Philly Landskaters

Varsity Skate

planner

HARDER. FASTER.

The Philadelphia Landskaters Tuesday Varsity Skate
City Street Inline Skating Details for attending a Philadelphia Landskaters Tuesday 7 PM Varsity Skate. Meet at the Philly Art Museum Steps.
City Street Inline Skating Details for attending a Philadelphia Landskaters Tuesday 7 PM Varsity Skate. Meet at the Philly Art Museum Steps.

Overview

Tuesday night’s VARSITY SKATE meets at the foot of Philadelphia Museum of Art’s steps.  It departs  simultaneously with the JV SKATE.

When

JV skate time

Tuesday’s at 7:00 PM between all year as weather permits. Push-off time is 7:20 PM.

The VARSITY SKATE and JV SKATE depart simultaneously. You’ll have until the last moment to decide which one you want to skate with. See our calendar for details such as departure time, etc…

Join the *Landskater email list-serv for last minute updates and changes. 

*The list-serve is NOT an email newsletter. It is used prudently by all members. 
Join with confidence that any email sent to list is specifically related to skates and skate events.  

Where

Where We Meet

The foot of the Philadelphia Art Museum steps near the Rocky Statue.  39°57’53.3″N 75°10’46.4″W If an event is taking place that prohibits access, the Landskaters Email Group your source for constant updates and last minute alterations.

Where To Park

If you are travelling by car you’ll find the most nearby parking is on Pennsylvania Avenue and side streets to the adjacent north of the Art Museum. 

Where We Skate

Mixed  bag of destinations each week which always travel no further than a few miles from city hall and return to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to finish. 

Who

Intermediate city street inline skaters with increased cardio and leg stamina will enjoy the VARSITY SKATE.  Be able to stop at any speed, drop in from curbs, jump or swerve around pot-holes, manage wet pavement during sudden rain storms or other wet surfaces, etc…

Landskaters endurance and pace gauge for city street skating in Philadelphia

What

The number of stops varies, based on the skill levels of the skaters and the size of the group. Generally there will be approximately 3 group ups to make sure that no one is left behind and that everyone is comfortable with this pace.

There will be a "sweep" skater at the back of the pack on all skates who will assist with making sure no one is left behind.

How

There can be up to 1-2 “mild” uphills, and 1-2 safe downhills on SOME skates; based on the direction of the skate. Nothing too challenging for the group and generally, Rocco tries to avoid them.  Skaters should be able to brake on the mild down hills. 90% of ALL skates are on flat terrain.

How Long

The duration of  the VARSITY SKATE out and back is approximately 90 minutes which includes all stops and breaks.

How Far

It ranges from 12 to 18 miles of inline street skating through the streets of Philadelphia.

Post Skate

Sometimes members meet up after our group city street skates for a drink (or meal) somewhere within a few blocks of the Art Museum. Some of our favorite haunts include: Bishop’s Collar, Kite and Key, or other local skater friendly bars/restaurants.

FAQs

Being an intermediate skill level is not enough. You need some lung and leg stamina as this skate does push up hills without pause and has less stops throughout. 

Helmets are STRONGLY recommended. Rocco also advises wrist guards, knee pads and a water bottle. Rocco skates Rollerblade brand and some skaters use them and other brands, such as K2. 

The mid-skate water break is 15 minutes.

Final Notes

Our city street skates feature a lead and sweep. Do not pass the lead skater as matter of respect. The sweep is a skater who assists in keeping trailing skaters or struggling skaters from losing the group. If the skate group is stretched out or broken into parts temporarily for example by a stoplight, simply skate forward and expect to find the group ahead. When we turn corners we mark them with a skater who remains there to signal the turn to all trailing skaters.  

We stop for injured skaters, but we don’t end skates entirely due to an injury. We stop skates for skate repairs too. We don’t leave skaters to fend for themselves but as adults you should be prepared for the unexpected such as injury or an unrepairable skate. As mentioned in our FAQs above, a standard expectation of all skaters is to bring payment for any rideshare or public transportation in case you are unable to finish. 

Cliff

Skate Leader | Varsity Skate
All kinds of cool stuff about Cliff.

LANDSKATERS EMAIL GROUP

WET ROADS? SKATES DELAYED?

Landskaters stay informed of every skate through our Landskaters Email Group
Skate leaders notify the group in the event of last minute changes such as rain or nearby events
 The official skate season is April-October, get in on ad-hoc off-season skates
Request to join our Landskaters Email Group
not a newsletter

Street Talk

Lars Hindsley

Winter Street Inline Skating Tips

Do you skate in the winter? Not on ice, but on the streets. It’s not easy. In fact, you have to ease into it. You need to adapt to more than the cold air cutting through your skin. It takes time to build up lung stamina with the thin air.

Skating in winter seems backwards to most inline skaters because, let’s face it, inline skating was created for ice-skaters who wanted to skate in the summer.

Read More »
TIPS FOR SKATING ON WET SURFACES
Lars Hindsley

How To Skate On Wet Surfaces

It happens. Sometimes we get caught in the rain, or happen upon wet pavement with no other choice but to skate across it. When this happens you have to change your skate form.

The solution is simple. Shorten your strides. While this seems only common sense, the issue is that many will start with short, compact strides, they eventually begin to kick out.

Read More »
Scroll to Top