Skate the Lake

The Big Rideau Lake, that is.

Just off the shore of the town of Portland, you will find a world class outdoor skating oval. This 1 kilometre long oval is cleared of snow and maintained with a Zamboni every year in preparation for an outdoor speed skating competition. The International Big Rideau Lake Speed Skating marathon was first held in 2004. Normally, the “Skate the Lake” hosts skaters from around the world. This year, of course, is different.

You can don your skates in the little park near the shore, shuffle out, and then skate to your heart’s content. Check out their site for more details.

The “Skate the Lake” organizers are hosting a distance challenge, much like ours (see their site for details). We have added a skating category to our distance challenge BUT only for skating on the oval. Sorry, your backyard rink won’t count.

So get outside to classic ski, skate ski, snowshoe, or skate the lake…you choose!