In the winter wonderland we call New Hampshire, ice is just part of the deal.
It’s covering driveways, hanging off gutters and is no longer needed for the one job we like it for – keeping our drinks cold. But that’s just the view of the winter pessimist, the glass-half-empty kind of person, and you know us better than that.
So instead of thinking the worst of ice, why not get out there and enjoy it? In case you didn’t know, Concord has strategically placed smooth icy surfaces around the city where you can lace up the old skates and do your best Tonya Harding impression – and we’re not talking about ordering your henchmen to take out your competitor’s knee with a club.
No, what we’d like to talk about is ice skating, and all those fancy tricks that you see during the Olympics every four years. Concord has two ponds at White Park and Beaver Meadow Golf Course, along with a flooded piece of ground at Rollins Park, which leads to our science lesson of the day that shows you water freezes under cold temperatures. Also at White Park is a cement rink flooded for hockey.
It took a little longer for the ice on the ponds to solidify this year, but now there’s about nine to 11 inches on each.
“In a normal winter, we’re usually skating the first of January and end sometime late February,” said parks and recreation director David Gill. “We don’t open the ponds until it’s at least five inches thick.”
So when it comes to lacing up the old skates, there are plenty of options. The skating is free and open from sun up to sun down seven days a week, unless one of those signs posted tells you it’s unsafe to skate on the ponds. In that case, stay off the ice.
“Just like all the parks, they’re open to use,” Gill said.
Weather permitting, the skating areas are flooded almost daily with the use of a fire hose to give it a fresh new coat, but that’s not all the parks and rec crew does to keep the good times going. They also have to remove all the snow after storms, which lately has been quite a bit.
“The hardest thing is just keeping up with the snow,” Gill said.
Gill said the busiest times are usually after school and on weekends, so if you want to practice your sweet ice dancing routine or that triple axle you saw Michelle Kwan do that one time and don’t want anyone to watch, we suggest adjusting your schedule to avoid the crowds.
There are also public skating hours at Everett Arena for those who enjoy their ice indoors. You can skate Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m and Sunday afternoons from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. until March 18, 2015. Admission is $5 and skate rentals are available in the pro shop for $5.
White Park is also home to a pretty killer sledding hill and the Beav has 4 kilometers of cross-country skiing trails – just in case you’re like us and have an inability to stand when wearing skates.
“You’ve got to get outside and enjoy the winter,” Gill said.
