Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be performed on naturally frozen bodies of water, such as ponds, lakes, canals, and rivers, and on human-made ice surfaces both indoors and outdoors.
Outdoor ice skaters in 1925
A postman in Germany during the winter of 1900 (stamp from 1994)
Skating fun by 17th century Dutch painter Hendrick Avercamp
The Skating Minister by Henry Raeburn, depicting a member of the Edinburgh Skating Club in the 1790s
Ice skates are metal blades attached underfoot and used to propel the bearer across a sheet of ice while ice skating.
A pair of ice skates
Ice skating in Graz in 1909
Medieval bone skates on display at the Museum of London
German ice skates from the 19th century, the boot came separately