If the Rideau Canal is not open for skating yet, why don't we just rollerblade instead?

 

Scott Rondeau: When it’s mild in the weeks leading up to the Cup, everyone keeps asking ‘why don't we do this?’, ‘why don't we try that?’. Well, we have a few reasons why and here they are:

Rollerblading seems like a great alternative if the canal doesn't freeze. However just like a frozen canal...the conditions have to be perfect and in fact may actually be harder to achieve than ICE. In order to skate the canal we need cold. In order to rollerblade we can deal with cold but we also need no ice, no rain and no snow. Notice how you rarely see people rollerblading in the winter? That is because it is extremely dangerous! Any ice patches, slush or clumps of salt on the road pose quite a hazard for rollerbladers.

Even with the canal not frozen, what are the chances that in January in Ottawa there will be none of the aforementioned? So not only would rollerblading be a complete nightmare from the standpoint of safety, a race involving rollerblading would mean having to close a major thoroughfare such as Colonel By Drive which would be no small task either!