If you’ve been skating for a while, you’ll know exactly what patch ice is; if you’re new to the sport, you might have heard the phrase, but don’t quite know what it means.

So what is Patch Ice?

Basically, it’s time set aside on the ice for more advanced figure skaters who want to practice their moves with less chance of bumping into someone, and with the added attraction of the possibility of some one-to-one coaching from a qualified skating coach. It’s sometimes also called Figure Ice.

So why do we do it, and how does it run?

First off, the number of people on the ice is much more limited – our patch ice sessions are currently limited to 35 people, and they won’t all turn up at the same time, so there will often be fewer than 35 on the ice at any time.

Secondly, you need to have already achieved a certain level of competence – we require an absolute minimum of Skate UK Level 4 before coming to Patch Ice.

And, perhaps obviously, you need to have all your own kit – there’s no skate hire available during patch sessions.

Once you’ve decided patch ice is right for you (or a coach has advised you are ready for it), you can book patch ice in broadly the same way as our public sessions – just click on the link for the session you want, and you’ll be taken to our online ticket shop where you can choose how many tickets you want – tickets for Friends of Inverness Ice Centre and regular tickets are available, make sure you choose the correct one. You will be asked to enter your Friends membership number if you have one, and you must bring your card with you when you come for your session – if you don’t, you will be asked to pay the difference in fee before going on the ice.

Time with a qualified coach is for you to arrange with the coach in question – booking patch ice does not guarantee there will be a coach available for you, and likewise booking a coach doesn’t get you a patch ice booking. It’s probably best, if you can, to talk to the coach you want to work with and use the Ice Centre WiFi to find a mutually agreeable session. The Ice Centre does not handle payments for coaches – you need to arrange that with your chosen coach.

Current patch ice sessions available to book are below

Please note, the early Saturday sessions have been changed to run from 07:45 to 09:45.