Ice skating is kind of like riding a bike. After you’ve done it once, it’s easy to pick it up again.

“It’s a sport that lets you go at your own pace and excel at your own pace,” said Joann Cortéz, communications director for Hyland Hills Park and Recreation District.

And because of that, Cortéz added, people look to ice skating as an activity to do alone, with your best friend or as part of a large group, but also for something unique to do on a date night or to create fun family memories.

Simply, people enjoy “the freedom of getting on the ice,” Cortéz said.

The Denver metro area offers a number of ice-skating options — outdoor rinks open during the winter months and year-round skating at indoor rinks.

With its three sheets of ice, the Ice Centre At the Promenade is the “largest publicly owned ice-skating facility west of the Mississippi,” Cortéz said.

It is jointly owned by Hyland Hills and the city of Westminster.

There are always fun activities going on, Cortéz said, such as superhero night or celebrating National Popcorn Day. And because it’s an indoor rink, it draws people, “no matter what the weather is like outside,” Cortéz said.

The Ice Ranch in Littleton — a privately owned and operated facility that caters to its clientele of local hockey leagues, associations and high schools — is also open year-round. However, it only offers limited public skate days and hours, especially during hockey season. A popular reason to visit this ice-skating facility is to catch a hockey game, all of which are open to the public.

“Hockey is an exciting sport for spectators,” said Terry Ott, general manager of The Ice Ranch.

People typically enjoy watching hockey for the physical element of it and because it’s fast-paced, Ott said. The Ice Ranch boasts two full-size National Hockey League rinks — one accommodates seating for a crowd of 120, and the other can seat 230 spectators — but people also like that the facility has a bar and grill/restaurant, and a coffee shop.

For those who are looking to get involved with hockey, The Ice Ranch offers educational programming, such as learn-to-skate or hockey development, and a variety of clinics and camps.

One longtime popular outdoor skating rink is Evergreen Lake. However, because of a bridge construction project, this rink is not yet open for the 2019-2020 season.

But also in Jefferson County, people can head to Belmar in Lakewood. The Rink At Belmar is a 7,000-square-foot outdoor ice rink. Something that people particularly enjoy about The Rink At Belmar is the additional attractions the Belmar Plaza offers, said Janelle Hinton, marketing director for Belmar in Lakewood. These include a movie theater, dining options and shopping.

Ice skating “creates beautiful memories,” Hinton said.

And part of the attraction of an outdoor rink includes the weather, Hinton said, adding that sometimes, the colder the weather, the more people who come to skate.

“Ice skating is a historical sport,” Hinton said. “And it’s a Colorado sport, for sure.”