No-chill thrills at Singapore's first artificial ice rink

Will your kid be the next Michelle Kwan? Maybe not, but you'll never know unless you get them onto the ice first.

As a prologue to our list of heat-beating retreats on this tropical searing island, here's a quick look at a fun new activity from Stamford American International School (SAIS) and the Singapore Ice Hockey Association (SIHA): a temporary, artificial ice rink on the SAIS campus.

The outdoor rink will be a first for Singapore, and there's no need for humpty-dumpty padded jackets as the "ice" actually consists of interlocking squares of white plastic, which have been sprayed with a mixture of silicone and water to allow normal ice skates to slide across the surface. It'll also serve as a trial for this new technology, which will make ice skating and ice hockey a whole lot more accessible in the tropical weather of Southeast Asia.

The artificial ice rink is open to the public over two weekends in February, but has a limit of a half-hour, so pre-registration is required and is confirmed on a first-come-first-served basis. The cost per half-hour time slot is S$10, which includes skate rental. Socks are required and gloves are highly recommended for safety reasons.

getting there

Singapore's first artificial ice skating rink
February 13,14 & 20, 21, from 2pm to 4pm
Stamford American International School campus
11 Lorong Chuan, Singapore
tel +65 6602 SAIS (7247)
www.sais.com.sg

A technology reporter and wannabe entrepreneur in a previous life, Larry is now City Editor for CNNGo Singapore, where he sacrifices his nights, caffeine intake and waistline to the demands of the job.

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