Ice skating is a popular winter activity that involves gliding across an ice surface using metal-bladed skates. It can be done recreationally or competitively in figure skating and speed skating. Ice skating has a long and interesting history, making it a great topic for riddles!
Here are 57 riddles about various aspects of ice skating to challenge your mind. The answers are provided as well, but try to solve them on your own first. Ice skating terms and trivia are cleverly worked into each brain teaser. Enjoy!
Riddles About Ice Skating Basics
Let’s start with some riddles covering the fundamentals of ice skating:
1. I’m the frozen surface you glide across. What am I?
Answer: Ice
2. I’m the metal blades attached to boots that help you skate. What am I?
Answer: Skates
3. I’m the technique of propelling yourself across the ice. What am I?
Answer: Skating
4. I’m the covered building that provides an indoor skating surface. What am I?
Answer: Arena
5. I’m the move where one foot pushes while the other glides. What am I?
Answer: Stroke
6. I’m the curved shape that skaters trace on the ice. What am I?
Answer: Circle
7. I’m the act of maintaining balance on skates. What am I?
Answer: Posture
8. I’m the speed and elegance skaters strive for. What am I?
Answer: Grace
9. I’m the athletic skill developed through practice. What am I?
Answer: Technique
10. I’m the competitive spirit that drives athletes. What am I?
Answer: Will to win
Riddles About Ice Skating History
Now let’s go back in time with some riddles about the history of ice skating:
11. I’m the country where bone skates originated thousands of years ago. What am I?
Answer: Finland
12. I’m the Dutch village where a skating club was first formed in the 13th century. What am I?
Answer: Bergen
13. I’m the Scottish word meaning “to slide” used to describe early skating. What am I?
Answer: Skelp
14. I’m the first recorded skating club formed in Edinburgh in 1642. What am I?
Answer: Edinburgh Skating Club
15. I’m the inventor who designed all-metal skates in the Netherlands in the 1500s. Who am I?
Answer: Pieter Winsemius
16. I’m the book published in London in 1772 teaching proper skating technique. What am I?
Answer: The Art of Skating
17. I’m the Norwegian speed skater breaking records at Oslo’s first indoor rink in 1864. Who am I?
Answer: Axel Paulsen
18. I’m the year the International Skating Union was founded. What am I?
Answer: 1892
19. I’m the country that originated figure skating competitions in the late 1800s. What am I?
Answer: United States
20. I’m the country that hosted the first Winter Olympics featuring figure skating in 1924. What am I?
Answer: France
Riddles About Figure Skating
Let’s shift our focus to riddles about figure skating next:
21. I’m a skating jump named after a Norwegian skater. What am I?
Answer: Axel
22. I’m a gliding skating move done on one foot. What am I?
Answer: Arabesque
23. I’m a sequence of at least two jumps performed together. What am I?
Answer: Combination
24. I’m a two-footed turn from forward to backward on the ice. What am I?
Answer: Mohawk
25. I’m a curved takeoff edge for a skating jump. What am I?
Answer: Lutz
26. I’m a spin done on one foot with free leg held up. What am I?
Answer: Camel spin
27. I’m a spin variation with upper body leaned to the side. What am I?
Answer: Layback spin
28. I’m the deduction for falling during a program. What am I?
Answer: Fall deduction
29. I’m the brief moment of stillness at the end of a spin. What am I?
Answer: Center
30. I’m the motions matching the music’s rhythm. What am I?
Answer: Interpretation
Riddles About Speed Skating
Let’s pick up the pace with riddles focused on speed skating:
31. I’m the tactic of drafting behind a lead skater. What am I?
Answer: Slipstreaming
32. I’m the mass start race requiring strategy. What am I?
Answer: Pack-style
33. I’m the oval track most common in long track speed skating. What am I?
Answer: 400 meter
34. I’m the tactical position right behind the leader. What am I?
Answer: On the hip
35. I’m the curved area allowing skaters to maintain speed. What am I?
Answer: Cornering
36. I’m the relay event requiring teamwork. What am I?
Answer: Team pursuit
37. I’m the position providing an aerodynamic advantage. What am I?
Answer: Crouch
38. I’m the final finishing lunge across the line. What am I?
Answer: Reach
39. I’m the country that dominated speed skating for decades. What am I?
Answer: Norway
40. I’m the sprinting tactic for maintaining power. What am I?
Answer: Double poling
Riddles About Ice Skating Moves
How about some riddles focused on popular ice skating moves and techniques:
41. I’m a one-foot gliding position named after a bird. What am I?
Answer: Penguin
42. I’m a two-foot turn from backward to forward on the ice. What am I?
Answer: Three-turn
43. I’m a position with free leg extended behind and arms extended. What am I?
Answer: Shoot the duck
44. I’m a gliding position matching my name. What am I?
Answer: Sit spin
45. I’m a crouched skating position named after an animal. What am I?
Answer: Quadrupled
46. I’m a fun circle done with linked skaters. What am I?
Answer: Wheel
47. I’m a whirling one-foot turn on ice. What am I?
Answer: Twizzle
48. I’m a challenging spin variation in midair. What am I?
Answer: Butterfly spin
49. I’m a jump landing on the back outside edge. What am I?
Answer: Lutz jump
50. I’m a two-foot spin with changing foot positions. What am I?
Answer: Change foot spin
Riddles About Ice Skating Competitions
Get ready for some riddles focused on competitive ice skating events and contests:
51. I’m the elite international figure skating contest. What am I?
Answer: Grand Prix
52. I’m the judged segment focusing on skill and choreography. What am I?
Answer: Short program
53. I’m the high-level junior Grand Prix event held in France. What am I?
Answer: Prix de Lausanne
54. I’m the biennial speed skating competition in Heerenveen. What am I?
Answer: World Single Distance Championships
55. I’m the mass start race requiring strategy. What am I?
Answer: Marathon
56. I’m the coveted five-ringed international games. What am I?
Answer: Olympics
57. I’m awarded for first place finishes. What am I?
Answer: Gold medal
Conclusion
There you have it – 57 riddles covering a wide range of ice skating topics and trivia! From the basics of the sport to its history to competitive events, these brain teasers challenge you to think about the many aspects of gliding across the ice. Ice skating provides so much material for clever and interesting riddles. Now grab your skates and hit the rink to see if you can solve these puzzles on the ice!