Selective Focus: The People’s Free Skate Rink Freakout
Images from the largest freshwater skating rink in the world, featuring Friday night’s performance by the Spin Collective.
Images from the largest freshwater skating rink in the world, featuring Friday night’s performance by the Spin Collective.
Hudson-based F3 Visuals shot this Lake Superior surf video earlier this year and released it this week.
This week will be cold but relatively free of precipitation, so any rinkspace recovered will likely survive a few days. It looks like a blasted moonscape out there right now, but a couple hours of shoveling will uncover the byways of our lost civilization, that culture of pure leisure we established whose spirit survives.
Presented for your amusement, a series of videos chronicling the Feb. 19 and Feb. 23 skating parties on Lake Superior. Above are clips shot by Rich Narum, which the PDD AV Squad has assembled as an introduction to the wonder of the People’s Free Skate Rink.
Tomas’ video scrapbook from the People’s Free Skate Rink on Saturday. This event was the culmination of a rolling 7-day spontaneous party on foot-thick ice over 40-foot-deep water. Featuring DJ Kevin Craig, in a set he shared with Pete Biasi/RAW SPACE. Footage includes the snowy owl that buzzed us in the final frames.
Photo by Jon Choi
The People’s Free Skate Rink on the ice sheet near Leif Erikson Park is still open and fabulous, but the weather’s turning the next couple days so take advantage today-tomorrow while you definitely still can. I think you’ll like what we’ve done with the place, an ice maze of islands and slollums. Don’t need skates, just come bask in the view of the city and the sky. After dark the snow turns pink in the city lights, a premier hangout for the adventurous. See you there!
Max Moen and I did this once before in 2014. This will be open as long as weather permits maintaining it. It is on Lake Superior directly off Leif Erickson Park from the stage, about a quarter mile. It is marked with orange cones which hopefully no one will eff with. Ice is around a foot thick, you could drive a train on it. This is the premier skate course in town, a hundred feet long with many twisty paths. Even if you don’t have skates, it is a great excuse for a party. Bring bikes, kites, beach chairs, flags, capes, etc.
Lake Superior Aquaman reporting. Co-starring my buddy Meghan AKA The Meg
Made it to 35th before impassable stacks of plate ice.
Video by Twin Cities-based Sky Candy Studios.
This video by Erik Wilkie documents a Jan. 20 surfing expedition on Lake Superior when the temperature was -15 Fahrenheit.
Video by Danny Baker.
Shoe company Vans brings its branded content team to Duluth, and the locals show them some of the winter surf “hot” spots.
