I think I’m pretty lucky to have grown up on the West Coast during a time when rivers and streams would actually freeze over in the winter. My dad would pile us kids into our little red van and we’d head out to a pond, river, or flooded field in Surrey for an afternoon of ice skating. I never had my own skates but my dad had about 4 pairs from when he was little and it just so happened that they fit my brother, sister, and I in perfect increments. We’d lace up the old brown leather skates and step out through snow-flattened blackberry thickets while peeking down at the pitch-black abyss beneath the ice. It seemed to go on forever, even if it was just half a foot deep.

Photo credit: Cuppojoe on Flickr

We’d go over to Fry’s Corner (176th and Fraser Hwy), the Nicomekl river or any other field that was notorious for flooding, then freezing. The ice was always terribly bumpy and most of the time there were tufts of wheat or tall grass poking through that would catch your blade and trip you up. We’d see people playing hockey and would sometimes play a pickup game ourselves using whatever we found that would resemble a puck. Often my brother, sister and friends would all have sticks meanwhile I’d be given a broom or twig with which to defend the goal (the usual position for the youngest sibling).

Sometimes over at the park, the local firehall would bring out their hoses and purposely flood the lacrosse box. The neighbourhood kids all sat along the boards with bated breath, just waiting for that water to freeze over and reveal a makeshift rink. The first one to come back in the morning and report that it was a success was greeted by cheers of heroic proportions.

Photo credit: zoic on Flickr

There aren’t many places these days where you can find an icicle, let alone a puddle that’s frozen over. The next best thing would be to check out the ice rinks in your community but those indoor arenas just aren’t the same. Even though Atlantic Canada sees consistent winters that are perfect for such activities, I’m afraid the good ol’ pond hockey days of Metro Vancouver are behind us. I’m glad I at least have those memories of sliding out onto a natural rink with puffs of breath surrounding my toqued head like a halo.

As a proud Canadian girl I was overwhelmed when I received new ice skates this Christmas. Truth be told, I’ve never owned a pair of my own before and these are pretty spectacular. Within 24 hours of receiving them I was getting them sharpened at the West End Community Centre and stepping on the ice. With the blades still warm, I was gliding over the blue line as smooth as butter while trying to catch up to John who kept taking off on me every time I paused to practice my “hockey stop”.

For under $20 today John and I were able to get him a rental, pay for the both of us to skate, and get my new blades sharpened. If that isn’t a good enough deal for you, the West End Community Centre ice rink was actually open on Christmas Day for a FREE family skate, and they’re doing it again on December 29th. I’ll definitely be practicing my ice girl moves a lot more this season.

When I head out the door to make my trek to work these days I immediately take in the fresh fall air then exhale, making ghosts with my breath. It’s November - ALREADY and nothing says “winter activity” like hitting the local ice rink.

Due to the recent civic strike that spanned summer and parts of fall, rinks haven’t been opened on time but they’re gradually getting back up to speed and I personally cannot wait til the Twonie Skate at the WECC kicks off.

Here’s a list of Vancouver Parks Board-operated ice rinks:

Skating times can be referenced on this PDF.

Ice skating is definitely a low-dough activity with public skate times available at all hours during the week and on weekends. If you check the schedule there are also a few FREE sessions throughout December, including free skating at the WECC on Christmas Day.

Not sure when the Robson Square Ice Rink will reopen, although it’s slated to prior to the 2010 Olympics. There’s also the pond on Grouse Mountain (albeit not in Vancouver), which is now open and has some excellent views of the city.

The appeal of the heinously overpriced Rockefeller Centre Ice Rink [wiki] is not just to those who like to ice skate. It’s the experience and just being able to say you did it, like all those people you see in the movies falling in love amidst the twinkle of falling snowflakes. Little do some know, Vancouver used to have it’s own outdoor ice rink in the heart of downtown, just under Robson Street [wiki].

In 1979, Arthur Erickson [wiki] designed the city’s new courthouse and Robson Square [UBC], which would soon become home to Vancouver’s only outdoor ice rink (if you don’t count the one atop Grouse Mountain). It became a seasonal staple for tourists and locals alike. Open 10:00 am to 10:00 pm (minus skate rental facilities) Vancouverites could get a little taste of the Canadian winter-time activity, even in the rain. Despite its popularity, the rink flirted with closure for years.

[Coun. Tim] Stevenson said as an NDP MLA, he fought successfully to keep the rink open when the former NDP government decided to close it in 1999…

“The NDP had planned to do what the Liberals have done and chop it, but I managed to get cabinet to change its mind. It really is a very important rink-there are no other outdoor rinks and it is right in the heart of the city,” Stevenson said. “After we saved it, I started going there to check it out and it was well used by a variety of people and it was good for the businesses around there.” [VancouverCourier]

The rink finally closed indefinitely in 2004 due to budget constraints and it doesn’t look like it will be re-opening any time soon.

Kathleen Elliot, spokeswoman for B.C. Buildings Corporation, says besides the $50,000 cost to ice and operate the rink for three months, reopening the rink would require spending $250,000 to repipe the 21-year-old facility. She said the repiping is needed because the underground pipes are directly above the computer labs in UBC’s section of Robson Square. [VancouverCourier]

There is talk, however, that the rink could be a part of Olympic celebrations and brining the spirit of the games into the downtown core for 2010. This has not yet been officially proposed or announced but the idea has been floating around.

Until then, the space will be used for tango and square dancing [dancesportbc] on hot summer evenings and as a midday destination for those out on their lunch breaks.

It’s time to bring back the ice rink, especially since Vancouver’s started to abolish its “no fun city” reputation. Of course there are many more pressing issues that could use the government’s attention but if there are any funds allocated to recreation, tourism and getting people downtown to do something besides shop (for over-priced fuzzy boots or jewelery that comes in a neat little blue box…) well … this is one thing I’d support.

Update: I followed up on Metroblogging, the rink should be open by Winter 2008.

Update: Giant wooden umbrella to cover Robson Square? [The Vancouver Sun]

This summer we enjoyed so many outdoor activities in Vancouver, that didn’t cost a thing except maybe bus fare if we wanted to venture a little further from home [miss604]. As the rain rolled in for fall and winter in the city, our beach time came to an end, walks are less frequent and we spend most of our free time watching hockey indoors.

Today, we discovered something (for under 10 dollars) that’s a GREAT way to spend a rainy day inside and get a workout. Ice skating [metblogs]

We’ve been meaning to go for a while and since I had the day off work and it was a Twonie skate at the West End Community Centre, we jumped at the chance. Lacing up the skates and getting out on the ice felt SO good. It took us a lap to get our skating legs into gear and we were off. 45 minutes later I was out of breath and just listening to the sounds around me. Ashlee Simpson on the loudspeaker, crunching snow and ice beneath the skates of school kids, tourists and old couples alike. Echos of young girls giggling when their friend would trip, the crunching of snow under the skates of the hockey star in the middle of the rink practicing his turns and stops. Man it felt good to get out there.

I was surprised that John did so well, although I shouldn’t be really. He comes from a climate where outdoor rinks would flourish in the winter time much more than they would here. He’s also got a lil hockey background. I felt empowered, being one of maybe two girls on the ice wearing “boy” skates although I think I lost my ability to hockey-stop. Regardless, we had such a wicked time.

On the way out of the rink, there was a display case mounted on the wall, just outside of the doors on Haro Street [view Flickr pics]. They were photos of Coal Harbour and the old Denman Arena. For those who don’t know - that’s the last place that the Canucks won the Stanley Cup in 1915 [read my metblogs post].

We’re set on going skating again, probably tomorrow. And I’m thinking of starting a new series of blog posts (since we’re kinda cheapskates) about things to do in Vancouver that are uber fun AND under 10 bucks. So let this be the first, and we’ll see how our season goes.

*View the YouTube video John took at the rink & my Flickr photo set.

The Vancouver Park Board Rinks: Britannia, Kerrisdale, Killarney, Kitsilano, Riley Park, Sunset, Trout Lake and West End Community Centres [VPB].

PDF schedule for all rinks in Vancouver.