A trip to Winthrop wouldn’t be complete without ice skating. When the temperatures drop in November, and Jack Frost gets to work in Winthrop Washington, it is time to pull out your ice skates.
OUTDOOR ICE RINK
The town of Winthrop is home to the Winthrop Rink, an outdoor ice rink, which was described by NHL Seattle as “heaven on ice.” The rink offers open skating, pick-up hockey, and figure skating every day of the winter. Check the ice schedule at the Winthrop Rink website. The Rink offers hockey pad rentals a swell as ice skates and helmets. Day passes are affordable. The indoor, upstairs viewing room allows the non-skating members of your party to enjoy the experience from an indoor, comfortable vista.
HOCKEY
Want to experience the action without taking to the ice yourself? There are hockey tournaments nearly every weekend and they are free to spectate!
Be sure to check out the collegiate Apple Puck tournament the weekend after President’s Day in February.
Lake Skating
Some winters, even before the ski trails are open, a strange phenomena occurs in the Valley. Locals can’t be found at work or their usual hang-outs, the streets are empty, and school children appear extra-antsy for the bell to ring at the end of the day. That’s because Patterson and Pearrygin Lakes (and even some of the higher alpine lakes) are frozen solid, and the whole community seems to appear on those magical days of lake-skating in the crisp sunny air. Take home message – bring your skates, because you never know what nature might provide.
*Lake skating and ice fishing are dangerous activities and should be approached with the proper research and caution. Skate on lakes at your own risk.
