Very old-school skates

Last summer I bought myself a new pair of very old skates. I was at a French and Indian War re-enactment at Fort William Henry on Lake George, and one of the vendors on “sutlers row” had made a pair of 18th-century ice skates. These were high-carbon blades and therefore would be prone to rust unless well oiled when not in use. They would have to be strapped to my bucked shoes with the thinnest of leather thongs, and offered nothing by way of ankle support. I saw that graceful curve of the blade at the toe of the wooden base that gets fastened to the shoe, and decided then and there that these skates were a unique item of material culture for my reenacting hobby and bought them on the spot.In 1772, a British officer named Robert Jones published “A Treatise on Skating; Founded on Certain Principles Deduced from Many Years of Experience: by which that Noble Exercise in now Reduced to an Art.” Captain Jones included helpful chapters on topics such as “the different methods of fixing on skates” and “how to cut the figure of a heart on one leg.” I am sure he and other practitioners of the skating art back in his day found his suggestions helpful, but skating technology has come a long way since the 18th century, and my biggest concern was that I would break an ankle just trying to keep them on my feet. These skates did not even have a screw to hold the shoe to the wood — an innovation which would not become commonplace until the 19th century. Nonetheless, last weekend I felt it was the right moment to take my skates out for a shakedown cruise, out on natural ice, clad in period attire, to see whether I could make them work.While it is clear that the blades need sharpening and I need to find thicker leather straps to lash them to my foot, I am pleased to say that if I did not glide with great speed across the quarry ice, neither did I fall down nor fall through. I took a few slow turns around for my grinning companions to snap a few photographs, and then wisely withdrew to shore before ending up as a lame horse with a thrown shoe. The next day I put on my modern skates and the children and I went happily around the rink at Salisbury School. Still, I believe I will have another go at the old-school skates before the season turns and the pond ice melts. I may never master the “Noble Exercise” that Captain Jones extolled — at least not on these archaic blades — but it felt good skating in his proverbial shoes.Tim Abbott is program director of Housatonic Valley Association’s Litchfield Hills Greenprint. His blog is at greensleeves.typepad.com.