It’s ice skating season in Beijing and there’s one more excuse not to stay inside huddled around your coal-burning stove and get outside for some frosty fun!

But, unfortunately, last winter was officially the last year that the frozen ice on Shichahai (什刹海) wasn’t completely commodified and closed to the non-paying public. The days of strapping on your skates and skating to your heart’s content without forking over a bundle of cash are over. Now, all areas of the lake (后海，前海, etc.) are only accessible if you buy tickets, which run from 10 to 15 kuai.

It’s not that the extra money you have to pay to get on the ice is unbearable. But it is disheartening that where there is money to be made, fences and ticket-checkers will be in abundance. Last year, if you had skates or just wanted to go for a walk on the ice, the frozen lake was open to the public, as it should be.

But, for now, there are still places to go to skate on free, non-groomed ice. Head on over to BeiDa or the Summer Palace. But hurry…you never know when the fences and ticket-checkers will appear.

You can be sure they didn't have to pay