How Skate Helpers Are Transforming Ice Skating Experiences for All Ages

Many ice arenas use two Skate Helpers stacked together in their adaptive skating programs and for adult-only skates. Below, in red, is a testimonial from our customer Chris at the Scottsville Ice Arena in NY:

We’ve had taller adults stack up to 3 skate helpers successfully. I personally worked with this particular woman and suggested stacking (3) of them for her. She returned 2 times afterward and did this, and now she is a weekly customer, skating on her own without a helper. It is very common to see older kids and adults stack 2 of them. Next time I’m at the rink for an open skate, I will get some pictures of our guests doing this successfully.

They have changed our open skate business. Making them free to use has appealed to new customers and encouraged those who might otherwise not try ice skating to go out and enjoy time with friends and family on the ice.

Skate Helper is a tool to introduce kids to hockey. Many minor hockey associations have purchased the Skate Helper for their programs to introduce children to skating in a safe way. Once the skater develops their stride and gains confidence, they are ready to put on hockey gear and learn about the game. I also have several adult adaptive hockey teams with the IIHF that use the Skate Helper in their leagues. The Canadian Blind Hockey Association also uses Skate Helpers in their programming.

The City of Toronto uses several hundred Skate Helpers in their city rinks and with their Desjardins Skate Lending Library.

Getting out on the ice is fun, and skating is a relatively inexpensive sport to do. From my personal experience with my son, I paid for countless skating sessions before putting him into hockey. I didn’t realize I could put him into hockey without him knowing how to skate. By the time he joined a team, he was behind on his skating skills. It took about two years and many power skating sessions for him to make a rep team and become a top player. In short, once they get going, the learning curve can be very quick.

I skated with two Skate Helpers stacked together when I skated on the Ottawa Canal in Feb 2020. I was nervous getting back on skates but felt confident using the Skate Helpers.