Oh! The weather outside is…perfect for outdoor rink preparation!
November 28, 2024
Red Deer’s ODR’s are a favourite winter amenity, and a lot of work goes into preparing them for skaters to enjoy.
Now that we’ve had some significant snowfall and cooler temperatures for a few days in a row, crews are hard at work flooding surfaces day and night.
The process takes some time as crews have to pack snow, secure boards/snowbanks and establish a base surface. With many ice surfaces to prepare across the city, it takes crews approximately two to three days to reach each ice surface just one time and they each need multiple floods – around 800 total floods before all the rinks are safe and ready for skaters.
When the ice is thick enough, the nets will be put out and the rink lights will be turned on, this usually takes place in mid-December. We’ll be sure to let you know when they are ready. We all love having these rinks to enjoy throughout the winter and we’re working day and night to get them ready; in the meantime, please refrain from skating before the surface is ready. When that happens, it creates ruts and gaps in the ice and requires extra cleaning and flooding before we can open them.
Also remember to never skate on storm ponds as the ice surface of these facilities are not safe for skating. The constant flow of water beneath the ice surface creates soft spots that can be hazardous to skaters.