What to wear ice skating (and to a roller rink)

Learn to Skate USA puts comfort and the ability to move freely first. It recommends plenty of layers with a jacket, because ice arenas keep their thermostats around 50°F even though it is easy to assume an indoor rink is warm. Sweatpants or warm-up pants work better than bulkier snow pants, and you can take layers off as you warm up.

If your pants make it hard to bend your knees, choose something stretchier: a bent-knee stance is the basis of balance in Learn to Skate USA's beginner technique.

Thin socks beat thick ones. Learn to Skate USA recommends one pair of lightweight socks or thin tights, because bulky socks limit the support a boot gives and create uncomfortable bumps inside it. Skate makers size boots the same way: Jackson Ultima asks skaters to measure their feet in the socks they will skate in, and Riedell's roller sizing guide says the same.

Gloves are less about warmth than protection. Learn to Skate USA says gloves and mittens protect the hands while skaters learn to fall and stand back up, and suggests checking the rink's lost-and-found if you forget yours.

Socks are often required with rental skates. The Overlook Activities Center roller rink in Pennsylvania requires them for hygiene, and the Bryant Park rink in New York sells socks at the counter ($6.24 as listed in October 2026).

Learn to Skate USA says all beginning ice skaters should wear a helmet and names ASTM F1447 and Snell B-90A, B-95 and N-94 as recommended certifications. Its fitting checklist: snug and comfortable, worn low in front to protect the forehead, level rather than tilted back, chin strap buckled, nothing worn underneath and nothing attached to it.

The CPSC notes that no helmet standard exists yet for recreational ice skating and lists ice skating, bicycle, skateboard or snow sport helmets as preferable to wearing none. For recreational roller and in-line skating, it says a CPSC-compliant bicycle helmet can be worn; aggressive or trick skating calls for a skateboard-type helmet certified to ASTM F1492 or Snell N-94. Ice hockey has its own helmet standards (NOCSAE ND030 and ASTM F1045).

Some rinks provide helmets: Bryant Park's rink rents them free.

Outdoor rinks run through the coldest months; Bryant Park's season, for example, runs from October 28, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Dress in the same movable layers as indoors with more insulation on top, and plan to keep your coat on: bags are not allowed on the Bryant Park ice, coats must be worn or checked, and bag check is charged per item ($6.24 as listed in October 2026). Shoe check there is free.

Outdoors, gloves do double duty: warmth as well as protection in falls. If you are skating on a frozen lake or pond rather than a maintained rink, the outdoor ice safety guide covers the gear state agencies recommend, including a life jacket or float coat and ice picks.

Roller skating calls for the same freedom of movement, but the protective gear is different. The AAOS lists a properly fitted helmet, wrist guards, and elbow and knee pads as essential for in-line skaters, and Rollerblade and Riedell recommend the same set. Wrist guards, the AAOS says, help support the wrist and reduce the chance of breaking a bone in a fall.

Rinks also ban some clothing. The Overlook Activities Center lists loose chains and necklaces, long gowns and dresses, tube tops and belly shirts as inappropriate attire that may not be worn while skating.

Posted rink rules ban a familiar set of items from the skating surface: