Does anyone know of any rinks accessible from Downeast Maine? I'm planning to move there in a couple of years, and the only down side seems to be that I might have to give up skating.

I love Maine! I don't know much about rinks there, but I found a website for the Skating Club of Maine with a list of rinks:
http://www.scmaine.org/page.phtml?id=rinks

Most of them seem to be in/around Augusta. But there are a few others listed too.

Hi there,
I'm a member of the skating club of Maine. Where exactly are you in "downeast"...that covers a lot of territory!

Julie

I'll be in Steuben--it's on the coast in Washington County, just over the border with Hancock County. As far as I can tell, there's nothing closer than 2 hours away...

Hmm, wow, that really is downeast. I think your closest rink will be in Bangor. It's a hockey rink with occasional figure ice available. The good news is we have great coaches, and they travel all over the state for lessons (the same coaches teach at all the rinks).

It looks like there are some parks & recreation rinks around Washington county. Most towns flood and maintain an area in a local park, but you're at the mercy of the weather. Maine has been unusually warm the past few winters--crappy outdoor skating.

Maine is primarily a hockey state, figure skating ice is squeezed in here and there. You might want to invest in a few materials to make your own rink, practice on that, and then head into Bangor once a week for a lesson. You can do your shopping at the same time.

Actually, you might want to check just over the border into Canada. Might be closer?

Washington county is absolutely beautiful, but there's not much for civilization.

Feel free to email me if you need more information.

Julie

Thanks, Julie! I looked a little further and discovered that there's an indoor ice rink in Bangor that has figure skating and public sessions. Unfortunately, it's seasonal (and I'm unclear as to exactly what the "season" consists of, but at about an hour away, it's the closest. Bangor also has some outdoor rinks, but I prefer indoor. So I feel a little better now, knowing that all I have to do is resign myself to the hour drive each way! I can live without skating in the summer--that's kayaking and hiking season anyway!

Do you know where I can find information about building my own ice rink? I'm curious...