MISSOULA — With the snow coming down, now is the perfect time to get into some winter activities.
“It gives you a sense of peace and calm, and like no one is watching you, even if it can be crowded full of people. You just feel like you're on air,” said Erika Noble, an ice skater of eight years.
Now that the weather's gotten colder, the snow is falling and the holidays are over, it's still time for winter activities. One activity you could try out is ice skating at Glacier Ice Rink, located right within the Missoula Fair Grounds.
Glacier Ice Rink opened its doors in 1997, hosting youth and adult hockey as well as the ever-growing public skate times.
“This year we had about 5,500 people register for our programs. So really this is the month of December. And last year that compares to about 4,800. So definitely more people coming and skating,” said Glacier Ice Rink executive director Laura Henning.
The volume of people participating in public skating isn’t always the same throughout the year, however.
“We're actually pretty tied to the weather. Without snow, people can't go skiing. So they come here,” explained Henning.
With the growing demand, Glacier Ice Rink is trying to keep the community space running smoothly despite the challenges that they face.
“We are a nonprofit, and so our mission is really to keep our programs affordable for the community, which is getting harder and harder, given the fact that everything's getting more expensive. So I think that's kind of one of the struggles that we face, is just really how do we keep our programs affordable, going forward, and then in the next couple years, we're gonna start trying to make some improvements to the facility, so put locker rooms in, you know, make a little bit nicer experience for people,” Henning told MTN.
But thanks to Glacier Ice Rink, community members can enjoy the ice for various activities.
“I find it exercise without thinking about your exercises. So it's great. So it tricks you into working out,” said Jessica Brannum , an ice skater of seven years.
Space is limited at Glacier Ice Rink so if you’re interested in heading out to skate, make sure you book a reservation in advance to make sure that you will have a spot.
