dangerous cracks or ice fisherman's unmarked holes.
6. Beware of lake water current and springs. Water movement makes for unsafe ice. Research the frozen lakes or rivers or creeks you plan to skate to ensure safety.
7. The safest nordic skating ice is, of course, man-made rinks and skating ovals.
Where to skate:
-lake/pond/creek/stream/river ice that is thicker than 15 cm or 6 inches
-man-made rinks
-man-made skating ovals
-Ottawa's Rideau canal (when it is open) Photo above taken on Rideau canal where you can wear either regular skates or nordic skates.
Where to skate near Haliburton, Ontario:
- Free: any lake ice that you have checked to be thick enough to skate on (stay away from lakes with open water or current)
- Free: in town man-made outdoor rink
- Free: An hour drive south to Lakefield, Ontario where they have a man-made skating oval
- I do not believe the indoor arenas allow nordic blades. Please ask before paying for your skate time.
Benefits of nordic skates over regular skates:
-You can wear the same boots for cross country/nordic skiing as you do for nordic blades. There are options to purchase nordic skating specific hiking boots too! This allows you to carry your blades with you as you hike in to a great skating spot!
- The extra long and thick blade gives your blade more contact with the ice which allows you to enjoy skating on natural imperfect ice (eg. bumpy ice or snow crusted ice that would be jarring or even a sudden stop on regular skates)
- Longer glide feeling much like skate skiing. Nordic skates have a much longer glide than regular skates.
- Ease of storage: Nordic skates are typically worn with a separate boot (usually a nordic ski boot) the binding on the skate is similar to a nordic ski binding and you can clip in and out of the binding before and after use. This makes storage easier with a nice slim bundle. Most nordic blades come with a simple clip to allow you to store the two blades together.
Stay warm and stay safe. Have a great time out there!