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The outdoor ice skating season is upon us, which means plenty of opportunities for embarrassing tumbles and ice rink faux pas. The List consulted veteran outdoor rink manager Bambi Turner of the Glen Burnie Town Center outdoor rink for tips on avoiding blisters, etiquette breaches, and uncomfortable skates during the skating season.

1. Avoid Friday night

   Which Turner describes as “teen central.” Go on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the lightest crowd.

2. Go down half a size in skates

   “My tip is to use the tightest skates you can find,” says Turner. “People always want a size bigger and it ends up being huge.”

3. Lace skates all the way up

   “The biggest [mistake] I usually see is not tying them all the way up,” Turner says.

4. Do not wear two pairs of socks

   This conventional piece of wisdom leads to more opportunities for bunching and blisters. Turner recommends one pair of thin socks.

5. Check the sharpness of the blades

   “You can feel it on your hand, if you’re careful,” she says. The blade should feel sharper than a butter knife. “Once you get on the ice, if you’re standing still and push your foot and it just slides across the ice sideways, it’s not sharp enough.” New skates, she adds, always need to be sharpened.

6. March in place on the ice

   For beginners, it’s easier than gliding, Turner advises.

7. Gloves are a must

   “When you fall and your hands scrape across the rough ice, it hurts,” she says. Scarves are generally advisable, unless you are attempting axels.

8. Avoid advanced moves in a crowd

   The axel-inclined skater should consult the rules. Jumping might be allowed in the center of the rink. “If it’s super crowded,” Turner says, “keep that kind of stuff to a minimum.”

9. Hold hands, if permissible

   Some rinks ban hand holding, says Turner, but she encourages it. “I think it’s great.”