Winterhawks Skating Center - Beaverton — Local services in Beaverton

We signed our kids up for beginning skating lessons. The sign up process is a bit outdated but we got it to work. The first day we went in completely unprepared as we hadn’t received anything about what to expect except a receipt of payment. The second time we registered we did get an email that had a bunch of helpful information, so double check with the skate school if you fail to receive it before your term is about to begin. It’s definitely a factory here and well-oiled with cranking kids through. I understand the format is supposed to be flexible, and I suppose it’s too complicated to track which skaters have done which levels x amount of times, but it’s hard when you’ve got a total beginner whose never been on ice in with kids who’ve done the level once or even twice before. It’s pretty discouraging to be the only ones falling down and getting totally left behind. It’s also disappointing that the teachers don’t recognize kids, maybe because they see so many. Otherwise the staff is friendly and the policies with makeup lessons and open skate are generous. It’s worth it to register and see if your kid...

The facility is about as run down as possible without being condemned. I get that it’s mostly a practice rink but if they charge for open skate sessions, maybe perk it up a bit. Each time I’ve gone it has been packed full and admission ain’t cheap. The ice is typically in poor condition and I’ve yet to see them stop the session to run the bony. To compound the issue, their rental skates are nothing more than garbage. My skates on my last visit were all torn up on the inside (see picture) and for some reason they are perfectly flat on the inside. I’m not sure where we are supposed to put our ankle bones but as soon as they went on I was in extreme discomfort. My ankles were red and super sore after only an hour. Plus the blades are not maintained properly so it’s just about impossible to push off or, you know, turn. It’s just a shame that they are one of only a couple rinks in the area and they choose to show their paying customers that they know we have no...

I'd never been here when under the "old" management, but I just recently started bringing my 3 boys here, and my initial experience and impressions have been exceptional. I grew up on the east coast and have likely been to over 100 rinks from NYC all the way to Newfoundland Canada, and this is literally one of the best rinks I've been too. I say best not because of the quality of the facilities, but because of the overall atmosphere in the rink--not only are the employees courteous, and attentive but the people who go there seem great too.

Having played collegiate and junior hockey, I had personally experienced some of the downsides that can come with the intensity and competitiveness of hockey, and I think above all what I appreciate about this facility is that the rink manager Ben Stadey too comes from this experience, and makes an effort to set a tone from the top that reinforces true sportsmanship from the early...