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ambience: skating
Right in the middle of downtown Ottawa, folks from all over Canada gather each year to ice skate down the length of the frozen Rideau Canal. It’s a mid-winter tradition that started back in 1971, when the city began draining the canal during cold weather, and grooming it each year for ice skaters. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet. Canadians call the four mile long canal “the world’s largest skating rink”. And that’s part of the allure for skating enthusiasts like Steve Scarf who drove here from Wakefield, about thirty minutes across the Quebec – Ontario border.
“Well it’s just so great to be able to feel that ‘glide’ that goes on forever. You know, its nice to skate on a rink but inevitably you ‘re going ’round and ’round. It’s just the freedom — it’s so beautiful to be able to do this . . . . .with the sun and smooth ice, to be able to just glide on your skates so long, and so far, with nothing in your way – and to travel such distance using your legs and feet so quickly – it’s, it’s really amazing.”
Ottawan Bob McBurney has been coming to skate the canal for thirty years — to experience what many say is the best part of winter in Ottawa.
“When you get conditions especially like today when you have a clear blue sky and fresh fallen snow from the night before, it’s winter’s beauty at its best. So ah, you have to take advantage of things like that when you get it. People down south never see things like this, and they really should sometime, because it’s really worth it.”
Please visit our website at pulseplanet.com.Pulse of the Planet is presented with support provided by the National Science Foundation. I’m Jim Metzner.
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