Ice Skating

winter sports · balance · frozen water · skill

Metal blades grip ice. Ice skates have thin metal blades on the bottom that let you glide smoothly across frozen surfaces while staying balanced and in control.

Natural and human-made ice. You can skate on frozen lakes, ponds, rivers, and canals outside, or on specially made ice rinks built indoors or outdoors year-round.

Many reasons to skate. People ice skate for fun and exercise, but some compete in races or figure skating performances where they do tricks and jumps.

Ancient winter activity. People have been sliding on ice for thousands of years, originally as a way to travel quickly across frozen landscapes in cold climates.