Get Your Skates On

Outdoor skating is a great way to enjoy winter safely during the pandemic

by Laurie Stephens, photography by Doug Burlock

It’s a quintessential Canadian experience, and I’m excited about the promise of another outdoor adventure that turns our harsh northern climate into a winter wonderland.

And what an adventure it is. I’m joined by three friends for an evening skate on the Woodview trail atop the Escarpment, preceded by a lovely dinner in Blue Mountain Village. We need the fuel: the night is cold and blustery, winds whipping snow everywhere. Yet, once out onto the 1.1-kilometre loop, we’re mostly shielded from the weather by the towering fir trees that shelter the trail, and our down coats keep us toasty.

As we begin our skate, it quickly becomes clear who’s the expert. My friend Andrew, a volunteer firefighter from Collingwood, was on skates not long after he learned how to walk. He has played hockey his whole life. But he’d trade an arena for an outdoor rink in a heartbeat.

“I grew up in Toronto and I like being outdoors and playing shinny outside in parks and whatnot, but there’s not a lot of options in that regard in Toronto,” says Mollenhauer, who exhibited his skating prowess by lapping us on one of the loops. “It’s just good to be outdoors and not in an arena.”
The night is pitch black, and the lights of Collingwood sparkle below in sharp relief. Along the trail, torches, spotlights and twinkle lights illuminate the route, make it easy to see the smooth surface of the ice.

Benches are scattered here and there, and I take advantage of one to adjust one of my skates that is causing my foot to cramp. It’s been a while since my feet have been in these skates, and it might have been better to spend $6 on a pair of rentals that are available in the hut.

Other skaters go by. It’s a real mix of abilities: some, like Mollenhauer, literally skate circles around their friends; others are just learning how to skate, leaning on a device that looks like a modified walker and scoots along the ice. Everyone has big smiles on their faces.

Mollenhauer is here with Katia Abaimova, a Collingwood realtor, on a date night, something they have done a few times a year since the skating trail opened in the winter of 2017.

“It’s definitely one of our favourite date things to do in the winter because it’s a really nice setting,” says Abaimova. “It’s nice they have those twinkle lights and the torch lights, and there’s lots of benches to sit down on. It’s a really great environment.”

Into our second loop, I’m reminded that skating takes effort, especially since it’s my first time being on ice this winter. My breathing picks up, and I start to feel the strain in my quad and calf muscles. Tucking around a corner of the twisty trail, I am hit with a swirl of snow that has found a path through the fir trees.

Again, I think about my 10-year-old self on that solitary skate and feel a burst of exhilaration like I did back then. It’s simply magical.
Another friend, Leslie Piercey, is also on skates for the first time in a while, and at one point, the retired biologist/ecologist from Meaford takes a fall and lands on her already surgically repaired knee. Still, after flexing it out, she is game to skate a third loop with the others after I decide to call it a night.

Afterwards, while taking off her skates, Piercey reflects on the experience. “Despite the weather, despite the wind, despite the cold, despite the crack of my kneecap on the ice, it was still just a super fun thing to do,” she says. “It was just a lot of fun to be out on a cold stormy night, under the lights. The weather just kind of added to the whole adventure.”

As we leave the hut to head to our cars, battling gusts of wind and snow the entire way, crowds of younger people arrive to begin their skate.

This skating adventure took place in February 2020, before the pandemic shut most everything down. The good news is that outdoor skating for this winter appears to be a go at most rinks and trails in the region.

Here’s a rundown of what is expected to be available for outdoor skating this winter.

Others are just learning to skate, leaning on a device that looks like a modified walker and scoots along the ice. Everyone has big smiles on their faces.

Woodview Mountaintop Skating

Going into its fourth year of operation, the Woodview skating loop is an increasingly popular locale for pleasure skaters looking beyond the confined space of a traditional ice rink. Winding through majestic pines and bountiful snow atop the Escarpment, the loop delivers a truly Canadian winter experience for local residents and visitors to the resort.

“We’re seeing a trend overall in families who come to Blue Mountain Resort but not everybody wants to ski all day,” says Tara Lovell, manager of public relations at Blue Mountain Resort. “So we’re trying to find other ways for people to enjoy getting outside or enjoying a ski destination, even if they don’t want to ski the whole time, or if they don’t ski at all.

“It is just another activity that families can get out and do, and there’s something for everyone.”

The loop is maintained by a dedicated maintenance team that installs the ice surface in early winter when temperatures permit and continually monitors and maintains it to make sure it’s smooth and safe for skaters of all abilities. If the weather gets too warm and the ice starts to get too soft, the team temporarily shuts the trail down.

This winter, the resort is planning some enhancements to Woodview, including the addition of more multi-coloured lighting and firepits, and possibly having music piped through speakers.

Blue Mountain is still establishing how Woodview will operate in the pandemic world. Certainly, the number of skaters will be restricted, and skate rentals will not be available. Guests will be able to lace up their skates in a tent, rather than in the hut.

Lovell says there will be more details to come. “But similar to skiing and snowboarding, the activity itself, being outside and having enough room, is a go. It’s the other elements that must support our COVID response. We’re looking at heaters outside, tent facilities, ways to keep people outdoors as much as possible, and ways to spread people out.”

Last year, tickets for two hours on the Woodview Mountaintop Skating trail cost $14 for youth and $17 for adults during weekdays; $16 for youth and $19 for adults on weekends.

Lovell says 2020-21 ticket prices, along with information about how the facility will operate during the pandemic, will be available at bluemountain.ca.

Collingwood Outdoor Skating Rink

Collingwood’s outdoor rink, located near the Collingwood Curling Club and the YMCA, has been around since the early 2000s and is a popular destination for people of all ages who can come and skate for free, says Dean Collver, Collingwood’s director of parks, recreation and culture.

“I think its central location is probably key,” he says. “It’s a 17,000-square-foot ice surface – NHL regulation size – but I think there are a lot of people who will come for the circle skate, as well as learn to skate, as well as the occasional pick-up game and shinny.

“We block out times for each different activity so that someone who wants to bring a three-year-old on for a skate isn’t there at the same time as 40-year-olds running around shooting pucks.”

The installation of the manufactured ice surface depends on weather, but can start as early as late November. Staff aim to have the ice last through the March Break for students, as it provides a much-needed activity and stress outlet at that time.

This year, they expect they will be able to open the rink with some modifications to address COVID-19 concerns and keep skaters safe, says Collver. A full pandemic re-opening plan is still in the works, but some possible measures include a mandatory face mask policy, limits to the number of skaters on the ice and limited hours of operation.

“Since we’re working through plans and organizing to get the indoor surfaces open, I expect that we’ll be able to do something with the outdoor surfaces as well,” says Collver. “That just makes sense. In terms of things like access to the changeroom and putting skates on, it may look different in terms of the experience. But I am optimistic we’ll see the outdoor slab functioning this year.”

For updates on the availability of the rink, keep an eye on the Collingwood website at collingwood.ca

Collingwood’s outdoor rink is a popular destination for people of all ages who can come and skate for free, says Dean Collver, Collingwood’s director of parks, recreation and culture.

Good Cheer Rink

The Good Cheer Rink in Owen Sound’s Harrison Park has been in operation for 14 years and features free access for the public. About two-thirds the size of a regular indoor hockey rink, users can play hockey on odd-number calendar days and free skate on even-number calendar days.
The rink is a very popular destination for a number of reasons, not the least of which is its central location that makes it easily accessible, says Adam Parsons, manager of parks and open space for Owen Sound.

“We see people walking into the park with skates and hockey sticks over their shoulders constantly.” The rink has benches and lighting, and there are other amenities close by, including playgrounds. And it’s right next to the Harrison Park Inn, so if people want refreshments, they can get a hot chocolate or a bite to eat.

Parsons also believes the quality of the ice is a draw – a Zamboni maintains the refrigerated ice surface daily.

The rink is named after a local charitable organization, called the Scenic City Organization of Good Cheer, which has raised $1.3 million to help bring outdoor amenities to Owen Sound.

“They were also involved in our splashpad project and then establishing an accessible washroom and changeroom for the splashpad a few years later, so they’ve been a really valuable group to work with for the city,” says Parsons.

The city intends to have the rink open this winter and is currently working on a safety plan that will include some restrictions and modifications to operating procedures, such as limiting the number of skaters on the ice and requiring the use of masks. Those plans will be vetted through the local public health agency and then promoted to the public. “We do want to provide affordable recreational opportunities outside, especially during the global pandemic where those are things that are safer than other activities that we might have enjoyed in the winter,” says Parsons.

Plans are to open before Christmas – depending on Mother Nature, of course – and going through to late March. Since the ice surface is refrigerated, there is some capacity to keep the ice up longer than some other outdoor rinks or trails. Operating hours will be from sunrise to 10 p.m.
For more information about the rink’s opening, check out owensound.ca/en/exploring/public_skating.aspx

Winding through majestic pines and bountiful snow atop the Escarpment, the loop delivers a truly Canadian winter experience for local residents and visitors to the resort.

Simcoe County Museum Skating Trail

Like the Woodview Mountaintop Skating loop, the Simcoe County Museum Skating Trail places you in the middle of nature on a 1.1-kilometre loop that curves through stands of majestic pines and deciduous trees on museum property.

When the conditions are ideal, it’s a piece of heaven, says Mike Burns, the museum’s maintenance supervisor.

“There are benches all along the track, and a couple of skate huts. We also have a warming station with picnic tables, so if you’re half-way through and it’s a little too much or your first time on skates in a while, you can pull over and have a quick break there. And you’re surrounded by beautiful red pines. It’s all lit by lanterns. It’s beautiful.”

Admission is $10, which includes access to the museum, located in Minesing on the outskirts of Barrie, as well as snowshoe rentals for the three-kilometre snowshoe trail that also winds through the woods (there’s a discounted rate for museum members). The skating loop is open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The trail is popular with families and couples, says Burns. Before strapping on your skates, you can walk amidst the heritage buildings located onsite or tour the museum’s exhibits and permanent collection. At the entrance to the skating trail, the museum has a replica sugar shack where staff greet skaters and answer any questions they may have.

“Inside, there’s an old antique wood stove that we have fired up, with benches in there, so you get the nice smell of the wood burning,” he says. “You can warm your hands up by the fireplace.”

With the help of copious amounts of well water and two Zambonis, the museum aims to get the trail in place as quickly as nature allows – usually December – and then operate as long into the winter as possible. March Break can be a bit of a stretch, says Burns, but “Family Day is a big day for the museum because we’ve got all the trails, the toboggans are going, and there are game and events inside the museum.”

In terms of the impact of COVID-19, museum curator Kelley Swift Jones says she is hopeful the museum will be able to open the trail for use “provided we can create a process for safe access for visitors and staff, and that we have a plan in place that is approved by public health.”

Burns advises people to keep an eye on the website for updates as the skating season approaches. You can find the latest information about the Simcoe County Museum Skating Trail here: museum.simcoe.ca

With so many outdoor rinks and skating loops in our midst, all we need is some cold weather to provide a smooth surface of ice on which to spend a winter’s day or evening gliding along, reliving our own childhood memories and introducing new generations to the wonders of skating. ❧

Where to Skate

Collingwood Outdoor Skating Rink

Location: 200 Hume Street, Collingwood
Cost: FREE
Hours: To be determined
Website: collingwood.ca

Simcoe County Museum Skating Trail

Location: 1151 ON-26, Minesing
Cost: Adult $10; child/youth (4-24) $8; child $6; under 3 FREE
Hours: Tues. & Thurs. 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.; Fri. noon – 2 p.m. & 6 – 9 p.m.;
Weekends 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Website: museum.simcoe.ca