BEND, Ore. — Nothing unleashes one’s inner child quite like strapping on a pair of ice skates and sliding on ice. Every winter, I pull my hockey skates out of the garage, giddy with the anticipation of taking them out for a spin.
One local ice-skating rink I had yet to try was the rink at Seventh Mountain Resort. The resort is known for introducing themes and encouraging skaters to dress up in costume. Last year, there were country-themed skate nights. This year, it’s holding “cosmic skate” daily at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. in addition to its open skate sessions at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
I’m a firm believer that the best kind of bowling is cosmic bowling, so I couldn’t wait for the cosmic ice-skating experience. I invited a few friends and purchased an online reservation for 6 p.m.
Seventh Mountain Resort highly recommends booking ice skating sessions ahead of time online. It ensures a discount of $3 off the walk-up price of $18 for adults and $15 for children. Additional discounts of $3 are also applied for bringing one’s own ice skates or dressing up for the occasion.
After checking in, signing waivers and lacing up, we hobbled down the mats that connected the skate shop to the rink.
The cosmic skating theme meant that a large disco ball was suspended over the rink. Projectors aimed at the disco ball reflected swirling blue, pink, red, green and purple lights that bounced over the ice in a rhythmic pattern. Reggae and dance music played over the loudspeakers, making me feel like dancing in my hockey skates, although I was somewhat limited by my ice skating abilities.
I was impressed with the ease my friends zipped over the ice, skating backward, practicing 360-degree turns, and making sharp, sudden turns. One friend had looked up skating tips on YouTube on her way over and was attempting to put the skills she had learned into practice. Moving her feet outwards and inwards, she created circles that propelled her backward.
When my legs were ready for a break, I headed inside the skate rental shop and purchased a can of sparkling white Underwood wine ($8). I joined my friends next to the flickering outdoor fire pit outside the shop as I sipped on the bubbles.
The cosmic lights and outdoor fire pits of the resort made the atmosphere feel celebratory.
Skating at the resort under the blinking lights was a wonderful way to spend a chilly December evening with friends. Our 1 1/2-hour session was plenty of time to spend skating, and yet it was over all too quickly.
