KHS ICE ARENA Technical Score: Level 3 -1 GOE for being crazy-cold!!
KHS is a hidden gem. It was once a Glacial Garden, but it closed for some time. Many people aren't aware that the rink is open again under new ownership or that the sessions are very, very uncrowded. I'd kind of like to keep it that way, although I'm sure I'm not helping matters any by lauding the rink's merits on the internet. hehe... KHS is tucked away in an Anaheim industrial park near the skanky goth club where some gangbanger stabbed someone in the parking lot a while back. From the outside, it looks like all the other businesses in the area. But when you go inside, you find a wonderful training facility with two ice surfaces, several locker rooms (hockey is the primary focus here), and a snack bar. Supposedly, there is a pro shop in the building, but I've never seen it. KHS is pretty no-frills in the decor department, but if you're there to train, you're not really concerned about whether or not the building is pretty. As long as the place is clean and well-maintained (and at KHS, it is), it's all good. The ice at KHS is, for the most part, very good -- not too hard or soft. Both surfaces have a noticeable dip near the Zamboni gate, but I've never noticed any perennial ruts that threaten to throw me off an edge. The best thing about KHS is that the sessions are never crowded. Even the public sessions feel like freestyles. Also, at the public sessions, there are few people who have come in for a one-off session with friends, so the ice is dominated by figure skaters who are at the session to do hardcore practicing and who know how to stay out of one another's way. The only drawback to skating at KHS is that it is crazy-cold, even for an ice rink. The air conditioner blows constantly, forcefully, and loudly at all times, and it's hard to warm up, even after skating around for some time. When skating at KHS, skaters would be wise to bring along an extra layer.
KHS ICE ARENA
|