Just because temperatures have dipped below what we’re used to in Vancouver doesn’t mean everyone should be lacing up their skates. At least that is what the Park Board wants you to believe.

The ice covering Vancouver’s lakes and ponds may look strong enough to support skaters, but the city’s icy surfaces haven’t been safe for public skating since 1996.

But old-timers may remember that outdoor skating in Vancouver used to be commonplace at Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park (above).

Those thinking the temperatures are cold enough for skating in the city’s parks are apparently wrong. The Vancouver Park Board has warned that in order to be safe, lakes or ponds must have an icy coating that is at least 5 inches thick.

Some local Kits residents wonder whether the ban on skating is really necessary.

All day Wednesday hockey players took advantage of the cold snap that has frozen the pond in Vanier Park, skating right past the signs warning of thin ice.

Last modified: January 4, 2017

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