Guide · Beginners

Levels of ice skating, and your first steps on the ice near Levi

The levels of ice skating used by skating federations show the order in which everyone learns: balance, gliding, stopping, then turns. Here is how those levels work, how to ice skate step by step, and how a first-timer gets on with the lit forest trail near Levi.

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Editorial team, iceskatinglevi.comUpdated October 22, 20266 min read29 sources

The tour for this guide Levi forest ice skating, 1 km lit trail 4.3 (202 reviews) 2 hours1 km lit trail through the forestSkates, helmet and hot drinks included from$80per person Check availabilityCancel for free up to 24 hrs ahead

The quick answer

01USA: Snowplow Sam 1 to 4 for young children, then Basic Skills 1 to 6.¹ ²
02Canada: CanSkate Stages 1 to 6, for beginners of all ages.³ ⁴
03Finland: The Pingviini skating school, marked with star diplomas.⁵ ⁶
04First skill: Knees bent over the toes, eyes up.⁷
05Non-skaters: The forest trail near Levi offers a kicksled, subject to availability.

What the levels of ice skating are for

Skating federations break learning into levels so that every skater builds the same foundation in the same order. Learn to Skate USA, the programme of U.S. Figure Skating, describes its Basic Skills curriculum as a six-level foundation for figure skating, ice hockey and speed skating.² Skate Canada's CanSkate builds basic skills for figure skating, hockey, ringette or speed skating, for beginners of all ages.⁴

The levels matter to a holiday skater for one reason: they tell you what comes first. Learn to Skate USA says its Basic Skills levels introduce forward and backward skating, stops, edges and turns, in that kind of progression.⁸ Nobody starts with spins; everybody starts by standing up.

You do not need to pass a level to enjoy a session on the ice near Levi. The forest skating session welcomes complete beginners, with a kicksled for anyone who cannot skate, and its listing names no level or age requirement. Knowing the order of skills simply helps you set a fair goal for one session.

Step by step

How to ice skate in your first session

First

Stance

Knees bent over the toes, eyes up.⁷
Then

March

Small steps on the spot, then forward.
Next

Glide

Push to the side and let each foot run.
Before speed

Snowplow stop

Two-foot glide, bend, press the inside edges.⁹
When you wobble

Fall safely

Sideways, then up from hands and knees.¹⁰

Learn to Skate USA: Snowplow Sam, Basic Skills and beyond

In the United States, the youngest skaters start with Snowplow Sam, for children aged six and younger, in four levels, Snowplow Sam 1 to 4.¹ Those levels introduce forward and backward skating, stops, edges and balance, and afterwards children can move into Basic Skills or try other disciplines.¹¹ ¹²

Basic Skills is designed for skaters over the age of 6 and runs six levels.¹³ ² Learn to Skate USA stresses that every skater advances at their own pace, working towards mastering each skill.¹⁴ Above it sits the Free Skate curriculum, with seven levels introducing skating skills, spins and jumps.¹⁵

Adults have their own path. The adult programme has six progressive levels introducing forward and backward skating, stops, edges and turns, and Learn to Skate USA says it is designed for beginning and experienced skaters who want to improve.¹⁶ ¹⁷ Its advice for anyone starting out is to contact a local rink about classes and which level to sign up for.¹⁸

How many levels

Levels in each learn-to-skate track

levels

Counts from Learn to Skate USA's curricula and Skate Canada's CanSkate stages.¹ ² ¹⁵ ¹⁶ ³

Compared

Three learn-to-skate systems side by side

Programme	Who it is for	Levels	Marked by
Snowplow Sam (USA)	Children six and under	1 to 4	Level passes
Basic Skills (USA)	Skaters over 6	1 to 6	Level passes
Adult (USA)	Adults	1 to 6	Level passes
CanSkate (Canada)	Beginners of all ages	Stages 1 to 6	Ribbons and badges
Pingviini (Finland)	Children	Own pace	Star diplomas

From Learn to Skate USA, Skate Canada and the Finnish Figure Skating Association.¹ ¹³ ¹⁶ ⁴ ³ ⁵ ⁶

Where to learn

Three ways to start skating

Levi: Lovimainas Arctic Forest Ice Skating (1km)

Holiday start

Forest trail near Levi

Guided, with kicksleds

Session: 2 hrs
Kit: Skates and helmet
Help: Kicksled if needed

See the details

Lake ice

Lake Inari

Guided on lake ice

On the ice: About 1.5 hrs
Skates: Hockey or figure
Kids: Kicksleds

See the details

Long term

Skating school

At home, before you travel

USA: Basic Skills 1 to 6
Canada: CanSkate 1 to 6
Finland: Pingviini

See the details

Decision helper

Which level are you at?

Find yourself, then set a goal for the session

Never stood on skates Can stand but not move Can glide but not stop Can stop and glide Confident forwards and backwards

Start with the kicksled

Offered on the forest trail, subject to availability.

Practise the stance

Knees bent over the toes, eyes up.⁷

Learn the snowplow stop

Two-foot glide, then press the inside edges.⁹

Try backward skating

The next skill in the Basic Skills order.⁸

Edges and turns

The later skills of the adult levels.¹⁶

In the correct skating position, keep your knees slightly bent, positioned over your toes, and your eyes up. This position lowers your center of gravity, stabilizing you.

Levi (levi.fi, Levi Ski Resort)Source 7

Skate Canada's CanSkate and Finland's skating schools

Canada's CanSkate focuses on balance, control and agility, and awards official Skate Canada ribbons and badges for Stages 1 to 6 in balance, agility and control.¹⁹ ³ Skate Canada sets a ratio of one coach or programme assistant to five skaters, including one coach for every 10 skaters.²⁰ Its helmet rule is strict: CanSkate skaters up to and including Stage 5 wear an approved hockey helmet.²¹

In Finland, the Finnish Figure Skating Association runs the Pingviini, or Penguin, skating school, a path for children to learn basic skating skills safely, through play and at their own pace.⁵ Progress depends on the child's age, skills, practice and goals, and learning is celebrated with Tähtidiplomit, star diplomas.⁶

Finland also opens doors for adults and newcomers. The association says more than 30 Finnish figure skating clubs offer groups or courses for adult skaters, and its Hippo skating school is completely free of charge for participants.²² ²³ A visitor who catches the bug in Levi will find somewhere to keep learning back home.

Checklist

A first-timer's checklist

Kit

A helmet, every time²⁴
Skates firm at the ankle²⁵
Mittens to protect your hands when you fall

Technique

Knees bent, eyes up⁷
Fall sideways, not backwards¹⁰
Short sessions with breaks in the kota

Cost calculator

Price a beginner's skating session

Choose a session and the number of skaters.

Forest trail near Levi2 hrs, kicksledsfrom $80 Lake InariFrom Saariselkäfrom $103

People 2

Total from$159

per participant from $80

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Each sum multiplies the outing's lowest per-person GetYourGuide price by your group size and converts it at the ECB's daily rate; the checkout figure is the one that counts.

Video

Learn to ice skate: the skill progression and what to learn next

YouTube stays switched off until you start the video yourself.

How to ice skate step by step

Start with stance. Levi's tourism site advises keeping the knees slightly bent over the toes and the eyes up, which lowers the centre of gravity.⁷ Stand like that on the spot before you try to move, and feel how the blade wants to stay under your weight rather than slide away.

Then march and glide. Take small steps on the spot, then small steps forward, letting each foot glide a little further. Push to the side rather than backwards, as if you were scuffing the ice outwards, and bring the foot back under you. Arms slightly out in front help balance.

Learn to stop early. For a snowplow stop, Levi says to slow down in a two-foot glide position, bend the knees and ankles, then press on the inside edges of the blades.⁹ It is the same stop that gives Snowplow Sam its name. Practise it at walking pace until it works every time, then let yourself glide faster.

Falling and getting up

Everyone falls. Levi's tourism site says falling sideways is the safest way to fall.¹⁰ If you feel yourself going, bend your knees further and lean slightly to one side, so you land on your hip and thigh rather than your wrist or the back of your head.

Getting up has a method too. Levi's advice is to roll onto your hands and knees, then set one foot, preferably the dominant one, on the ice between your hands, and push up from there.¹⁰ Mittens help here: they protect your fingers from the ice and from other skaters' blades.

A helmet makes the falls painless rather than worrying. Levi says skating is always done at your own risk and asks skaters to wear a helmet, and the forest skating session includes one with the skates.²⁴ Skate Canada's rule says the same from the other side: anyone who has difficulty stopping should wear an approved hockey helmet.²⁶

Children on skates: what to expect at each age

Programmes start skaters young. Learn to Skate USA's Snowplow Sam is designed for children aged six and younger, and Basic Skills for skaters over 6.¹ ¹³ In Finland, the Hippo skating schools are aimed at children of all ages and run over four skating sessions.²⁷

On holiday, set the goal by age and mood rather than by level. A small child who stands up, takes a few gliding steps and laughs has had a successful first session. An older child may manage the snowplow stop within the session; a teenager who has played sport may be skating loops of the trail by the end.

For anyone who catches the habit, Finland makes trying again easy. The Finnish Figure Skating Association says that in January 2027 the Finnish Ice Sports Days offer free, low-threshold chances to try ice sports and develop skating skills.²⁸ Back home, Learn to Skate USA's advice applies anywhere: ask your local rink about classes and which level to start at.¹⁸

Your first session on the forest trail near Levi

Natural ice in the forest is not a rink, and that is worth knowing as a beginner. The trail near Levi is 1 km of natural ice with several rinks, lit by bulb lights, and the session runs 2 hours from the Levi Tourist Office. The City of Rovaniemi says outdoor rink ice is not perfectly smooth and that sun, warmth and rain soften it, and natural ice in the forest is no different.²⁹

Use the aids on offer. The kicksled, a chair on long runners that you push or sit on, lets a beginner move along the trail while holding on, and it is part of the session subject to availability. Skate a few metres, hold the kicksled, skate again: by the end of the session you may well be gliding without it.

Take breaks. The kota by the trail and the hot drinks are there for that. Balancing on blades for the first time works muscles you rarely use, and tired legs wobble. Two hours is plenty for a first session; aim for confidence in the stance, the glide and the snowplow stop, and leave turns for another day.

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