I wasn’t sure if I would ever dare to put on ice skates and take off onto a frozen lake.
Not only am I Belgian (trained to stay away from natural ice because it was never safe where I lived), but the slippery memories of hanging onto a rail at a loud and busy indoor skate rink did not particularly make ice skating attractive 🙂
All I remember is the idea that the wild boys would skate off my fingers and the awful smell of used skates that hurt my feet.

But then we moved to Sweden and every year I’m in awe of the beauty of the ice. The bubbles, the cracks, the whale sounds during cold nights. It’s magical and luring me in. A few years ago, during an incredible winter, I crossed the lake with Mogwai and Lizzie by ‘spark’( a kicksled), and without realizing it, ice skating with the dogs became a sudden item high on my bucket list.

Sadly, the ice hasn’t been safe, especially not for a beginner like me. A few locals with excellent knowledge on ice + tools to measure thickness have been out, but I know my limits. I need ice thick enough to hold a plane, smooth enough to not be an obstacle course, and someone around to keep an eye on me.

So with the help of some friends, I got ice skates (I’m not tapping into high school memories with smelly rental skates), and all the protective gear I could find. The only thing missing is 20 meters of bubble wrap 😀

The first time, I felt like Bambi on ice. I walked up to the edge of the lake, crawled up, and just let myself slide- I had no choice because I had no idea how to stop or turn. But let me tell you, without the deafening music, the wild boys, and the teasing idiots, … I was hooked even before I could make a move. Simply the sound of my freshly sharpened skates on the ice, seeing all the textures, the light reflecting, the bubbles, the wind,… What a sensation!

By the second time, I had swapped the shoe laces for bright orange ones, and Joeri decided to join me on the ice with the kicksled (before he hiked on land) + Lizzie. We left clumsy Oona and senior Mogwai at home for their safety. If you saw the previous post about the kicksled tour, you might have noticed that we used a path where snow was cleared from the ice. That type of ice was rougher and the dogs ran on the sides where they had extra traction. This time, the ice was clear, smooth, and by the end also melting on top, so it was a very different experience.
I also got questions about dog boots, and while we had them with us, Lizzie didn’t need them and was best off without them. She couldn’t pull like she would have wanted, but we gave her plenty of space to do her thing.

The only thing she found absolutely impossible was pooping on the ice. The big open space, the wind, and the slippery surface, … nope, no can do! Mr Spark could easily be parked by an island so Lizzie had all the time and space to find the perfect spot (yes, she’s picky).

BTW: Joeri is also wearing spikes under his shoes for traction:

It was magical on the ice, and we weren’t the only ones out. I watched a hovercraft, met some other ice skaters, there were a few kicksleds, and even a guy on a bike!

Team neon orange:

I still can’t believe I’ve checked off a double bucket list item (ice skating + skating with a dog), all of this during wonderful days, and on incredibly beautiful ice. Spring is just around the corner now, but I can’t wait to go out again next winter!