From October to February/March, it is ice season in Basel—time to try on those skates and head to the nearest ice rink. You can choose from two outdoor rinks and one indoor rink in Basel, as well as from three rinks in the outskirts of Basel. They all offer public skating hours, as well as times where all or part of the rink is reserved for figure skaters, speed skaters, and/or hockey players. These six rinks are all equipped with a café-restaurant for refreshments to fuel up or warm up after some time on the ice. For more information about Basel’s ice rinks, see our post “Ice Rinks in the Basel Region.”

The rinks offer various opportunities for skating classes as well as ice hockey classes and clubs, and there are also a couple of options to participate in curling. And if you or your child wants to try hockey school or play hockey at one of the clubs, the time to sign up is now!

Skating Classes

If you or your child would like to learn how to skate, it’s never too late! Whether you are interested in just doing a few rounds around the rink without suffering humiliation and/or injury, or whether you want to perfect your double-axle, learn synchronized skating or ice-dance, strengthen your skating for ice hockey, or give speed skating a try, there is a class for everyone. Several clubs in and around Basel offer the various types of skating classes; refer to the list below to find what you are looking for.

Eislauf Club Beider Basel (http://ecbeiderbasel.ch)

• Figure skating for kids, teens, and adults (Star levels 1-4)
• Ice dancing for kids and adults
• Synchronized skating for kids and adults
• Speed skating for beginners to experienced (specialized skates can be borrowed from the club)

Eislauf Club St. Jakob, Basel Münchenstein (https://www.eislaufclubbasel.ch/)

• Group figure skating courses for kids and adults (beginners’ levels 1 & 2 and Star levels 1-4)
• Private figure-skating classes starting at Star level 2

Eislaufclub Rheinfelden (https://www.ec-rheinfelden.ch/de/home/)

• Skating lessons for kids, adults, mother & child, and kids with disabilities
• Figure-skating lessons for kids and teens (beginners’ levels 1 & 2 and Star levels 1-4)
• Ice dancing for beginners, intermediate, and advanced

Eisclub Laufen (https://eclaufen.ch)

• Skating lessons for kids
• Figure skating for kids and teens at all levels

Ice Hockey

Ice hockey is a great sport that promotes conditioning, coordination, team sportsmanship, and camaraderie, and for non-Swiss kids is a fantastic way to meet local kids and be exposed to Swiss culture and dialect. Chasing that little black puck around the rink is the fastest way kids learn to skate. There are many opportunities to play hockey in Basel-Stadt and beyond, including ice hockey school for young, inexperienced kids; hockey clubs for kids and teens who want to take it to a higher level with weekend games; and fun leagues for adults who just want to get on the ice and play once a week.

Ice Hockey School

At hockey school, boys and girls ages 4-10 can learn skating, puck and stick handling, and of course how to play hockey. Three organizations in the Basel region offer hockey school. In Basel, Hockey School “Young Basilisks” practice at the Margarethen rink on Saturday mornings from October to February (https://ehcbasel.ch/hockey-school/). In neighboring Baselland and Aargau, hockey school (Kidshockey) is offered for kids starting at age 4 on Fridays evenings in Sissach (https://www.hc-nwu.ch/teams/kidshockey), and on Saturdays in Rheinfelden (https://www.hc-nwu.ch/teams/kidshockey) and Laufen (https://ehc-laufen.ch/kids_hockey).

Ice Hockey Clubs

If your child/teen is serious about playing hockey, he/she can join a club with more intense weekly trainings (two to four times per week, depending on age and level) as well as some weekend tournaments. Kids should have some basic hockey/skating skills or simultaneously attend hockey school. There are junior teams in the following categories: U9, U11, U13, U15, U17, and U20.

Basel-Stadt: The EHC Basel trains at the Eglisee, Margarethen, and St. Jakob ice rinks, depending on their level. They have a range of teams for all age groups, as well as for women and seniors. Additionally, EHC Basel’s Regio Fun league invites enthusiastic hockey players of all ages and genders to train once per week in addition to some friendly matches throughout the season. Separate goalie training for club-team goalies is also available. https://ehcbasel.ch/

Binningen: The EHC Binningen is a hockey club that plays in the 3. and 4. Liga (third and fourth Swiss regional league) and is for experienced adults; they train twice per week at the Margarethen rink and have weekend games. https://ehcbinningen.ch

Rheinfelden: The EHC Rheinfelden trains all junior levels, as well as 2. Liga and 3. Liga at the KuBa Freizeitcenter in Rheinfelden. There are also hockey clubs for parents and seniors. https://ehc-rheinfelden.ch/

Sissach: The EHC Zunzgen-Sissach trains at the Kunsteisbahn Sissach. This club has a wide range of teams at most competency levels. They also have teams for women and seniors, as well as 1. and 2. Liga men’s teams. Visit their website to learn what is offered this season. https://www.ehc-zs.ch/  

Laufen: The EHC Laufen teams play at the Eissport- und Freizeithalle in Laufen. They offer teams for all of the junior age categories, as well as a team for seniors and a 3. Liga men’s team. http://ehc-laufen.ch

Curling

Curling is a sport involving strategy and skill that has been gaining popularity in recent years among young and old alike. Two locations in Baselland offer curling lanes.

Curlingzentrum Region Basel: Located in Arlesheim, this is the biggest curling center in northwest Switzerland with eight curling lanes. They are open from September to April and offer classes for beginners, experienced curlers, juniors, and even a one-time brush-up course with integrated skip elements. They have junior boys’ teams and junior girls’ teams with categories under 11 and over 11. If you are ages 8 and up and would like to give it a free try, check their website for the free trial dates (Schnuppertrainings) each winter. https://www.curling-basel.ch/agenda/news

Curling-Club Sissach: The club is located in the Kunsteisbahn Sissach and offers beginner classes, a refresher course, as well as several 2-hour trial class (Schnupperkurs) throughout the season, where experts will introduce participants to the key concepts, rules, and secrets of the sport. Visit https://www.curlingclub-sissach.ch/curlingkurse/schnupperkurs/ for trial course dates and register directly online. If you are an experienced curler and want to join a team, contact them via their website. https://www.curlingclub-sissach.ch/

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