Ice skating in the tropics? Perfect for corporates

The cool air caresses your skin as you open the door leading into the ice rink, a stark contrast from the hot January sun outside.

The chilling air is almost freezing but the temperature is at a bearable minimum and is surprisingly quite invigorating. A large white rink is spread out looking very inviting.

Ice skating was a foreign concept in Kenya until the Solar Ice Rink opened its doors to the public in 2005.

Housed at the Panari Hotel on Mombasa road, the rink is made up of four inch thick ice that has coolers under the ice surface to ensure it remains frozen at all times.

Skating is popular among the expatriate community who deem it a pleasant surprise for them to find a skating rink in a tropical country such as ours.

“The rink is quite popular. The number of people coming has been increasing each year and now even organisations and corporates are booking it.” Says Patrick Marekia, the managing director at the Panari Hotel.

“Skating is not easy.” Say Marekia who learnt how to skate on his frequent foreign travels being in the hotel industry.

To date, he skis and skates when he has time especially when he travels to snowy countries.

For the young ones, it is quite simple as they have no inhibitions or fears on the rink and this allows them to learn much more easily.

If you have no bearing on ice, fear not as they have qualified instructors to show you the ropes and even offer private individualised lessons.

The learning process is very systematic.

The first thing one must learn is the posture, how to place and angle your feet before you can glide. Posture determines balance as you move.

There have been a number of people who take private lessons because they want one on one attention from the instructor and want to take it up as a regular part of their routine.

Each skate for the activities differs.

The beginner blade is a straight blade at the base of the shoe but it has stick-ons rather than laces as is the case for the ice hockey skates.