Skates on a plane & Skating on natural ice

[anonymoose_au]

Yeah, I agree with everyone else, better to check them in. I got a bit of a scare when I tried to take my skates on a cruise (Royal Caribbean has ships with ice rinks on them!) as carry-on because I misunderstood their instructions. Security pulled me over and I thought I was going to have to leave them behind! Fortunately they just put them in the ship's onboard security area and I picked them up later on. But they wouldn't do that for planes.

I too keep hearing Samuel L Jackson whenever I read the heading of this! Although you really wouldn't want skates in the overhead bins now that I think about it...imagine if there was serious turberlance!

 

[Sam L]

I just have to say this, but every time this thread gets bumped up towards the top, I read it as "Snakes on a Plane", as in the Samuel L. Jackson movie.

You are so right:

"I've had it with these m*********ing skates on this m*********ing plane!"

Yeah, I agree with everyone else, better to check them in. I got a bit of a scare when I tried to take my skates on a cruise (Royal Caribbean has ships with ice rinks on them!) as carry-on because I misunderstood their instructions. Security pulled me over and I thought I was going to have to leave them behind! Fortunately they just put them in the ship's onboard security area and I picked them up later on. But they wouldn't do that for planes.

I too keep hearing Samuel L Jackson whenever I read the heading of this! Although you really wouldn't want skates in the overhead bins now that I think about it...imagine if there was serious turberlance!

I changed the title now lol I will just luggage them wherever I go.

So next trip looks likely to be Canada possibly Feb/Mar. Is there a possibility that I can skate on natural ice during this time? If so, where are some good locations in Canada? Canada looks like a dream place for frozen lake skating.

 

[kolyadafan2002]

Honestly it's so much better to have skates checked in as a rule. Anything that can be used as a weapon, will inevitably used as a weapon in this day and age.

Europe is sensible on having it as hold luggage only

 

[sandraskates]

Well, since this thread is from 2017 and so is my first reply, I have to add a caution due to a really nasty experience in 2018.
I took a trip within the USA and on my return trip home I got the TSA agent from h*ll. Don't want to relive the details about her hasseling me about my carry-on skates but it got bad and her supervisor was of no help.

If you're flying within the USA, it is OK to take skates on the plane but print this out and keep it with you:
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/skates

In 2019 I traveled again with my skates as carry-on and had no problems.

 

[Sibelius]

Well, since this thread is from 2017 and so is my first reply, I have to add a caution due to a really nasty experience in 2018.
I took a trip within the USA and on my return trip home I got the TSA agent from h*ll. Don't want to relive the details about her hasseling me about my carry-on skates but it got bad and her supervisor was of no help.

If you're flying within the USA, it is OK to take skates on the plane but print this out and keep it with you:
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/skates

In 2019 I traveled again with my skates as carry-on and had no problems.

Ditto. In the US it ALL depends on the TSA agent you get. Austin was the worst, pulled my 11 year old aside and ripped through her skate suitcase. Still better than flying to a competition and not having your skates arrive. Can't just go down to the Walgreens for a new pair.

 

[Arwen17]

I traveled in 2018 thru Chicago with my skates and nobody questioned it. I carried the skates VERY openly. They were in my mesh backpack with the words "My Team Name Ice Theatre" blazoned across it. Everyone in the entire airport could see I was carrying figure skates thru the mesh pockets and everyone could see WHY with the "Ice Theatre" words on the bag itself.
Just make it easy and obvious to the TSA what you're carrying. If you put it in a solid bag, keep the skates on top so if they want to check them, it's super easy to do so and they don't have to go tearing thru your bag to find them. It's the same as if you were carrying a bunch of cords and electronics. It's best to have all of the cords neatly rolled up and stacked so they can see what you're carrying and easily investigate it if they want to. The only time they ever double-checked my plethora of electronics is when I had messily shoved it into a bag and they couldn't clearly see what was going on on the xray machine with all those cords mangled together inside a bag.

 

[sandraskates]

I traveled in 2018 thru Chicago with my skates and nobody questioned it. I carried the skates VERY openly. They were in my mesh backpack with the words "My Team Name Ice Theatre" blazoned across it. Everyone in the entire airport could see I was carrying figure skates thru the mesh pockets and everyone could see WHY with the "Ice Theatre" words on the bag itself.
Just make it easy and obvious to the TSA what you're carrying. If you put it in a solid bag, keep the skates on top so if they want to check them, it's super easy to do so and they don't have to go tearing thru your bag to find them. It's the same as if you were carrying a bunch of cords and electronics. It's best to have all of the cords neatly rolled up and stacked so they can see what you're carrying and easily investigate it if they want to. The only time they ever double-checked my plethora of electronics is when I had messily shoved it into a bag and they couldn't clearly see what was going on on the xray machine with all those cords mangled together inside a bag.

Yes, that's all well and good - until it isn't. Take the TSA printout.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I would never dare to carry my skates in anything but my hard sided carry-on. They are much too precious cargo to have in a soft sided bag or a mesh bag. They can still be scanned and seen in the hard-sided carry-on and I've not had any problems, I do place them where there is nothing that could be on top or block them from being seen in my bag when checked through TSA.

 

[Milissa18]

Hi,
Im wondering if anyone could help me out. Im thinking about going to Sweden for a about a month (this may turn out to be longer) and was wondering if I could take my skates. Im not going for a comp but really want to skate over there and maybe get some training in
Many thanks
Milissa

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hi,
Im wondering if anyone could help me out. Im thinking about going to Sweden for a about a month (this may turn out to be longer) and was wondering if I could take my skates. Im not going for a comp but really want to skate over there and maybe get some training in
Many thanks
Milissa

Check with your airline and TSA/Customs. They'll be able to give you definitive answer and if they have to be in checked baggage or if they can go in carry-on! Enjoy!

 

[Query]

I used to play rink guard, sometimes on an outdoor rink. Because badly maintained ice (It is hard to maintain outdoor ice well in some weather conditions) can have a lot of rough stuff on top, very sharp blades help a lot, because they cut through the junk. They probably won't stay sharp for many skates, because of dirt, mud, pollen, etc. I wouldn't use high end blades if you have a choice.

Be sure to carry blade guards, so you can step off ice without ruining your blades. But as always, take the gaurds off as soon as you can, wipe the blades completely dry, oil them if they aren't stainless steel. But for outdoor use - clean them, and the guards too.

Be prepared to fall: The ice often isn't as smooth, and is sometimes covered by a layer of water. If you need padding and a helmet to fall gently, use them. Wear clothing that stays warm while wet. You may also need gloves, wind breakers, face masks, in fact all the usual outdoor outerwear. Don't be surprised if kids skate fast through the water layer if present, and send it spraying all over you. Don't be surprised if the top layer is warm enough that you sink pretty deep. Or cold enough that you don't have as much grip. Or if you can barely see through the fog.

And of course be careful - if it is a reasonably deep pond or lake, and isn't cold or hard or thick enough, you could fall through and die.

BTW I've heard rumors of security people on other public transport getting upset about skates too. It does kind of make sense. I see no reason sharp heavy skates aren't potentially just as dangerous as other blades.