While we’re helping the locals out with a little marketing, here is your chance to find out just how shitty the synthetic surface at the Capitol Hill Ice Rink is:
Organizers of the ice rink — and, yes, CHS, like Dominic Holden’s the Stranger, is a sponsor — think you ought to give it a try despite some of the early reviews on this CHS post. We suppose you former hockey pros and ice princesses will not like the fake surface. Small children, drunks, people from California and the rest of us? We’ll do just fine.
Details on free skating this Friday and information about the synthetic surface are below. We’ve also been told that there are free tickets for skating tonight available during the art walk at Babeland, Cupcake Royale and Blick Art Supply.
Pike Pine Events Group Offers Free Skate 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday December 9 at Capitol Hill Ice Rink
SEATTLE, Wash.—(December 8, 2011) — On Friday December 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. the Pike Pine Events Group will host a FREE open skate to encourage skaters to give it a glide for themselves.
The ice rink was created to help bring one of winter’s classic pastimes to Capitol Hill for the holidays and to provide a delightful activity for all ages. The Capitol Hill ice rink will serve as the new center of holidays on the Hill for this increasingly diverse and eclectic neighborhood.
The 80-foot-by-50-foot, environmentally friendly synthetic ice rink by Artificial Ice Events http://www.artificialiceevents.com/ is constructed over the basketball court in Cal Anderson Park (1635 11th Avenue). The following link diagrams how it workshttp://www.artificialiceevents.com/how-artificial-ice-works/.Take a look at this video from Tuesday, December 6:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DSzJ9q5EVU.
Dave Tibbets from Artificial Ice Events who is in Seattle for the month to train and maintain the synthetic rink, explained that temperature, wind, moisture all affect the way the rink skates. Once the rink is seasoned the skating is improved dramatically.
Tips on How to Skate on Synthetic Ice:
- · Allow five minutes for skates to “heat up” allowing the blade to move smoothly through the synthetic surface.
- · Push off strongly. Keeping a sturdy momentum is key to building a natural speed.
- · Sharpen blades every hour. The additional friction dulls skates faster than traditional ice.
- · Wear clothing that is appropriate for the synthetic surface.
- · Skate with a group. The more skaters on the ice, the better the surface.
Details:
- · Dates of operation: December 6 through 24.*
- · Hours of operation: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
- · Cost per hour: $12/general; $6/children 8 and under. Cost is the same with or without included skate rental.
- · Concessions: Caffé Vita serving coffee and cocoa and Dante’s Inferno Dogs serving hot dogs.
- · Free gift-wrapping: Provided at the rink by Sound Transit with a Capitol Hill merchant receipt.
- · Proceeds: Sponsorships and tickets monies will go to the non-profit Pike Pine Events Group for expenses and future projects.
About Pike Place Events Group:
Pike Place Events Group 501(c)(3) non-profit was formed in October 2011. Board Members: Jill Cronauer (Hunters Capital, LLC), Chip Ragen (Ragan & Associates), Rich Fox (Poquitos), Michael Wells (Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce, and Todd Shumsky (Hunters Capital, LLC).
Capital contributors to the Pike Pine Events Group include Rancho Bravo, Elliott Bay Books, Odd Fellows, Caffé Vita, Fokus Industries (Nuemos), Poquitos, Dunn & Hobbs, and Cupcake Royale.
2011 Capitol Hill Ice Rink Sponsors include Rancho Bravo, Elliott Bay Books, Odd Fellows, Dunn & Hobbs, Cupcake Royale, The Northwest School, Sound Transit, Skanska, Dick Blick Art Supplies, Nube Green, Capitol Hill Blog, Pagliacci, Century Ballroom, CURE, The Stranger, International Parking Management, Cal Anderson Park Alliance , Bader Martin, Capitol Hill Housing, Girlie Press, Mobar, The Garage, Washington Trust Bank, Flora & Henri, Tavern Law, Sorrento Hotel and Hunters Capital.
For more information, visit www.capitolhillicerink.com or contact the ice rink at [email protected].
Thanks for warning me that the ice is fake. I have expensive blades on my skates (I used to be a skater) and I wouldn’t ever use them on an artificial surface, which is bad for them. (Sharpen every hour? WTF?) Good to know that I shouldn’t bother with this rink.
Not that seasonal ice rinks in Seattle are ever worth skating on anyway — they are always too tiny, and usually too crowded. But sometimes it’s fun to go with friends.
I wish they would open the large ice at Key Arena for the holidays instead. (Or year-round. It’s not as if the Sonics are needing the space.)
I saw Dominic Holden skating on the plastic and he LIKED it
… through in a cupcake and the hippies will be all over it!
“throw”, “through”… you get the picture.
Skate ‘Err Die!
Never ice skated or played ice hockey but have played some air hockey. ‘Ole Ern ain’t never tried no ice skatin’ cuz he knew falling head first on a thick, solid sheet of ice wouldn’t be good for the IQ but….. Now that I know it’s plastic. I’m going to try it out.
Georgia (1970-1981)
California (1981-2008)
Seattle (2008-present)
They note that as if we should know what they’re talking about. Polyester?
I think the surface was just fine for an intermediate skater. You have to try a little harder to get going, but you slide around like normal once going.
The fact that it’s all for charity is the best part. Fake or not, this is the sort of thing the Stranger should be supporting, not tearing down. I am getting a little sick of the negitivity on the hill lately.
More of these sorts of things should be up on the hill – if anything it brings a little activity to the park in an area that is usually dark.
I think the event is good for the community, if it really is a charity deal – don’t put it down, support it. I think the business and companies putting this on are doing a good thing. I don’t like the negitive tone on this blog for something that is for charity.
Fake ice or not, this finally gives me something to do with the kids in that park this winter. I will be there sat and the kids will most definately like it. Didn’t know hipsters were such ice skating snobs.
Elliot bay books shopping and skating with the kids, pretty cool to have.
person on this video is good, was that taken at the capitol hill rink? wow
http:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DSzJ9q5EVU
Anyone else think Dominic looks sort of chipmunk(ish) in his pic? Maybe he is just happy to tweet. Stranger, hehe.
What charity? The investors want their $200,000. back, then Parks gets some money, 1/2 I think, from profits … they charged NO fee for use upfront …
What charity? Some facts from somewhere?
Dom is the hottest guy around … all the stories he is famed for are true.
You should be so lucky, can’t take a bit of truth telling, there is NO ice. Just chemical stuff, anti green enviro. and very expensive, in a depression. Duh.
It took me 2 years to shake the addiction. So maybe this *ICE* skating thing could be a good thing.
did you really write out your previous residences? really man?
As a community member on the hill – I like it. Anything is better than the bball court at night, I don’t feel safe walking by the bball court half the time.
I will support it this weekend. Walked by last night and it looked like 20 or so people having a pretty good time!
Well, I suppose that statement is true, at least in the lands of snow and ice. But is ice skating a classic pastime in the Northwest, at least the moderate Puget Sound area? Or is it considered a “class winter pastime” more because of the messages conveyed to us in Hollywood movies, television shows, or the relentless advertising that, for better or worse, defines our modern societal culture?
Ok, I’m probably being pedantic here, but, well, context matters, in a lot of things.
But if you like to “ice” skate and have fun doing it, go for it, even it is “artificial” ice.
But I do wonder about the environmental impact of the artificial ice product: is it recyclable? What is the product lifecycle? Is it use once or use many? Those details would be interesting. The website doesn’t seem to tell me.
Read as: “I don’t feel safe walking by the bball court when black people are using it.”
Yikes! I missed the free session. How successful was it? I used to be a very good figure scater when I was young and on a farm in the Yakima Valley. There we had ‘real’ ice on our own lake, it was as smooth and tranparent as glass.
Yes, Justin, your comment reads: “I prefer white people over black people”
The problem is, organizers and media set the expectations too high. They should have been up front about it being artificial ice skating. Now that my disappointment has faded now I want to give it a try.
he didn’t say anything about race… geez
When lakes freeze, do the fish go into some state of cryongenic state of hibernation? Do the fish thaw with the water?
give it a rest, nothing was said about race. i am so sick of this blog – nothing but negative comments and bitchy judgments. fucking assholes abound.