The virtual ice Skates museum | Menu speed skates

Menu speed skates
• American speed skates • Belgian speed skates • English speed skates • Friesland speed skates • Groningen speed skates • Holland speed skates • Dutch speed skates • Norwegian speed skates • West-Friesland speed skates • Swedish speed skates	Ice skates made for skating straight forward are called speed skates. Dedicated speed skates should be light yet sufficient sturdy for transferring a maximum of physical power to the ice surface. The Norwegian skaters Paulsen and Hagen therefore experimented already around 1890 with blades that were completely supported by light weight tubular frames and boots fixed to them. Their ideas are still valid. As touring was a very popular sport practised by young and old, poor and rich and as the Netherlands did not have a metalworking industry of any importance until after the Second World War hundred thousands of ice skates with wooden platforms were made by by local blacksmiths as a bridging product for the winter season when agricultural activities came to a pause. Only after the middle of the 20th century all-metal speed skates became the standard in the Netherlands as well.
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Menu speed skates

• American speed skates

• Belgian speed skates

• English speed skates

• Friesland speed skates

• Groningen speed skates

• Holland speed skates

• Dutch speed skates

• Norwegian speed skates

• West-Friesland speed skates

• Swedish speed skates

Ice skates made for skating straight forward
are called speed skates.

Dedicated speed skates should be light
yet sufficient sturdy for transferring a maximum
of physical power to the ice surface.
The Norwegian skaters Paulsen and Hagen
therefore experimented already around 1890
with blades that were completely supported
by light weight tubular frames and boots fixed to them.
Their ideas are still valid.

As touring was a very popular sport
practised by young and old, poor and rich
and as the Netherlands did not have a metalworking industry
of any importance until after the Second World War
hundred thousands of ice skates with wooden platforms
were made by by local blacksmiths as a bridging product
for the winter season when agricultural activities
came to a pause.

Only after the middle of the 20th century
all-metal speed skates became the standard
in the Netherlands as well.