# Your Cities Open Air Winter Ice Rinks.



## Jaeger (May 11, 2006)

London












http://www.londonnet.co.uk/ln/guide/about/attractions_iceskating.html

http://golondon.about.com/od/thingstodoinlondon/ig/London-Ice-Rinks/

http://www.londonskaters.com/faq_ice_skating.htm


Kew Gardens Ice Rink










Hampton Court Ice Rink










Tower of London Ice Rink










Natural History Museum - London










Somerset House Ice Rink - London










Hyde Park Ice Rink










Broadgate Ice Rink (City of London)










Hampstead Heath Ice Rink










Windsor Ice Rink










Greenwich Ice Rink (London)










Canary Wharf Ice Rink (London)










The Circular London Broadgate Ice Rink can just be made out in this picture taken above the City of London.










In October 2008 Battersea Power Station was transformed in to a ski slope for the London Freeze Event.

http://www.londonfreeze.com/























London's First Dual Ski Slope is open 30th Nov 2008 at the O2 Dome Greenwich.

A model of the dual O2 Ski Slopes opening shortly -










http://www.visitlondon.com/events/detail/4140615

http://www.thelondonpaper.com/cs/Sa...155667183?packedargs=suffix=ArticleController]

http://www.onthesnow.co.uk/news/a/4270/o2-will-bring-the-mountains-to-london


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## philadweller (Oct 30, 2003)

London has way more than most cities.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Wow, I remember London back in 1979. You had a choice of 2 rinks in the whole city; both indoors. I'm surprised they have enough cold days to make the investment in an outdoor rink economical.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ Most ice skating rinks nowadays are artificially frozen, so there is no need to rely on Mother Nature. Here are some of my photos of the largest artificially frozen outdoor skating rink in the world, at Toronto's City Hall:


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## CityPolice (Sep 27, 2008)

Here is a famous one in NYC.


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## ØlandDK (May 29, 2005)

*Copenhagen*

At the Kings Square - it's a large circletrack:


















In the Tivoli garden:









At the Frederiksberg garden


















...those are the only 3 I know of in Copenhagen.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

I wonder how many poor sods have not been properly watching where they are going, and run smack into that lamppost?


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## spongeg (May 1, 2006)

vancouver has one not really open air - but in the outdoors - its underneath the street open on both ends - they are redoing it for the Olympics 










this is an older pic - but its the outdoor speed skating oval in NE BC - a few olympians have come from this speed skating club


















some other rinks from Canada:

Saskatoon









Winnipeg









Dawson Creek (BC)


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## nomarandlee (Sep 24, 2005)

*Chicago* - McCormick-Tribune Ice Skating Rink at Millennium Park


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## raggedy13 (Jan 25, 2007)

spongeg said:


> vancouver has one not really open air - but in the outdoors - its underneath the street open on both ends - they are redoing it for the Olympics


I'd also like to add that it hasn't been functional for years due to some sort of problem with the cooling system, hence why they're redoing it as spongeg mentioned. Here's a related rendering showing some of the planned improvements such as an extended ice surface:










And a nice rare wintery downtown photo from tripleman on flickr.com. This would be from one of the years when it wasn't working so that's probably why nobody is on it:


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## Jaeger (May 11, 2006)

A few pics from around the UK -

Edinburgh










Newcastle










Glasgow











Manchester










Birmingham










Ice Rink Liverpool's St Georges Hall



















Leeds










Nottingham










Cardiff


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## RawLee (Jul 9, 2007)

Városligeti tó(City park lake): lake in summer,ice rink in winter


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## Tubeman (Sep 12, 2002)

:eek2:

I should get out of London more!!!

I never knew London had so many, but then again my only experience of skating was in Richmond ice rink about 17 years ago, and I fell over too much for my liking.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

That looks bizarre... I've never seen a use for a neo-classical hall as a skating rink before.


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## Somnifor (Sep 6, 2005)

The US pond hockey championships are held on Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis:


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## KGB (Sep 12, 2002)

> Here are some of my photos of the largest artificially frozen outdoor skating rink in the world, at Toronto's City Hall


The rink at NPS isn't even the largest artificial rink in Toronto...Harbourfront claims to be the largest.

The City of Toronto has 50 artificial outdoor rinks, 60 indoor rinks, and god knows how many _natural_ outdoor rinks (generally looked after by community groups, rather than the City). 

Toronto is probably the skating rink capital of the world.



KGB


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## WrightTurn (Nov 7, 2008)

The whole of Toronto becomes the world's largest ice skating rink during the winter (although to be fair "slipping on an ice-covered sidewalk" does not really equal "skating").


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## Canadian Chocho (May 18, 2006)

Here's one in Toronto at harbourfront centre

Bobcatnorth on flickr


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## Skybean (Jun 16, 2004)

*Toronto - Mel Lastman Square*



















source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/2344082931


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Taller said:


> ^^ Most ice skating rinks nowadays are artificially frozen, so there is no need to rely on Mother Nature. Here are some of my photos of the largest artificially frozen outdoor skating rink in the world, at Toronto's City Hall:


If the one at City Hall is artificially frozen, why does it turn to mush at 6C? I realize that artificial freezing has its limitations, but London's average January temperature is going to be around 6C or warmer. The only way this is going to be economically worthwhile in London is if the technology they are employing is significantly more effective than what we're using.


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## WeimieLvr (May 26, 2008)

Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park...open-air ice rink








http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/173719698/sizes/o/


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

ok, has anyone spotted the mistake the designer did in making this pic? I used to work at the castle and see this image everywhere. Its glaringly obvious when you think about it...


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

^


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

LOL! He used a summer backdrop! :lol: !

When a friend from England asked me to take him skating at City Hall, his
first reaction when we got there was: "Where is the railing?"
"What railing?"
"The one to hang onto"
heehee..


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## high_flyer (Jan 30, 2003)

I think the reason we have so many in London, is that we don't get real wintery weather here in December, so have to basically make it ourselves.

Between the 15th-19th centuries, the Thames used to freeze over quite regularly, and they held "Frost Fairs" on the frozen river, made famous by Jane Austin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Thames_frost_fairs


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## xlchris (Jun 23, 2006)

*Amsterdam*

Museumsquare


















There will be a lot more, but I can't find pics of it


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## DiggerD21 (Apr 22, 2004)

Ice skating rink in the park Planten Un Blomen, Hamburg. With 4300 square metres it is still one of the world's biggest artificial ice skating rinks. In summer it is used for inline skating.










from above:









There is another ice skating rink practically outdoors, but underneath a big tent. You are safe from rain, but not from wind.
And usually there is a very small one at Jungfernstieg, but currently there are construction works for a new metro line.


Sometimes the Outer Alster lake (164 hectares) freezes so much that it is safe to walk on it. Then it can be used also as a huge ice-skating rink.


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## earthJoker (Dec 15, 2004)

In Zürich there is a popular one at the Landesmuseum:

















There is also one near the Dolder Hotel:









In my hometown Pfäffikon, the Lake Pfäffikon freezes about every 3-5 years:


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## Jonathan Lee (Jan 19, 2008)

The Ice Cube, Leeds is the largest outdoor ice skating rink in the UK with over 1200 square metres of ice.


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## tpe (Aug 10, 2005)

Millennium Park, Downtown Chicago. Pictures from Flickr.


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## krull (Oct 8, 2005)

*Lasker Ice Skating Rink (Manhattan, NYC)*


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## krull (Oct 8, 2005)

*Kate Wollman Ice Skating Rink (Brooklyn, NYC):*


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## CanadianSkyScraper (Sep 5, 2008)

Rideau Canal, Ottawa








Source- www.cbc.ca/sevenwonders/wonder_rideau_canal.html

Red bull Crashed Ice, Quebec City








Source- www.quebechebdo.com


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## girlicious_likeme (Jun 12, 2008)

our very own big lake!!! great slave!!!

well, when our population increases, the city can convert the whole giant lake to a rink. :rofl:


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## city_thing (May 25, 2006)

earthJoker said:


> In Zürich there is a popular one at the Landesmuseum:


I was in Zürich a few years ago, and some friends that live there took us down to this museum to watch some kind of venetian winter circus on ice (it's hard to describe). It was brilliant, such a stunning old building and everyone at the event looked ridiculously rich (it's Zürich after all...)

After the circus thing had finished, they opened up the ice to everyone. And of course there was one guy showing off by going really fast. He ended up smacking into a group of kids and the guards asked him to leave. We stayed around and had a few beers, and then went out for a night on the town. The Landesmuseum is really fantastic though, Id lvoe to go back and actually go inside.










Jaeger, stop opening threads like this and making me miss Europe/snow!
That rink in Liverpool is stunning.


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## earthJoker (Dec 15, 2004)

Well I have to admit, the Landesmuseum is not as old as it appears. It's from 1898, so actually it's historicist building.


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## Evertraveller (Nov 23, 2006)

Medeu Skating Arena, Almaty, Kazakhstan.










The Medeu outdoor speed skating rink is one of the most famous ice rinks in the world. It is located in a mountain valley (Medeu Valley, or the valley of Malaya Alma-Atinka River) on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. It sits 1,691 metres above sea level and utilizes a sophisticated freezing and watering system to ensure the quality of the ice.


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## Deanb (Jun 7, 2006)

high_flyer said:


> I think the reason we have so many in London, is that we don't get real wintery weather here in December, so have to basically make it ourselves.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Thames_frost_fairs


u don't get real wintery weather? lol 

when I think of winter - London comes to mind straight away... even a cloudy 3C day is considered a classic winter day, challanged only by the freezing Toronto/Montreal winter


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## dlbritnot (Apr 8, 2006)

Would anyone suspect that Los Angeles would have an outdoor rink during winter? Well, Pershing Square downtown does this seasonal event. I don't have any photos, but here's the link.

http://www.laparks.org/pershingsquare/doi.html


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## krull (Oct 8, 2005)

^^ I heard. Here I found some shots for you.


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## krull (Oct 8, 2005)

*Wollman Rink, Central Park (NYC):*


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## pokistic (May 8, 2007)

^^ Now what a fantastic place to Ice skate. I love it! mg:


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## krull (Oct 8, 2005)

*The Polar Rink at the American Museum of Natural History (NYC):*


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

so cute


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

One of Beijing's, with the biggest LCD screen in Asia


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

Budapest City park


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## woutero (Jan 14, 2008)

Dutch people are skating fanatics, but not fans of the small city rinks, because most people are used to speed skating in stead of skating on hockey skates or figure skates (the skates and the technique are very different).

Many cities have ice rinks, either open air or covered. Usually 400 meter rinks that are used for competition as well as recreational skating.

This rink is the best one in Amsterdam. I't not very pretty, but has a good atmosphere (and bar). The Jaap Edenbaan (a 400 meter rink):


















But there are some small inner city ones. The nicest one is on Museumplein.









But what we really like is when it gets really cold and the whole country becomes an ice rink.































































The last 5 pictures I took about two weeks ago just outside Amsterdam.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Those are spectacular pics! Is this a colder than normal winter in the Netherlands?


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

Yep I read a National Geographic story on skating in the Netherlands, from a woman who had been photographing it all since the 1970s whenever there was a big freeze. Basically the whole country becomes a giant rink thanks to the millions of canals and marshes, and people commute to work on skates, as well as the usual skating for fun. The whole country looks forward to it, and it's a pasttime that's been happening for centuries:

































































.


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## woutero (Jan 14, 2008)

It has been colder (freezing from before new year's until 12 january), but now it's back to the regular drizzle. So no skating anymore.

Skating like this usually happens every couple of years. It's a whole lot of fun and the whole country gets 'skating fever'. I think the background to this is that before the invention of the engine, it was by far the fastest way to travel. You can easily reach speeds of 25 km/h, which is pretty cool for someone in the 17th century where a horse towed boat was normally the fastest way to get around.

The entire North and West of the country consists of low lands with thousands of canals cutting up the land into small pieces. See here for a typical pete landscape where the pictures with all the reeds and the ice sailers were taken, or here for a typical polder landscape, where the pics with the wind mills were taken. So when it gets really cold you can go from everwhere to everywhere on your skates, which is awesome.

Some more examples of watery landscapes: here and here and we all know this one.


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## Avolar Alto (Mar 7, 2007)

MEXICO CITY (AT ZOCALO MAIN SQUARE) world largest?


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## Sen (Nov 13, 2004)

A few pics I stole from this thread:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=781326
Beijing's Shimao Tianjie


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## dlbritnot (Apr 8, 2006)

Thanks, nothing compliments a skating rink better than palm trees.


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

I dont get it, where r the palm trees?


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## _BPS_ (Feb 7, 2005)

I just found out last month that the suburb I live in has an open air skating rink. Personally, I've only skated once in my 11 in years in Canada.

Mississauga Civic Centre


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