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- New improved festive food and drink market to enhance Christmas experience.
- Skaters advised to book as soon as possible to avoid missing out on slots.
One of Cork’s favourite seasonal activities, Alpine Skate Trail, officially opened its doors to the public for this year at Fota House on Friday November 3rd, with some added features this year to further enhance the festive experience for those attending.
Featuring new and improved festive food and drinks market stalls, Alpine Skate Trail will run skate sessions right up to the holiday season and into the New Year until January 28th 2024.
General sale tickets are now available to purchase online at a cost of €20 per person at the following online link —iceskating.ie
Those planning to visit have been encouraged to book their skate as soon as possible to ensure they get their chosen slot and avoid disappointment.
Set on the grounds of the historic Fota House, Arboretum and Gardens Fota Island, Cork’s Alpine Skate Trail has established itself as a firm favourite on the seasonal calendar, providing an authentic rustic feeling and a real festive mood for winter 2023.
Last year, 87,000 people skated their way through the Alpine Skate Trail in Cork and this year, families, friends, work colleagues and clubs are all welcome again to get their skates on for the 300m long ice trail, a new freestyle area or younger skaters can hit the smaller rink where Penguin Skate Aids are also available.
Owner of Iceskating.ie and Cool Running Events, Bill Cremin also spoke to their sustainability initiatives and said:
“We are so excited to be bringing the Alpine Skate Trail back to Fota House this year. Last year, we welcomed thousands of skaters to the trail, and as we continue to strive to be more sustainable, we continue to use HVO, a renewable diesel that was introduced last year, to fuel the cooling process of our rinks which as an advanced biofuel reducing carbon net emissions by up to 90%.”
Bill and the team at Cool Running Events have been successfully running ice rinks in Ireland since 2007, priding themselves in creating a fun, memorable experience for all ages and abilities!
Last month, they also proudly opened the largest rink to skate in Ireland at Dún Laoghaire Harbour, Dublin on November 10th, as well as their established rink in Blanchardstown on November 17th.
Book your Alpine Skate Trail Cork tickets or for further details on session times and general trail information visit iceskating.ie
Did you know?
- Ice skates made from animal bones dating from at least the 12th century have been excavated in Dublin by the National Museum of Ireland
- In the 1880s, Famous Irish poet W.B. Yeats learned how to skate on the frozen Lough Gill in Co. Sligo!
- The Republic of Ireland Ice Skating Association (RIISA) was founded in 1995, later becoming the Ice-Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI) in 2007
- Clara Peters became the first Irish skater to compete at the European Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki, Finland 2009
- Figure skaters began representing Ireland on the international stage in the 2008/2009 season and have competed at World Junior, European and World Championships to date as well as other events around the world.
- Hot water is preferred when flooding or making an ice rink, this is because hot water contains less dissolved oxygen or micro air bubbles which results in harder ice.
- Frank J Zamboni invented the original Zamboni ice re-surfacer in 1949 (which is used in all Irish locations)