It is sometimes stated that the weight of a skater pressing down on thin skates is enough to melt ice, so that the skater can glide around on a thin film of liquid water. Assuming an ice rink at −5∘C, make some estimates and show that this mechanism won't work. [In fact, frictional heating of ice is much more important, see S.\,C.\,Colbeck, Am.\,J.\,Phys. 63, 888 (1995) and S.\,C.\,Colbeck, L.\,Najarian, and H.\,B.\,Smith Am.\,J.\,Phys. 65, 488 (1997).]