Anyone have idea if there is a 1 time entry fee as well ?
Thanks..
So I saw these ads in the tram about the Ice skating rinks in Zurich.. I checked out the website, but it seems that they only have entry by season pass which costs about 115 chf..
Yes, they do have one time entry fee and I can't remember how much, but I remember thinking it's as cheap as chips!
Have a look at this....
Certainly is. Last season it was about 12 CHF, including skate rental.
I am a sucker for getting season passes for places, and then going twice. I managed to avoid this season pass.
There are three (that I know of) rinks in Zurich:
Dolder
Oerlikon
Heuried
the second an third are city-run. The city sports website has more info.
Great, heading over this weekend..
Does knowing a bit of quad roller skating help at all in ice skating ? I have never done it, but would really like to glide along and enjoy myself after 1-2 sessions.. possible at all ?
Hi, I found it on the web site too, here's the link: www.zuerich.com/en/welcome.cfm . I am hoping to get my skates and have fun
Definitely! I used to inline skate heaps and then moving to ice skating which was pretty easy. The biggest difference for me was that there are no 'brakes' on ice skates whereas my inlines had rear rubbers. But an hour or so on the ice and you will start to feel the similarities.
I have only ever skated on indoor rinks in Oz so looking forward to an outdoor one, it has been a while too so expecting quite a few falls
Does anyone know if there is any indoor ice rink open in the canton of Zurich this time of the year? I checked the one in Wetzikon and is closed till mid September...
Have you tried Oerlikon?
Possibly one in Bulach
The Indoor Skating Rink in Winterthur (Eishalle Deutweg) is available to ice hockey clubs or other clubs. The outdoor public rink opens in October. I don't think the general public can use the Indoor one without being in a club. Apparently the Winterthur EHC (Eis Hockey Club) is very friendly and they have juniors starting with the very young "Piccolinos".
What were you looking for? Just for fun or a place to train? You could call them and ask.
Lisa
Lisa, just for fun .
The Eishalle Deutweg seems to be closed for the public during the summer (that's what they say on the website).
The rink in Kloten ( http://www.schluefweg.ch/de/stadionfs/sommereistrainingslager/ ) is open for training, but not sure if for the public too, as the translation tool in google chrome is not very helpful
Looks like you can call Silvia Wipfli on the number shown and she will allot a time for you to use it - so I read it as available to public as well as "cracks" as long as you book it on advance, not sure what it costs. Give her a call, speak English without asking her if she can (they always underestimate their English) and I'm sure she can tell you what you need to know.
Otherwise wait til everyone is doing it in October when all of them open their outdoor rinks for the public! It's really fun then.
In the summer, I'd forget about ice skating and start inline skating instead. I originally learned to skate on quads, then inline skates, then ice (because ice and inline are practically the same). Inline skates are on clearance now at the sporting goods stores because the season is almost over; a few weeks ago I bought a 270 franc pair of inlines for 80 francs!!!
Does anyone know both how busy the winter rinks get, and also if figure skating (spins, spirals, dance patterns, single jumps) is permissible during the public sessions? Around the world it seems to vary... I've both had free reign through to being told off for skating backwards, hence the question...
Interested in Dolder, Kloten, Wetzikon, Rapperswill in particular for training but info on the fun seasonal rinks also welcome!
I could join a Verein I know, but with work the weekday patch sessions aren't possible and if I can practice without joining that's better, as I like to have the freedom to change rinks. But if not, then I might as well pick a rink and Verein now to go a few times over summer.
I know it's super early to ask but now that it's August, now only two months to go til the main season!
I can't help you with those particular rinks, but here in Basel figure skaters do practice, judiciously, on public ice. No doubles or flying camels, but I've definitely seen singles, spirals, spins and step sequences on less crowded public sessions. You would have to figure out what those less busy times are for any particular rink you're interested in.
In general, (recreational) ice skating in Switzerland is surprisingly affordable. I am already looking forward to my season pass! As I have my own skates, it will cost me about 150 chf/season to be on the ice at least once a week. On the other hand, competitive figure skating is anything but cheap, like everywhere else in the world.
Exactly, my year pass for a half size rink in London was £700! Even the seasonal rink at Canary Wharf was some £300, though being 5 mins from work was a bonus.
That's helpful to know, still. I have no intention of doing camels on a crowded session (unnervingly, at my height my blade is exactly the height of a 7 year old's neck)! I can't think the attitude towards safety would be that different vs Zurich then. It was mostly in the UK ("you can't spin on a virtually empty rink else the kids may copy you and get hurt" erm).
Just wanted to share my experience in case useful to anyone. I went to Wetzikon yesterday for the open session. Even on 1 August and being the middle of summer, the rink was pretty packed. Half was split for hockey with pucks, rest for recreational skaters and hockey skaters without pucks practicing skating skills.
Lots of very little kids fully padded with hockey gear and boy are they braver than in the UK.
Possible to run through spins and spirals with enough space. One dude was even practicing double jumps when the rink cleared towards the end of the session. Ice was perfect!