Arts reporter Lynn Saxberg shares what it’s like to skate the Rideau Canal after dark, with advice and answers to common concerns about safety and conditions.
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With fewer people on the ice and the moon overhead, there’s not only more room to stretch out your skating without bumping into anyone but it’s also a pretty magical way to experience nature in the city — plus it covers enough distance that it’s a fun alternate mode of transportation.
But, people wonder, isn’t it too dark to see where you’re going? How can you spot the cracks in the ice? What about the danger of falling?
It felt good to be back out there, especially after dark. And it wasn’t actually pitch black, by the way, thanks to the light reflected on the snow and ice from street lights. I brought a headlamp and saw others using them, but never felt the need to dig mine out.
My plan was to commute, by skate, to a club gig on Bank Street, followed by skating to another gig downtown. As it turned out, the journey took longer than expected and we cut the Bank Street stop to focus on the skating. It was a warmish night without a bitter wind, and we decided to make tracks downtown in hopes of catching the second set of our friends’ band (at Avant-Garde Bar).
Skates fastened and boots stashed in a backpack, we set out from one of the benches next to the Dow’s Lake Pavilion. After my spill earlier in the week, I took a moment to straighten up, bend my knees slightly and find my core, so to speak, to adjust for the backpack before taking a stride.
That launch was a lot smoother than my previous one at Patterson Creek, where I got up and lunged into it, only to have my skate blade immediately slide into a rut in the ice. It threw me off balance and down I went, cursing all the way.
This brings me to why I switched from figure skates to hockey skates for use on the Canal. I grew up in figure skates, took lessons as a child and relied on the picks for every manoeuvre, from stopping and turning to skating backwards.
But when the ice is rough, those picks catch on every groove and imperfection and are more likely to trip you up than help you skate. I borrowed a pair of hockey skates last year and found the going was good in them, so long as you keep your knees slightly bent and don’t lean backwards. Hockey blades are shorter in the back than figure-skate blades; leaning back will result in landing on your back (as I was reminded when I fell).
While I’m dispensing advice here, it’s also important not to overdress for a skate on the Canal. Although the instinct is to bundle up, you don’t want to be struggling to move under a giant parka, and you will work up a sweat. Layers work well, particularly when there’s a stop or two on the agenda. I’ve usually got a band T-shirt to wear at the bar under my fleece and puffer.
My skating friend and I settled into a steady pace as we made our way north on a trek marked by six distinct bridges: The stern, urban-industrial character of the Bronson Street Canal Bridge. The decorative arches of the Bank Street Canal Bridge. The illuminated triangles of the Flora Footbridge. The heritage stone of the Pretoria Bridge. The sturdy pillars of the Hwy 417 bridge and the gentle span of the Corktown Footbridge.
Along the way, groups of young people whizzed by, couples held hands and new skaters shuffled at the sidelines. One oldtimer took it upon himself to remind everyone within earshot of the etiquette: “It’s like driving,” he hollered at those skating against the stream. In other words, keep right.
We skated to the Laurier Street Bridge, the end of the stretch open for skating. We considered ducking around the fence to skate closer to our destination on Besserer Street but didn’t want to risk a fine. Instead, we backtracked to the closest access staircase on the east side of the Canal, at Somerset Street, switched to boots and walked the short distance to the bar.
Not every bar would welcome folks with bags of skating gear, but it wasn’t a busy night at Avant-Garde and no one seemed to mind. We had, apparently, just missed a meeting of the young Communists of Canada.
The band, Original Soundtrack, was terrific and the beer was super refreshing. Energized after the set, we nipped back to the Canal and quickly regained our skating groove. We sailed the seven or so kilometres south to Dows Lake, watching out for the grooming machines doing their work and greatly amused by the random comments overheard from the handful of other people out on the ice.
“Did you do mushrooms, too?” one young woman on skates asked her friend, while another gentleman raved about the gummies improving his skating ability.
Of course, for safety reasons, I don’t recommend altering your consciousness for a night skate on the Rideau Canal. But when the conditions are as ideal as they are now, and you can incorporate the Skateway into your club-hopping (or sightseeing) adventures, it’s a great way to travel.