Can You Ever Skate on Water?

Amazingly enough, whenever you ice skate, you are doing precisely that, skating on water. Here's how it happens.

When the blade of your ice skate touches the ice, it actually is putting the pressure of your body weight on that thin strip of ice. The ice melts for an instant as a result of that pressure and the heat it creates, and you are really skating along on a thin layer of water.

This same pressure and heat of your hand on snow causes the outer layer of a snowball to melt, making it possible for you to pack a hard, firm snowball!