What you wear when ice skating indoors can significantly impact your experience. From clothing to accessories and safety gear, the right choices can ensure you stay comfortable, warm, and safe on the ice. Understanding these aspects is vital for both newcomers and experienced skaters.
Key Takeaways
- Clothing, especially layered attire with moisture-wicking fabrics, ensures your body stays dry and comfortable on the ice. Loose-fitting clothes also provide flexibility for movement.
- When it comes to footwear, well-fitting ice skates with moisture-wicking socks and proper lacing are key for stability and preventing blisters.
- Accessories like warm hats, gloves, and goggles protect against the cold and wind, ensuring a more enjoyable ice skating experience.
- Safety gear, including helmets, knee and elbow pads, and mouthguards, minimizes the risk of injuries during falls.
- Choosing appropriate fabrics like fleece, wool, and moisture-wicking materials while avoiding cotton is crucial for maintaining warmth and comfort.
Here’s a quick rundown of what to wear ice skating indoors;
Clothing for Upper Body
- Long-sleeved shirts
- Neck scarf
- Light sweater
- Light jacket
- Winter coat
- Knit hat
- Mittens
- Ear muffs
Clothing for Lower Body
- Long pants
- Thermal underwear
Footwear
- Ice skates
- Socks
- Ankle support
- Blade guards
Accessories
- Headband
- Protective gear
In the rest of this guide, you’ll discover more about what to wear ice skating indoors and what to avoid.
So, let’s jump right in!
Understanding Indoor Ice Skating
Ice skating is a popular winter activity that can be enjoyed indoors and outdoors. Indoor ice skating provides a controlled environment that is not dependent on weather conditions. It is usually done in an ice rink, an enclosed space specially designed for ice skating.
The temperature in an indoor ice rink is usually kept between 55-65°F, which is lower than room temperature. This is to ensure that the ice remains solid and does not melt. The humidity level is also maintained at around 50-60% to prevent the ice from becoming too dry or too wet.
Regarding lighting, indoor ice rinks are usually well-lit to provide a bright, clear view of the skating surface. This helps skaters to see any imperfections or obstacles on the ice, which can help to prevent accidents.
Compared to outdoor ice skating, indoor ice skating has several advantages.
- Firstly, it is not affected by weather conditions, so skating can be done all year round.
- Secondly, the skating surface is usually smoother and more consistent, which makes it easier for beginners to learn and for advanced skaters to perform more complex maneuvers.
However, indoor ice skating can also have its drawbacks. For example, the air in the rink can become dry and can cause skin and eye irritation.
This is because the low temperature and humidity levels can cause moisture to be stripped from the air. Additionally, the cold temperature in the rink can make it uncomfortable for skaters who have not dressed appropriately.
Overall, understanding the characteristics of indoor ice skating is important when choosing what to wear for the activity. Skaters should dress in layers and choose materials that can provide warmth and moisture-wicking capabilities.
Additionally, ice skaters should consider their activity level and personal preferences when selecting clothing for indoor ice skating.
That said, here are the articles of clothing to wear when ice skating indoors and outdoors.
17 Articles of Clothing to Wear When Ice Skating Indoors and Outdoors
1. Protective Gear
Wearing protective gear goes a long way to keep you safe from unnecessary injuries when you fall.
Unfortunately, falls are inevitable when skating, especially when starting as a newbie. However, the good news is, there are safe fall techniques to apply when skating.
That being said, you still have to protect yourself by wearing a helmet, elbow pads, wrist guards, knee pads, and hip pads to protect your tail bone.
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Feel free to check these Best helmets for Ice skating on Amazon
OnBros Adult Bike Helmet – Safety Certified
ZIONOR Skateboard Helmet for Kids/Youth/Adults
2. Long Pants
A long polyester pant is an essential wear when ice skating. The pants should be lightweight and easy to maneuver around with.
For example, leggings can be a perfect fit for ladies. Other options are snow pants, sweat pants, and yoga pants.
Below are some of the best snow and Yoga pants for ice skating. Check the links to view them on Amazon.
DAFENGEA Women’s Snow Ski Pants Waterproof Windproof Outdoor Snowboard Pants
Lululemon High Times Pant Full-On Luon 7/8 Yoga Pants
3. Socks
It’s best to wear your ice skates with socks because they serve various purposes.
For one, they enhance comfort, preventing blisters and ankle pain when ice skating.
And lastly, they keep your legs warm. Therefore, you want to wear long, relatively lightweight socks when ice skating.
Check out these amazing socks on Amazon.
Mondor Light Opaque Knee High Skating Socks
4. Gloves
Some cool gloves with moderate thickness can help keep your hands warm. Also, they help prevent hand injuries in case you fall hard on your hands.
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Check out these amazing gloves on Amazon.
Running Glove Liners – Thermal Winter Gloves for Men & Women
5. Long-Sleeved Shirts
Long-sleeved shirts help keep your hands warm when ice skating because they can get uncomfortable when the cold is getting to you through your hands.
Your best shot at preventing this is wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Most importantly, it should be lightweight.
6. Neck Scarf
A neck scarf covers your neck and keeps it warm. When buying one, you want to ensure it’s not super long that it’s coming in between you and your skating.
A long scarf can stick in between your ice skating blades, meaning you’ll have to stop frequently to fix the problem.
If you don’t have the option of a shorter scarf, make sure you’re tying the note around your neck accordingly to reduce the length of the hanging part.
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Check these Amazing Neck Scarfs on Amazon
Accessories First Bold Stripe Scarf
KÖLN 100% Cashmere Scarfs for Women & Men
7. Light Sweater
A light sweater is an important asset when you go ice skating. For one, it protects you from the cold, and two offers flexibility while skating.
In addition, you can wear your light sweater with a light jacket. This is also known as layering.
8. Light Jacket
A light jacket goes a long way to keep you safe from the low temperatures in the ice skating rink.
Since the jacket is light, it means there’ll be no heavy clothing coming in the way. Besides that, you can accessorize your light jacket with your light sweater.
The cool thing is that you can try out different jackets like denim, track, or even hoodies.
Check out these amazing Jackets on Amazon
Amazon Essentials Boys’ Light-Weight Water-Resistant Packable Puffer Jacket
9. Knit Hat
A knit hat comes in handy to protect your head from the ice rink cold. The best one should be of moderate thickness so that it doesn’t weigh you down.
Also, you want one that covers your ears as the cold can get to your body through them.
10. Ice Skates
Ice skates are an important asset when going ice skating. So, you can either bring your own or hire the ones at the ice skating rink.
When choosing the right ice skating shoes, ensure they’re comfortable.
By that, I mean they should snuggly fit on your feet. Too tightly fitting skates can cause ankle pain and blisters when ice skating.
On the other hand, loosely fitting ice skates will cause your feet to wobble, leading to pronation.
Many times, pronation is caused by poor technique and ill-fitting ice skates. Correcting this problem by using the right inline ice skates as early as this stage is easy.
11. Ear Muffs
Ear muffs are headgear designed to cover the ears and protect them from cold temperatures while allowing you to maintain a full range of motion. They’re usually made of fleece or wool and come in various colors and styles. The 180s Degrees Winter Ear Warmers is a perfect ear muff to consider. You can check them out on Amazon.
12. Headbands
Headbands are narrow pieces of fabric or material worn around the head, usually covering the forehead and ears. They are often made of fleece or cotton and can be a great option if you prefer a less bulky option for keeping your head and ears warm.
13. Thermal Underwear
Thermal underwear, or long johns or base layers, is designed to keep you warm and dry at the rink. It’s typically made from a moisture-wicking material like polyester or merino wool, and is designed to be worn under other clothing.
14. Winter Coat
A winter coat is a heavy coat designed to provide warmth and protection from cold weather conditions such as snow, wind, and rain. They’re typically made from wool, down, or synthetic fibers and often feature additional insulation and weather-resistant features such as a waterproof or windproof shell.
15. Mittens
Mittens are handwear that covers the entire hand, with a separate section for the thumb. They are typically made of wool or fleece and are designed to provide warmth and protection for the hands in cold weather conditions.
16. Ankle Support
Ankle support is a brace or wraps worn around the ankle to provide support and stability to the joint. Ankle support can be particularly important for ice skaters, as the ankle is a common site for injuries due to the physical demands of skating.
17. Blade Guards
Blade guards are a type of accessory worn over the blades of ice skates when not in use. They’re typically made of a hard plastic material designed to protect the blades from damage and prevent them from dulling prematurely. They can also help prevent accidents or injury when walking on non-ice surfaces.
Clothes to Avoid When Ice Skating
Now that we know what to wear ice skating indoors, it’s time to look at the clothing to avoid. So, here are the articles of clothing to avoid:
1. Shorts
Short pants should be a no for what to wear ice skating indoors or anywhere. Shorts don’t cover the body properly.
This exposes it to cold and wet surface, and it can feel quite uncomfortable, especially when you accidentally fall.
Picture yourself sitting on an ice-cold surface, and you’ll see what I mean. Besides, the rink is normally cold, and you want to keep warm to prevent catching a cold, pneumonia, and related diseases.
Sadly, a short will expose you to all these. So you want to avoid them.
2. Jeans
Jeans look fair enough from a distance. However, you want to avoid it at all costs because of several reasons.
One, jeans are bulky and compromise your comfort and maneuverability; two, jeans can soak in a lot of water from the ice.
The last thing you want is to ice skate in wet jeans. It’s uncomfortable and ruins the fun, so avoid wearing one at the ice skating rink.
3. Dresses, e.g., Figure Skating Dresses
Dresses fall in the same category as shorts because they don’t cover the body from the cold. Therefore, it’s best if you kept them at home when coming to ice skate.
However, if you must put on one, you should accompany it with long pants like leggings.
In addition, figure skating dresses are awesome and manifest your passion for ice skating.
However, the dress may not be necessary unless you’re doing this as a professional figure skater.
You’ll be doing recreational ice skating most of the time, which works well with casual dressing.
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4. Heavy Jackets
Heavy jackets can weigh you down when ice skating because of the weight. Remember, when you go to the ice skating rink, your mission is to have fun.
Unfortunately, this may never work for you because of the discomfort of a heavy jacket.
Yes, the rink is freaking cold, but this doesn’t mean you wear a heavy jacket.
Besides, when you start skating, your body heats up soon, and you’ll have to drop the jacket. Therefore, it’s best only to carry a light jacket.
How to Dress When Ice Skating | the Complete Guide
Ice skating rinks are normally chilly, regardless of the season. Therefore, it’s normal for rinks to be cold during winter.
By all means, you want to keep warm by wearing the correct clothing. So, how should you do it, you ask?
Below is the guide on how to dress when ice skating. These are the things to consider when choosing what to wear ice skating indoors or outdoors. So, let’s get to it!
Wear Comfortable Attire
I can’t emphasize this point enough! Wearing the right clothing ensures you’re comfortable as you skate.
So, you want to make sure the clothing you go for isn’t ill-fitting. It shouldn’t be too tight, loose, thin, or thick.
The thickness of the garment matters because it can keep you warm or cold throughout the ice skating session.
That’s why you want to go for moderate thickness when choosing what to wear ice skating.
Also, it would help if you went for moderately fitting clothing because the one that’s too tight or too loose may make you feel uncomfortable throughout the session.
In addition, wearing comfortable clothing means avoiding unnecessary clothes.
For example, sometimes, a long-neck scarf can ruin ice skating fun. While skating at high speed, the scarf can get between the skates forcing you to stop.
You’ll have to attend to this problem more often until you remove the neck scarf or tie it properly around your neck.
Therefore, to avoid all these inconveniences, it’s best to avoid the long-neck scarf and other types of clothing that can ruin the fun.
Choose the Right Material for the Clothing
After ensuring the cloth is the right size and is comfortable for you, should you use it?
Not really! Before making the final decision, you need to check the type of material. Ice skating rinks can be wet because of the ice. So, you need clothing that doesn’t soak the water.
To that end, cotton clothing is not the best for what to wear ice skating indoors. However, if you have to, make sure the cloth isn’t made of 100% cotton.
On the other hand, poly-blended fabrics are the best because they’re light and don’t soak water from the ice.
Wear Different Layers of Clothing
Before going down this route, ensure you’re comfortable with your chosen clothing.
Also, they should be made from the right material, like polyester to prevent too much soaking. When all this is set, you can opt for as many layers as you deem fit.
Ice skating rinks can be quite chilly sometimes. So, you want to keep warm by putting on different clothing sets.
Then, as your body gets heated, you drop each layer individually.
What to Wear Ice Skating Indoors | Wrapping Up
What you wear while ice skating indoors plays a vital role in your comfort and safety. Proper clothing, well-fitting skates, essential accessories, and safety gear all contribute to a positive ice skating experience. Paying attention to the attributes mentioned ensures you’re prepared for a great time on the ice.
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