#ice-skating

#ice-skating

Imagine there's a large, flat sheet of ice out in front of you, and someone unceremoniously shoves you across it at a high speed. What are you to do? If you're wearing conventional shoes, without crampons or blades attached to them, you're going to have a difficult time. Ice is a very low-friction surface, and there's very little you're going to be able to do to change your momentum without slipping and perhaps falling down.

Nearby ski and tubing destinations tend to be quieter on Christmas Day, meaning less time waiting for lifts and more runs. Whitetail and Liberty Mountain resorts in Pennsylvania are both less than two hours away from DC, ideal for a day trip. While many National Park Service areas are closed for the day, Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve in Alexandria and Theodore Roosevelt Island in DC are open for adventurers. Peaceful trails meander by the water, and both locations are great for birdwatching.

I love to skate outdoors, to enjoy the rumble as my blades cut through the ice, then the pop-pause- swish of landing a toe loop or lutz jump. But ice-skating is more than artistry and mindfulness. It's a full-body workout that demands energy from ample carbs and protein. The crossovers, turns, and glides that work glutes, abs, and calves require as much endurance as running but with less impact (all while wearing a pretty dress).

This isn't Minnesota or Ontario or New England, where skating rinks rival movie theaters and bowling alleys in quantity and attendance. And it's not New York City, where seasonal outdoor rinks at Rockefeller Center and in Central Park offer cinematic backdrops. Some of the spots where a young Tonya Harding practiced her first jumps no longer exist, like the old rinks at Clackamas Town Center and Jantzen Beach. But Portlanders do still have options, including places that offer stick-and-puck time, hockey rec leagues, and beginners' lessons.