Even before the new year begins, many people want to work out again.

After all, most of the Christmas days were spent with family or friends talking, eating, playing and sometimes going for a walk.

However, the sport has mostly been neglected.

With temperatures in the double digits, winter sports may not be high on the priority list.

But if you like to glide quickly over ice, you should hurry.

Because some of the ice skating offers, which are already rare this year in view of the energy crisis, end with the school holidays on January 8th.

Ingrid Karb

Sheet editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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At the beginning of the season it looked as if ice skating would have to be canceled completely this winter.

The natural waters have not frozen so much for a long time that they can be walked on.

Due to the sharp increase in energy costs caused by the war in Ukraine and the appeal to save electricity, the seasonal ice rinks were also dispensed with in many places.

This affected small ice surfaces at Christmas markets as well as larger offers, for example in the spa towns of Bad Homburg, Bad Vilbel and Bad Schwalbach.

In Wiesbaden they refrained from operating the Henkell artificial ice rink, and in Hanau the public utility canceled the ice arena.

Ice substitute that takes some getting used to

In Wiesbaden, at least children don't have to do without the fun on runners.

The Kindersternschnuppenmarkt, which takes place on Luisenplatz until January 8th, also includes an ice skating rink - albeit made of white plastic.

The energy-saving variant is also being tried out in other places and plastic is used instead of frozen food.

The central Hessian city of Marburg even laid out the synthetic alternative in its stadium.

Until February 5, you can skate under one roof on 600 square meters.

However, driving on the plastic takes some getting used to.

In contrast, the plastic surface on the roof terrace of Frankfurt's Skyline Plaza shopping center is only 200 square meters.

Just enough to try driving on the slabs.

Three young couples, a group of young girls and a young woman came that evening.

The latter is particularly ambitious.

Again and again she tries to turn.

But she doesn't manage to turn completely around her own axis during the pirouette.

"I prefer real ice," she says to her companion, who didn't come onto the ice with her.

Finally, she glides elegantly across the surface on one leg.

She falls trying to grab the floating leg and pull it over her head.

She quickly straightens up and runs her hand over her knee.

That will probably give a bruise.

Smooth but fast

Meanwhile, the couples do a few laps and then pause at the gang.

They discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the plastic web.

"It's pretty slippery," says one of the women.

"But that's great for driving fast," says one of the young men and storms off.

As soon as he got going, he had to brake hard in front of the barrier on the opposite side.

The return trip ends with a loud crash at the gang.

"The space is too small for that," he admits.

"An hour can be quite a long time," one of the men finally says, and everyone laughs.