So I went Ice Skating with some friends 3 weeks ago. Haven't done it since 2000. Hung onto the wall for the first three times around, then started moving without the wall. Then was up in Lake Placid NY, and went skating on the Olympic speed-skating oval. Went around 4 times, no wall to hold on to. Did it again two days later. Bought my own skates last week, skated in Queens and then Manhattan yesterday. Im no expert, but Im having fun. $85 Bladerunner skates very comfortable and pretty stable. No need to get super expensive hockey skates.
I hear it's pretty cold out there in the U.S. these days. I guess ice skating is the natural thing to do. And skiing, of course.