Adventure Skating 

Skaters love to check out frozen lakes, ponds, rivers and sloughs. In early winter there can be some amazing skating after lakes, ponds and sloughs freeze and before much snow falls. And then later in the season excellent ice may ”reappear” after thaws and refreezing.  Any kind of skate can work well. So-called "nordic skates" are popular among nordic skiers. And your feet are warmer than in normal skates. Also, nordic skates tend to handle rough ice conditions better than standard skates as they have a long, sloped nose. Nordic blades can be rented or purchased at Alaska Mountaineering and Hiking in Anchorage. 
   

Where To Go 

Popular locations for adventure skating include: Potters Marsh, Portage Lake (check out the front of Portage Glacier), Trail Lake, Tern Lake, Eklutna Lake (7 miles one way), Beach Lake, Mirror Lake, Fire Lake, and Rabbit Slough.  Check out the Facebook page Nordic Skate-SouthCentral Alaska.

Tim Kelley's website has some great photos of adventure skating. Check out the "blading the flats" section on that web page.

Skating Conditions? 

Check the ice skating conditions forum (click on the skater icon in the upper left) for reports on backcountry and in-town skating conditions, or add a report of your own!  Also for current ice conditions and other information about adventure skating check out the Nordic Skate-Southcentral Alaska Facebook page.