Learning to ice skate at mid 50's. Stupid ass idea?

[old goat]

Don't let anyone tell you you have weak ankles and don't tell yourself that. It's all about balance and alignment--if your leg is in line with your blade your ankle will be fine. Snug fitting skates are important--minimal socks, no slop.

[dunfree]

Did people ice skate back in the mid 1950s?

No.

[k2skier112]

As long as you don't care about your ass, back, knees or wrists, sounds like a bulletproof idea...

[Garth Bimble]

Might want to consider a helmet. I'm actually a pretty good skater, played/officiated hockey for years. Was free skating at the rink one day, just goofing off, caught an edge and went airborne. Landed on my ass, upper body snapped back and the back of my head smacked the ice. Big time concussion, was fucked up for months with vertigo. Like others have said, that ice is fucking hard.

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

As long as you don't care about your ass, back, knees or wrists, sounds like a bulletproof idea...

Speaking of that, I've got a really bony white ass. No padding whatsoever.

[dtown]

Played hockey my whole life and have coached my kids’ teams, my thoughts below:
1) get decent skates, not rentals
2) make sure they are sharpened
3) tie your skates as tight as possible
4) wear hockey elbow pads the first few times
5) first few times out work on your balance, after that it’s all about edges
6) bend your knees more than you think you should
7) once you get your feet under you, skate backwards as much as forwards
8) don’t be a pussy, get in at least 1 fight per time on the ice
9) talk shit to other people on the ice at all times
10) create a nickname for everyone on the ice
11) beers afterward are mandatory


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[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

Played hockey my whole life and have coached my kids’ teams, my thoughts below:
1) get decent skates, not rentals
2) make sure they are sharpened
3) tie your skates as tight as possible
4) wear hockey elbow pads the first few times
5) first few times out work on your balance, after that it’s all about edges
6) bend your knees more than you think you should
7) once you get your feet under you, skate backwards as much as forwards
8) don’t be a pussy, get in at least 1 fight per time on the ice
9) talk shit to other people on the ice at all times
10) create a nickname for everyone on the ice
11) beers afterward are mandatory

This is gold.

[gravitylover]

Speaking of that, I've got a really bony white ass. No padding whatsoever.

There are some pretty tough protection things in the MX world, I bet you'll find something there. Or you could just tie a pillow to your waist.

[gravitylover]

Wow we got a wife and a mom pic in this thread. There's all sorts of win in here.

[east or bust]

Played hockey my whole life and have coached my kids’ teams, my thoughts below:
1) get decent skates, not rentals
2) make sure they are sharpened
3) tie your skates as tight as possible
4) wear hockey elbow pads the first few times
5) first few times out work on your balance, after that it’s all about edges
6) bend your knees more than you think you should
7) once you get your feet under you, skate backwards as much as forwards
8) don’t be a pussy, get in at least 1 fight per time on the ice
9) talk shit to other people on the ice at all times
10) create a nickname for everyone on the ice
11) beers afterward are mandatory


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as a fellow life long hockey player I endorse this message


didn't booner play college hockey or in some higher level league, his insight into the thicc women would be relevant here I think

[MontuckyFried]

Played hockey my whole life and have coached my kids’ teams, my thoughts below:
1) get decent skates, not rentals
2) make sure they are sharpened

Doesn't have to cost much more than rentals either! I found mine at Play It Again. Brand new pair of Bauer hockey skates (that just so happened to fit like a glove) they had listed for like $20 and they sharpened them up for me too. Nothing special but way better than the crappy rentals most places have. Actually come to think of it, I think I traded a crappy old set of snowshoes for them so may not have paid anything for them. Haha.

[dtown]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_gpE3lHc-84


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[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

Doesn't have to cost much more than rentals either! I found mine at Play It Again. Brand new pair of Bauer hockey skates (that just so happened to fit like a glove) they had listed for like $20 and they sharpened them up for me too. Nothing special but way better than the crappy rentals most places have. Actually come to think of it, I think I traded a crappy old set of snowshoes for them so may not have paid anything for them. Haha.

I think I have a credit there, I'm going to have to check it out.

[bennymac]

as mentioned above - is this the first TGR thread to have real photos of wives and moms posted? and in the padded room? What a time to be alive!

[XXX-er]

even if you are not a clutz, a clutz might run into you

it happened to a small tele babe when a large redneck/clutz ran into her goging the rong way on a track at the lake and she broke her wrist

wrist guards and hip padz would have helped

a helmet might be a good thing

[SB]

I think I need me sum skates.

[retirwntm]

If you mean mid 50’s as temps...it’s a bad idea


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[jono]

Some good pad options, courtesy of the Sprocket Rockets: concrete-visionary.com

[Harry]

This incredible video was posted in the SW Montana thread a few weeks ago. There are maggots in this video.

If this does not make you want to go ice skating, I don’t know what will...




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[frorider]

.....

[old goat]

In college I spent a January working at a summer camp in Michigan where they sent Cleveland school kids to learn about the outdoors. (Needless to say the poorest kids went during the coldest months--we had to supply caps and gloves). The camp was on a pretty good size lake. Skating across the lake was a blast--much better than a rink. As a kid we used to skate on the canals on Belle Isle in the Detroit river. I'd be surprised if they freeze any more. When we were in Amsterdam we were told the canals hadn't frozen since the 60's although I think they did freeze last winter during the big cold snap.

[BmillsSkier]

Don’t forget to put on the foil.

[CountryFunk]

Lots of good advice in this thread - go get some skates and pads from Play it Again and do it! It's a really nice tool to have in the winter activity quiver. You will pick up the basics quickly but you will fall and it will hurt, and your wife will laugh at you - prepare yourself emotionally.

[old goat]

If all you want to do is going forward in circles it's pretty basic. If you want to learn more--crossovers, skating backwards at speed, backwards crossovers, turning front to back and back to front, tight turns--it's not easy to pick up on your own. And it's not easy--watch a shorthanded breakaway on a power play--the attacking skater will often skate around the defender with ease because they defender is often a forward and can't skate backward as well as a defenseman.
Skating can be as easy or as hard as you make it, but if you want to keep it interesting in its own right and not just a way to spend time with your family try to learn some advanced techniques.

[riser4]

Get some!