Frosty Fitness

Shake off the post-holiday doldrums by getting out and getting fit

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

 

Feel invigorated with a nip of frigid air and the sparkle of sun on snow at a variety of sites in the area that are perfect for skating, skiing and snowshoeing.

Enjoy ice skating outdoors at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park (www.cityofrochester.gov/locations/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-ice-rink), which offers a kidney-shaped skating surface, and warming shelter with a heated floor and fireplace. Admission is $5. If you want to bring along the grandkids, youth are $2 and college students with ID $3. Skate rental is $5, and skate sharpening is $5. If you plan to skate often, a season pass is $60.

Numerous venues in the area offer cross-country skiing and snowshoeing opportunities. These include:

• Black Creek Park, Union Street, in Chili and Riga

• Durand Eastman Park, Lake Shore Blvd., Irondequoit

• Genesee Country Village Nature Center (during Nature Sundays), Flint Hill Road, Mumford

• Genesee Valley Park, South of East River Road, Rochester

• Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area, Canadice Hill Road, Honeoye

• Mendon Ponds Park, between Clover Street and Pittsford-Mendon Center Road,

• Mendon/Honeoye Falls

• Northhampton Park, Colby Street, Brockport

• Perinton Recreation Center, 1350 Turk Hill Rd., Fairport

• Chimney Bluffs State Park, 7700 Garner Rd., Wolcott

• Darien Lakes State Park, 10475 Harlow Rd., Darien Center

• Genesee Valley Greenway State Park, 1 Letchworth State Park, Castile

• Hamlin Beach State Park, 1 Hamlin Bch, Hamlin

• Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area, 6775 Canadice Hill Rd, Springwater

• Lakeside Beach State Park, 13691 Roosevelt Hwy, Waterport

Check the New York State Parks website at https://parks.ny.gov/parks and search for “Snowshoeing/X-Country Skiing” under “Amenity” to find more places.

If downhill skiing is more your style, you don’t have to go to the Rockies or Adirondacks to get your fix. Bristol Mountain (5662 Route 64, Canandaigua; www.bristolmountain.com ) is close enough for a skiing or snowboarding daytrip. The resort boasts 39 slopes, 1,200 feet of vertical drops, two high-speed quads, and modern snowmaking equipment. If you want to try night skiing, 97% of the ski trails have lighting. Lessons, rentals, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are also available. If you decide to make it a weekend getaway, Bristol partners with nearby places of lodging, including the adjacent North Star Village. Downhill skiing starts at $60, plus equipment rentals, which start at $40. Cross-country rates start at $16, plus rentals ($18 for skis and poles or snowshoes). Bring the grandkids along, as those aged 6 and younger are free, plus rentals.