I knocked out a new pair of bone skates and took them for a test today.
You will note that they look suspiciously like barely trimmed cow bones, which is absolutely correct. I flattened them somewhat by trimming with an axe, but mostly they kept their original shape. I drilled holes in the front and back and threaded them with leather cord I had cut. When I tested them out, the lacing really needed to go around my ankle to keep the skate in place, hence the piece of black lace as one lace was a bit too short.
I was dressed in wool so despite the temperature (windy and about -7C) I was just fine. Naalbinded socks and mittens, a wool hat with fur trim, wool underdress, apron dress and cloak. I also had fleece padding in my leather shoes. We were outside for about an hour.
The ice conditions were far from ideal. There had been a lot of snow, and the temperatures have fluctuated wildly the whole whole winter. The pond was completely covered, and the little bit of ice we did find was surrounded by pockets of water. The ice itself was very crunchy and uneven, so there was a lot of friction. I tried using both a single pole two poles. The taller of my poles was the right height for a single but it was too springy. The ice would need to be really smooth for a single pole to work – the idea is to push off from the pole and simply glide. It is particularly difficult in a dress. Images from the late Middle Ages show skaters (all male) pushing off with the pole between their legs. The alternative, pushing from one side, puts a lot of strain on the back. My preference, therefore, is to use two poles and treat the skates a bit like cross country skis. Again, smooth ice works best, but even with today’s conditions I was able to move around a bit. As I skated, I could feel the bones starting to get smoother and glide more easily. When I took them off, I could see a few little wear marks starting already.
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