Keeping Warm on the Ice during Everyday Practice

Ice rinks are cold places! That’s obvious. What’s not as obvious is how to stay warm while practicing at the ice rink.

Here are 5 tips for staying warm during everyday practice:

1. Warm up before you go on the ice. Jog, jump rope, walk fast … do something to raise your heart rate. This will not only mean you will be warmer on the ice, but you’ll skate better and be less likely to get injured.

2. Wear some layers. Everyone has a different body temperate that’s comfortable for them, so go by however much you need to keep warm.

Try to wear thermal layers. Wearing lots of layers or bulky layers can make it difficult to skate, so try to find layers that are specifically meant to keep you warm but are also thin layers (such as Under Armour ColdGear or HeatGear).

3. Keep your legs warm. If you’re wearing skating dresses for practice, you could wear thicker tights or a couple of layers of tights. If you are wearing skating pants, you could wear a pair of tights underneath your pants and/or get leggings that are meant to keep you warm in the cold.

Or try leg warmers for keeping your legs warm. If you have shorter-style leg warmers, you can wear them around your ankles and over the tops of your skate boot. If you want extra warmth, you can get longer leg warmers that go up to your knee or even over your thigh.

4. If your hands get cold easily, try to find a warm but thin glove. Gloves are also helpful to wear when you’re just starting skating and when you’re learning new elements where you might fall more. If you do pairs, ice dance, or synchronized skating, it might not be the best idea to wear gloves. Check with your partner and coach.

5. Keep moving! Once you’re on the ice and you’ve warmed up, most likely you will start to take layers off. A great way to keep warm is to keep on skating and working hard! 🙂