Countries who Ice Skate

Because ice skating is usually associated with countries that actually have ice naturally in their country it is very hard to come by in countries south of the equator. The main countries associated with ice skating are Russia, Canada, North America (especially Alaska) and all the countries which make up Scandinavia, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
In America ice would only be found naturally up in the north such as Alaska, Colorado, etc. In states such as California and Texas there would only be indoor artificial skating rinks. This is also like most countries in Europe as Ireland, England, etc all have ice skating rinks artificially made. They would usually be set up during the Christmas period but some are put up all year round so ice skating can become an official sport in that specific country. Even in Spain, which is close to the equator artificial ice rinks are set up all year round.

The Effects Global Warming has on Ice Skating

The environment greatly effects the sport of ice skating. As we all know the world is gradually getting warmer and warmer due to global warming. This then affects the temperature of our climate. Therefore ice skating is becoming more and more scarce to come by. This is because while the heat raises the ice melts and anyone can tell you that the one thing you need for ice skating is ICE!


For example: Case Study Of Hindeloopen.

Ice skating is extremely popular in the Netherlands however because climate change is being blamed for the reason of winters becoming warmer and warmer many Dutch are worrying if their beloved past time will stay with them or become a forgotten memory.


This subject is particularly worrying in the city of Hindeloopen as a race called the Elfstentocht is begun here. In English it is translated into the Eleven City Tour as it is a grueling 200kilometer race of skating on the frozen canals of 10 other cities, all which are located in Friesland, which is the Northern Province of the Netherlands. Up to around 16,000 skaters take part in this race and is said to be the major event of the Netherlands.

However because of the climate change, this race is slowly becoming less and less likely to continue over the next few years. It has already been said that people in the Netherlands are trying to encourage indoor skating as outdoor skating is becoming to harder to come across.

About Ice skating

Ice skating is a sport and has also become a very popular recreational activity during the Christmas period. The sport of ice skating is a very popular one as there are two different types that can be performed, figure skating and speed skating. Ice skating has even become an Olympic event as figure skating was introduce in the 1908 London Summer Games.
Ice skating can also be used in conjunction with other sports for example ice hockey and curling. Curling is also an Olympic sport however ice skating is not.
During the Christmas period many ice skating arenas are set up around the nation to get people into the festive spirit. Also providing that the weather is cold enough some people would even skate on frozen lakes, canals or ponds. This would not usually occur in Ireland as even though the weather is cold it is not cold enough.

The Origins of Ice Skating

Ice skating can be tracked back almost 1000 years to when people would attach animal bones to their feet and glide across the frozen water of canals and rivers. This originally started in the Netherlands and also Scandinavia. However a pair of real all-iron skates were not invented until 1592 by an unknown Scotsman. After this ice skating suddenly became very popular and soon became a sport where many countries got involved. The Dutch then became the first country to host a World Championships in 1889. Any skater who entered must skate in four separate distances; 500m, 1500m, 5000m and 10000m.