Where to Go Ice-Skating in Portland, Beaverton, Vancouver, and Beyond
This isn’t Minnesota or Ontario or New England, where skating rinks rival movie theaters and bowling alleys in quantity and attendance. And it’s not New York City, where seasonal outdoor rinks at Rockefeller Center and in Central Park offer cinematic backdrops. Some of the spots where a young Tonya Harding practiced her first jumps no longer exist, like the old rinks at Clackamas Town Center and Jantzen Beach. But Portlanders do still have options, including places that offer stick-and-puck time, hockey rec leagues, and beginners’ lessons.
If proximity is your goal, good luck. It helps to live in the burbs—specifically, Beaverton, Sherwood, or the east side of Vancouver. Know that hours and prices can fluctuate, especially over the holidays and during school vacations, so be sure to confirm details before you set out.
Lower level, Lloyd Center Mall
There may be plans afoot for its dramatic redevelopment, but in the meantime the Lloyd Center remains the Mall That Won’t Die, hosting pop-up markets and indie retail shops and roller discos. Nowhere is its indomitable life force on clearer display than at its ground-floor ice rink on a weekend evening around the holidays, when fake snow falls from far overhead onto skaters turning a counterclockwise oval around a giant Christmas tree. The year-round rink has gotten steadily smaller with mall remodels; this means the ice isn’t likely to be overrun with fancy-pants figure skaters using the middle of the rink to practice their three-turns and camel spins, and the relatively predictable movements of the skaters who are there make Lloyd beginner-friendly. Most public skate sessions are $18–20 plus $5 for skate rental. Discounts or waived rental fees come on some holidays, Tuesday and Thursday “Cheap Skates,” and weekend-evening “Rock ’N Skate,” or anytime for military with ID and people who are 50 and older.
Mountain View Ice Arena
14313 Mill Plain Blvd, Vancouver
Mountain View was once home to two rinks, but half of its building is now a location of Mannahouse Church—anyone attending the Sunday-morning speed-skating class will encounter some extra instructions for parking and entry during church services. There used to be arcade games under the bleachers, but now only a no-nonsense vending machine remains, stocked with skate laces and hockey essentials like stick tape, pucks, wax, even rink-shaped mini whiteboards with attached dry-erase markers. Public sessions (usually $15, plus $5 for skate rental) tend to be chill, with more action happening during pickup and organized hockey games. The rink has a hefty collection of beginner skate aids—resembling walkers, tiny chairs, or bright blue seals—for rent.
9250 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy, Beaverton
With a huge bowling alley and arcade next door, inflatable holiday decorations that are way too big for the entryway, and cold bottles of Kokanee at the snack bar, the Winterhawks Skating Center screams folksy fun. Expect extra crowding on weekend nights and before or after skate school classes, though the skater density on the ice itself always feels manageable. Public sessions are $25, including skate rental; kids 5 and under are free, and a group discount kicks in for five or more people in a single transaction.
20407 SW Borchers Dr, Sherwood
Opened in 2000 and now managed by the Winterhawks Sports Group, this suburban rink can get crowded when school lets out, but off-hours public sessions are rarely busy. Be warned that you might encounter competitive skaters practicing their routine in the middle of the ice (with their routine’s soundtrack playing over and over and over). As at the Winterhawks’ Beaverton location, public skate is $25, whether you rent skates or bring your own.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
Share this content:
Author: Hey PDX
Hey PDX Team
Post Comment