SEATTLE WINTERFEST

Technical Score: Level 1 -3 GOE for really choppy ice
Presentation Score: Level 3 +2 GOE for pretty lights and "walkers" for small children

I was visiting dear friends in Seattle in January, and one afternoon, we went ice skating. This was my friends' daughter's first ice skating experience ever!

We went to the ice rink at Seattle Center, which is a seasonal rink built as part of the annual Winterfest. Most of the Winterfest activities had passed, since we were a week into the new year at this point, but we managed to hit the rink on its last weekend.

Seattle's Winterfest rink had a very festive, family-oriented feeling about it. The area surrounding the ice was festooned in warm holiday colours, and a net of twinkling white lights hung over the ice surface. It was quite lovely! One wall of rink is windows, looking out onto a large concrete expanse with a pretty fountain in the middle.

I had brought my own skates (I'm a big nerd and take mine with me when I travel), but there were plenty of rental skates available. The rental skate stock really surprised me though. Instead of typical, generic rental skates, most of Winterfest's inventory was used figure and hockey skates with varying degrees of wear. My friend's daughter was laced into a pair of Ribbon series Riedells that had seen many sessions. On one hand, it's cool that these used skates are being reused, but on the other hand, I wonder about the safety of using old skates. I know that my retired pair is so broken down in ankle support, and the blade on one of the boots comes loose -- skating on them would be a hazard!

The rink was very crowded, and there were lots of children who were new to skating, but people kept moving and were not going super fast, so skating was safe, and everyone seemed happy.

The ice was pretty choppy, but that's to be expected with a seasonal rink on its last weekend. The choppiness made people skate more slowly, but it also caused a few falls, especially on the far end of the rink.

The rink provides "walkers" for small children to use as they maneuver around. This walker was a blessing for my four year-old companion, as it helped her get her bearings on the slippery surface. Pretty soon, she was scooting along at a good clip. It was so exciting and heartwarming to watch her go!

The Winterfest rink had a sizeable concession table. We didn't eat there (opting for yummy Thai food instead), but there was quite an array of food offerings.

The Winterfest rink is adjacent to the Key Arena and Space Needle. We parked on the street, but I'm sure there is a structure or other lot that you could use as well.

All told, a very happy couple of hours. If you're in Seattle during the holidays, Winterfest is worth checking out!

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