Blades of Steel

Written and photographed by William Urbanski.

One of my favorite Gwangju traditions is strapping on the skates at the city hall skating rink every winter. For anyone who hasn’t been there, it’s basically the best. For 1,000 won (yes, only a buck), you can rent skates and slash around a pretty well-maintained rink for about 45 minutes. I’m not sure how Gwangju puts this on every year without losing a ton of money, but then again, my guiding principle in life is to not argue with a good thing.

Being from Canada, where virtually all people spend a good chunk of their childhoods in and around hockey arenas, enjoying an outdoor rink on a cool winter’s day harks back to a simpler time. There’s also something organic about enjoying a few dozen laps around the ice while listening to speakers blast the best of what the Korean music industry has to offer.

So here’s how it works: Take a bus to Gwangju City Hall (광주광역시청) in Sangmu (parking in the area isn’t good) and make your way to the ticket booth just beside the rink. In order to skate, you need to buy a ticket for a specific start time, which is around every hour. After buying your ticket, you have to go to the next window to get your skates which, while not “professional quality,” are very usable and actually not that bad. After strapping those babies on, you’ll have to wait for your start time before getting on the ice.

One thing that’s worth mentioning here is how well-staffed this whole skating operation is. The ticket window and the skate rental area both have plenty of people helping you out. There was one instance last year when I couldn’t get my skates to fit just right and had to change them a few times. Can you guess how much of a hard time the staff gave me? None. Another great feature is the convenience store that’s set up, providing all sorts of noodles, snacks, hot chocolate, and coffee.

As for the rink itself, it’s surprisingly good. There’s a real-life Zamboni that comes out and cleans the ice pretty frequently, so the surface is quite smooth and clear. My only real gripe (a nitpicky thing, I admit) is that skaters are only allowed to go in one direction for the entire time, which gets slightly tedious – it’d be better if they’d change the direction halfway through.

For those of you who aren’t interested in testing out this rink because you don’t know how to skate, I have two things to say. First, I pity you. Second, skating is a fundamental human skill, and this is your chance to learn one of the best and simplest pleasures of winter. So, channel your inner Kim Yuna and get out there.

Now, once you get there and master the basics of skating, here are a few trick tips to help take you to the next level.

The 180

Much like its namesake implies, this maneuver involves rotating your body 180 degrees while continuing to move in the same direction. Every person in Canada knows how to do this flawlessly, and it’s an essential hockey skating technique. While there are many variations on this one, the easiest way to do it involves doing the slightest jump while turning your body clockwise. It helps to think of pivoting on your toes. To make this one look good, keep the flailing arm movements to a minimum, and try to do the 180 as fast as possible.

The “Save the Last Dance”

This involves striking the iconic pose from the poster of the 2001 classic dance drama Save the Last Dance while dragging one skate sideways on the ice. To do it, gain a little speed going forward, lift up your left skate, and cross your left and right calf muscles. The tip of your left skate should be touching the ice and dragging. The key to this trick is to throw your arms above your head and to the right, just like Julia Stiles. The longer you hold it, the more points you get.

While we’re at it, here are a couple of moves I don’t recommend doing:

Holding onto the boards while taking a selfie.

Falling on your rump and getting in my way while I’m trying to do a “Save the Last Dance.”

Overall, wintertime skating at City Hall is a cheap, wholesome, quality outing that is perfect for friends, family, or even a little date with that special someone.

Gwangju City Hall Outdoor Ice Skating Rink

Dates: December 14, 2019 – February 9, 2020

Operating Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 5:40 p.m. (weekdays); until 8:20 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

Admission:  1,000 won/hour

Address: 111 Naebang-ro (Chipyeong-dong), Seo-gu, Gwangju / 광주광역시 서구 내방로111 (치평동)

Buses (from U Square): 01, 02.

Phone: (062) 120

The Author

William Urbanski, managing editor of the Gwangju News, has an MA in international relations and cultural diplomacy. In the wintertime, he can periodically be found on the skating rink at City Hall.