Located below the resplendent Sun Mountain Lodge, Patterson joins Perrygin Lake as the Methow’s most dependable natural ice surfaces. “Isn’t that Justin Timberlake under that balaclava?” But my rink time was just a prelude to the highlight of the day, skating on frozen Patterson Lake. Reminiscent of growing up, I awoke at 7:00 Saturday morning to prepare for a 7:30 open hockey session at Winthrop’s fairly new outdoor ice arena. Last winter, I spent a few days in the Methow Valley. The Methow, Okanagan and Sun Valley join Whistler to form our brightest constellation of four season destinations that, not surprisingly, offer some of the best skating under the stars. Altitude, dry air and outdoor spirit blend perfectly along the entire corridor east of the Cascades, ideal for a romantic evening holding hands (and each other up!) or playing a spirited game of “shinny” (pick-up hockey with infinite numbers of players, varied skill levels and, my favorite, an absence of scorekeeping).

As a former college hockey player who gobbled up every chance to skate al fresco growing up in Western New York, how can I blame them?įortunately, while no one in my Seattle neighborhood transforms his backyard into a rink like my best friend does back home, the number of fresh air skating rinks is growing in the Northwest.

ski area in the Canadian Okanagan, but my kids are more interested in the frozen pond than skiing some of the best snow of the season. The snow has fallen softly all night at Silver Star Ski Resort, and my kids can’t wait to go… ice skating! We’ve driven seven hours from Seattle to the Vernon, B.C.

Ice skating game for kids elsa