Ice skating in Southern Maine
Whenever I tell someone I moved to Maine from Virginia, they often ask “Why?”, and “What do you do in the cold?”. I cannot help but smile ear to ear because I once thought this way too. When you are only taught one thing, or never witness something, sometimes you don’t believe it is real. I was only ever told it was cold Up North and that The South was just the best, I mean who isn’t happy when they are warm? That being said, I never thought about all the fun you can have when it does get cold enough to snow and freeze the ponds and other small bodies of water.
By no means do I know what I am doing, but I love learning. Skating is fun, as it reminds me a lot of skiing, the way you can just glide around. I have been reading up on how important it is to stay safe while ice skating on ponds and water that you normally swim in. It is a cause of concern that you may fall in if you skate on thin ice. We, truthfully, need to go out and pick up some safety items to keep us safe on the ice. The best way to learn about safety is from others. I joined some Facebook groups, related to the ice here in New England. The biggest safety tips I have taken away are as follows;
ice claws
an ice pole (to measure ice thickness)
a lifejacket/flotation device
ice screw
a throw rope
a change of clothes
someone else or tell someone you are going skating
you can wear a helmet and safety pads too
I have also referred back to this blog post by Things To Luc At; https://thingstolucat.com/nordic-skate-equipment-guide/?srsltid=AfmBOoocv2ht3iqkeF5prIL-3E9moJNV2Ka_rKnLh1ZGKL0HzY2t-HjK and it is very helpful if you are planning to skate far out onto a lake or river.
We have currently been staying close to Portland when we go out, but I know a lot of the lakes up north freeze and folks have amazing times out on that thick ice. It is very important to be safe. I am very fortunate that Griffin is local to the area and knows of a couple of places that are not as busy because they are small ponds or places that people have intentionally frozen. Again, it is very important to check the thickness before going out skating. We usually get on ice that we have seen others have been on but if you use an ice pick/pole you can check to see the thickness. As I mentioned, I highly recommend joining a Facebook group that has fellow ice skaters, the best way to learn is from others!
Here are a couple of the places near Portland that you can go skate at;
Deering Oaks Park in Portland
Thompsons Point in Portland
Payson Park in Portland
Millcreek Park in South Portland
Gull Crest in Cape Elizabeth
Great Pond in Cape Elizabeth
Massacre Pond in Scarborough
Royal River in Yarmouth
Griffin and I went skating one morning in January and you can watch it here!
