Global warming seems to have slowen down some. Outdoor rinks and ponds, rivers, and lakes have finally opened for skating.
Ya know I gotta admit the ol' blades just seem to dig in better on natural ice. Can't explain it, but just better somehow?
Oh man, I'm so jealous. My pond skates are collecting dust in the closet.
Here in Northern New Jersey, we've only had natural outdoor ice probably 2 or 3 winters over the last 7 years. And when there is ice, it doesn't form long enough to skate safely on. I haven't skated outside since the winter of 99-00, which the last time we had really, really, strong ice. Some of the outdoor rinks opened up before the holidays but quickly closed when the temperatures were about 30 degrees above normal
When I was a kid growing up in the 1970's, I remember skating on a pond near my home after school almost EVERY winter. Now that same pond seems to freeze over like once every 4 or 5 years. That's it.