Taipei City Government

As the cool of the winter months settles in, many people bring their activities indoors. However, around parks in Taipei you'll find many roller-skating rinks, and these continue to be packed with happy skaters decked out in full protective regalia, especially on weekends and holidays. Da'an Park, Yingfeng Riverside Park , Youth Park, the area by Bailing Bridge , Tianmu Park , and numerous other locations all have highquality skating facilities, where roller-skating enthusiasts go to satisfy their need for speed.

Skating in its broadest sense is taken to mean on ice, using knife-like blades attached to the bottom of boots that allow you to glide across smooth ice surfaces, and also include skating on paved surfaces using rollers attached to the underside of boots, either aligned in a row (in-line skating/roller-blading) or side by side (rollerskating). The roller variety was invented in 1760 by John Joseph Merlin, who wanted to continue to experience the joys of skating in summer. Nowadays the majority of skaters use in-line skates, an easier-to-learn style that has stimulated much greater interest in skating for exercise.

Joys of Speed, Skating with the Wind in Different Rinks

If you'd like to experience the fashionably“cool” swishing fun of a day of in-line skating in Taipei, you can participate in skating class with a coach, costing you around NT$200-300 every two hours. Also, don't forget that safety is the key. In addition to your skates you should have the full range of protective gears, including a safety helmet and protectors for wrists, elbows, and knees. First warm up for 5 to 10 minutes, slowly stretching all your joints, before heading out with others on the rink. Wherever you are—the rink at Da'an Park or elsewhere— you and your fellow skaters are seen to be part of an exotic legion of local derring-do types, learning from and teaching each other as you go. Or head over to the wide-open expanses at Yingfeng Riverside Park, where you can glide about in groups of friends and witness first-hand just how popular this pastime has become in Taipei. Or head to Bailing Left Bank Park , where there is a special facility used for competitions at the Bailing Bridge Skating Rink, where you'll see expert skaters practicing deft moves and, on occasion, thrilling flat-out racing, delicate yet powerful figure skating, or exciting roller-hockey games. Over at Youth Park you'll find a gourd-shaped rink, and Tianmu Park has a lovely shaded facility beside luxuriant, fragrant forest and the meandering Huang Stream (; Sulfur Stream); these rinks are especially well-suited for beginners, allowing you to get your feet and learn your moves at your own pace and with lots of space.

Doing splendid acrobatic moves in a specialized skating facility

If you'd like to try your hand at ice-skating, Taipei Arena Ice Land is conveniently close at hand. The ice sheet here is permanently in place, and it's cold inside, so make sure your clothes are both warm and comfy enough for ice-skating; that means long sleeves, long pants, a jacket, and gloves. Your set of protective gear will include a safety helmet and protectors for knees, hands, and elbows. Before heading out, make sure you do proper warmup exercises. Then it's smooth sailing over the 60-by- 30-meter snow-white ice surface, which was the first, and is the only, ice rink in Taiwan meeting international competition standards. There's figure skating here, and speed skating, and there are even leagues for ice hockey. For lessons, whether for hockey or skating, just register ahead of time. Because there is less friction on ice, the sensation of gliding is much more powerful compared to in-line skating. What better way to create for yourself a sweet set of“cool”memories of time well spent in cool Taipei!