An early relict
All early ice skates seem to have had pretty wide and low blades. This means that the skater stood very close to the ice surface and the movement therefore must have been gliding rather than skating.
 

This picture shows a runner blade from the 17th century. It was found at dredging activities in Zevenhuizen, South-Holland. The height of the blade is 12 mm at the rear and 3 mm at the front; it is 35 cm long. The width of the blade increases from 6 mm at the rear to 10 mm at the front.  The blade has a triangular shape with the top up at the rear and declines to the front in a flat rectangle. It is thought that 'the curl' enclosed the most forward part of the platform, which at the rear was kept in place by a screw. The 'curl' contains a master mark consisting of an arrow in which a crossbow is visible and some initials showing W.v.STIN or so.

Further
to
page

1 - 2 - 3 - 4
 5 - 6 - 7 - 8