Ever watch Ilia Malinin, an alum of Falls Church’s George C. Marshall High, land a quadruple axel and think, “I could do that”? Probably not, but if you did, it’s likely because the member of Team USA makes breaking world records on the ice look easy. If you want to give figure skating a spin or try another of the sports taking center stage at the 25th Winter Olympics happening Feb. 6-22 in Milan, here are some local spots to go for gold.
Biathlon
This event combines freestyle cross-country skiing with precision rifle shooting. Unfortunately the nearest U.S. Biathlon Club is in Pittsburgh, but you can break the two sports down to practice closer to home. Take your pick of cross-country ski trails available on Alltrails.com. The website rates their difficulty and provides their length. Maryland has two cross-country skiing parks: Herrington Manor State Park is about three hours away by car, while New Germany State Park is a smidge closer. For the rifle part of the sport, contact the Arlington-Fairfax Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, or take a short drive to Fairfax to train at the National Rifle Association’s NRA Range.
Curling
Also known as chess on ice, this team sport involves sliding 44-pound granite stones toward a target 93 feet away, with the goal of getting closer to the center than the opponent. Slide into a class at the Loudoun Curling Club. It’s got two Learn to Curl classes this month: Feb. 6, 10 p.m., and Feb. 13, 7:20 p.m. No experience is needed for the 90-minute session. About the same distance away—40 minutes—is the Potomac Curling Club at the National Capital Curling Center in Laurel, Maryland. Sign up for a three-hour Learn to Curl sesh on March 7 or 14, 12:30 p.m.
Cross-country Skiing
This sport has been a staple of the Winter Olympics since 2024. Unlike downhill skiing, which is speed-focused, this sport is about endurance. Athletes don flexible boots and long, skinny skis as they move over flat or rolling terrain, making it a low-impact, calorie-scorching, full-body workout. We already shared a couple places for trying it out, but if you want lessons first, contact the White Grass Ski Touring Center in Canaan Valley, West Virginia. It’s about a three-hour drive west of Arlington, and you can take a beginner lesson to get the basics or a mini one that covers many techniques in 20 minutes or less.
Downhill Skiing
For all the Lindsey Vonn wannabes out there (she was the first American woman to get a gold in the downhill event at the 2010 Games, btw), you have options. All the ski resorts within a 90-minute drive from Arlington have classes. Bryce Resort in Basye, Virginia, has a ski school and one of the largest ski teams in the Southern Region, according to its website. Kids as young as 7.5 can start Race Training Clinics. But if you’re new to the sport, get your ski legs on a bunny hill before taking the lift to a green run—that’s ski lingo for the easiest trails. Some ski instructors might even be part of the Ski & Sports Club of Washington, D.C., which is based in Arlington. Want to take your winter sports indoors? The Inside Ski Training Center in Leesburg has decidedly less beautiful scenery but you can practice all year long.
Ice Hockey
If it’s good enough for the Stanley Cup-winning Washington Capitals, it’s good enough for you. MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Ballston Quarter has hockey skating lessons and classes on how to play the game once you’ve finagled the footwork. After the intro classes, keep your skills sharp with a developmental hockey clinic or join a league. Keep an eye out for Arlingtonian and radio personality Elliot Segal, who’s a big fan of the sport.
View this post on Instagram
Figure Skating
MedStar Capitals Iceplex also offers a series of figure skating lessons. Plan to perfect your use of the toe pick (the serrated part at the front of the skate) before learning to launch into salchows and lutzes. That indoor rink is open year-round, but if you prefer to learn in the great outdoors, head to the Westpost Ice Rink in National Landing. It offers youth, adult and private lessons through mid-March.
Snowboarding
If instead of being able to use your legs independently of each other, you want both feet bound to a single board, this sport is for you. As far as the International Olympic Committee is concerned, the sport consists of four primary events: halfpipe, slopestyle, snowboardcross and parallel giant slalom snowboarding, according to U.S. Ski & Snowboard. For newbies, though, it might suffice to say that the sport is a combo of surfing, skateboarding and skiing. Like downhill skiing, all the nearby ski resorts have snowboarding lessons. For instance, Liberty Mountain Resort near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, has snowboarding lessons for kids as young as 3 all the way through adults.