Inline Skate Stars

What do you need for Ice Skating?

What do you need for ice skating? Like other sports, you need to prepare adequately for ice skating. If you're wondering how to go about it, you'll discover everything you need to get started in ice skating. So, keep reading!

What do you need for ice skating? If you’re getting started or slightly experienced in ice skating and looking for ideas of what you need for ice skating, you’ve come to the right place. From personal experience and other expert opinions, I’ve put together a comprehensive list of what you need.

  • Well-fitting Ice Skates
  • Ice Skating Protective Gear
  • Recommended Ice Skating Articles of Clothing
  • Well-maintained and Safe Ice Skating Rink
  • Ice Skating Related Fees
  • Camera to Capture the Moment and Create Memories
  • Water and Healthy Snacks
  • The Right Attitude for Ice Skating

What do you need for Ice Skating?

But this is only the tip of the iceberg. In the rest of this post, we cover in detail everything you need for ice skating. As a passionate ice skater, you don’t want to miss out on this, so I urge you to read on. Without much ado, let’s get to it!

1. Well-fitting Ice Skates

There are over ten ice skating disciplines. However, the main ones are figure skating, hockey skating, recreational skating, and speed skating. Each ice skating discipline has a unique defining characteristic, meaning that you need a particular type of skates for each.

The right-fitting ice skates are snuggly fitting—neither too tight nor too loose. Therefore, choosing the right ice skates goes a long way to prevent discomfort and potential ice skating injuries. Some of these include blisters and ankle pain.

That being said, it’s important to go for the right ice skates depending on your preferred ice skating discipline. Figure skates have concave blades and saw-toothed toe-rake. In addition, they’re made of leather and come in black and white colors.

While men’s figure skates are traditionally black, women’s figure skaters are white. So, when shopping for figure skates for the first time, these are the things to consider.

On the other hand, speed skating boots have a thin-edged curved long blade. In addition, the skates are lightweight and are low cut since they’re used for racing. These are the things to consider when shopping for speed skating boots for the first time.

When shopping for recreational and hockey skates, remember to go for the right fitting boots. To be precise, hockey skates should be sturdy and lightweight, considering the nature of the sport. The same should apply to recreational skating boots.

Lastly, lacing should be top-notch as this helps to keep your feet inside the skates. If they were to come out while you’re in action, you may break your ankles or hurt your feet in other ways.

2. Ice Skating Protective Gear

Ice skating can be dangerous! The appropriate ice skating protective gear comprises a helmet, elbow pads, wrist guard, knee pads, chest guards, and shin guards. Speed skating, hockey skating, and recreational skating can be intensive, meaning if there’s a fall, the impact is likely to be hard.

Because of this, you need to protect your head by wearing the recommended ice skating helmet. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, the right helmet for ice skating is designed for multi-impact crushes. It has ASTM F 1045 label for ice hockey and ASTM F 1447 or ASTM F 1492 for speed skating and recreational ice skating.

In addition, you need knee pads to protect your knees, elbow pads to protect your elbows, and wrist guards to protect your hands. A chest and shin guard goes a long way to protect your chest and shins while playing if you’re hockey skating.

3. Recommended Ice Skating Articles of Clothing

Ice skating rinks can be cold, so it makes sense to wear the right articles of clothing for your safety and keep warm. The last thing you want is catching a cold after an exciting ice skating session.

The recommended wear for ice skating should be moderate thickness to shield you from the cold without holding you back. Also, it should be comfortable to skate in and made from the right fabric, such as polyester. These are the things to consider when shopping for the right wear for ice skating.

That being said, you need the following articles of clothing for ice skating: long pants, socks, gloves, long-sleeved shirts, neck scarves, light sweaters, knit hats, and ice skates. For speed skating, you should also wear the recommended skating suit and skating glasses.

Also, figure skating uses special figure skating dresses that you need to get if you’re thinking of trying out this skating discipline. Lastly, hockey skating also requires a team uniform and more warm clothing.

4. Well-maintained and Safe Ice Skating Rink

After getting your ice skates and the recommended articles of clothing ready, next, you need an ice skating surface. Ice skating uses special surfaces made of ice. So, unlike other skating disciplines like rollerblading, you have limited places for ice skating.

That being said, you can go ice skating at an indoor or outdoor ice skating rink. Most indoor rinks are commercialized, meaning they’re also well-maintained for skaters’ safety. The downside is that you need to pay to access the facility.

 So, it may not be feasible if you don’t have the money. In that case, an outdoor public ice skating rink can go a long way. The only challenge is that they may not be properly maintained.

In addition, you can also skate on frozen water bodies like ponds, lakes, rivers, oceans, and canals. However, you need to be cautious. The thickness of the ice should be between 6 inches and 8 inches. If the ice is thinner than the lower limit, it may not be safe for skating.

Lastly, skating on frozen parks, roads, and trails is another feasible option to consider. Overall, check that there are no pebbles, rocks, and twigs that may cause you to fall and get hurt.

5. Ice Skating Related Fees

Like we’ve already seen earlier, some ice skating rinks may require an admission fee. So, this is one ice skating-related fee you need to prepare for. In addition, if you’re a complete beginner or still in the early stages of learning, you may need extra coaching.

The coaching fees vary from trainer to trainer. Therefore, the cost will range between $49 and $150 for a 6-12 week training series. On the other hand, an hourly arrangement can also help if you aren’t comfortable enrolling for a 6-12 weeks class.

That being said, the hourly rates will also vary from trainer to trainer. So, it’ll cost you anywhere between $5 and $200 per hour. So, you can budget accordingly depending on the plan that works for you.

Lastly, most ice skating rinks charge an admission fee of anywhere between $5 and $30 per hour per week. For some ice skating rinks, this may also include ice skates renting fees. So, you don’t have to worry if you don’t have your ice skates.

6. Camera to Capture the Moment and Create Memories

A camera may not be a necessity, though having one can be pretty helpful. If you have a camera, you can use it to capture the moments to create exciting memories. In addition, you can record yourself to know your progress and if you’re doing different tricks correctly. The best part is, you can use your phone if you don’t have a professional camera.

7. Water and Healthy Snacks

Ice skating is vigorous and intensive. Studies show it’s a low-impact aerobic exercise, meaning it’s gentle on joints but rough on joints. In the process, the body loses a lot of water from sweating. So, you need a bottle of water to replenish what’s lost.

You can also carry some healthy snacks to cover for the energy you’ve lost when ice skating. If you’re ice skating to lose weight, you don’t want to burn the calories only to add up more by eating unhealthy snacks.

8. The Right Attitude for Ice Skating

Lastly, a good attitude for ice skating goes along, not just in skating but in every aspect of life. When getting started, you need the right mindset to get you going. It will not be an easy walk; though, the right attitude will give you an edge and flatten your learning curve.

What do you need for Ice Skating? Final thoughts

What do you need for ice skating? Well-fitting Ice Skates, ice skating protective gear, recommended ice-skating articles of Clothing, well-maintained and safe ice skating rink, ice skating-related fees, camera to capture the moment and create memories, water, and healthy snacks, and the right attitude for ice skating.

That’s it! I hope you found this article helpful.

Navick Ogutu
Navick Ogutu

Navick is a full-time freelance writer, blogger, and internet marketer. By day, he creates content for multiple sites including inlineskaterstars.com. Over the weekend, he goes out skating with friends.

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