Fiery memories of ice

The sounds of skate blades gliding and biting into the ice travel from afar, through space and time. They remind me of Colorado, childhood and a frozen pond where cottonwoods grew, a world of magpies, frogs, carp and catfish. I was 9 or 10, cold, and my ankles were wobbly. I have no recollection of grace or speed. I did not glide eagle-like -- chest puffed out, wings extended -- soaring and looping through frigid air. There were no spectacular leaps, crescendos or clashing cymbals to my movements, unless you consider my falls. What I recall, mostly, is the sky.

Skating for me was a process of brattling along, scraping the ice in short, uneven strides, legs bowed one second, knock-kneed the next. Much of my time was spent with my back upon the ice, snowflakes dancing all around me as I gazed up into winter’s grayness.

On sunny days, when the air seemed crystalline, fragile somehow, the sky was an endless blue, and the sounds of skates all around me seemed louder than usual as they joined with laughter, calamity and the heaving in my chest. I hear them now as I observe preparations for a new rink on the shore of Lake Arrowhead next to the village. Ice skating, like baseball, is more wonderful when performed in the outdoors, where sounds do not bounce off cinderblock walls and rafters do not replace stars.

It is even more wonderful in the mountains, where I live and where in winter there is snow, or the promise of it, as well as evergreens and the mingling scents of wood smoke and cider. It is a place with four distinct seasons, unlike most of Southern California, and winter may be my favorite of them all. It is a community known for ice skating, home to the Ice Castle International Training Center, where Olympians, including Michelle Kwan, have trained. Of late, however, there has been no place for the rest of us, those whose aspirations do not point toward bronze, silver or gold but merely to a cup of hot cocoa. The roof of our public rink collapsed under the weight of snow in February 2001 and was not rebuilt.

So it is with a sense of celebration that public outdoor skating returns to Lake Arrowhead, in the San Bernardino Mountains about 90 miles from Los Angeles. It comes with a price, however. A 45-minute session costs $7 for adults and $5 for children 6 and younger. Skate rentals are $3.

The pond of my childhood was free. If it had a name, I can’t recall it. I went there with my brother, sister and friends and took particular delight in slinging rocks across the surface of the ice to see how far they would glide.

Later in life, I remember watching my wife and oldest daughter, now 21, skate hand-in-hand one night at an outdoor rink in Steamboat Springs, Colo. It was after a day of skiing and remains as precious a memory as I have.

At this new rink, I hope to watch my wife skate with our youngest daughter, who is 4 and anxious for all that is new. This will be her pond, the one she will remember, perhaps, years from now just as I remember mine. Perhaps she and I will skate together and lie with our backs upon the ice, gazing at snowflakes or stars or a deep blue sky as we listen to wintry sounds. And feel the heaving in our chests.

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Duane Noriyuki can be contacted by e-mail at duane.noriyuki@latimes.com.

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Lake Arrowhead Village Ice Rink

Where: Lake Arrowhead Village, located off Highway 18 on the south shore of Lake Arrowhead, 90 miles from Los Angeles. The rink is located on the peninsula, next to the outdoor stage, at the far end of the village.

Cost: Skate rentals, $3. Lessons: a 45-minute session is $7 for adults, $5 for children 6 and younger.

Parking: Free parking in the village lots.

Info: (909) 337-3814, or www.lakearrowheadvillage.com.

Other outdoor rinks: Please see the Events section in 8 Days, Calendar Weekend’s listings, which begin on Page 39.