Tips for an Inland Lake Ice Rink?
Okay, so we're at it again, chasing the elusive ice rink on an inland lake. For years, we have made a rink in our yard, having abandoned the challenge of creating and maintaining lake ice. But the yard rink was only as big as the tarp we used and as our kids (boys 17, 15, 12, and a girl 10) have grown, that cute rink that engaged them for hours as littler people just doesn't cut it.
In the process of creating that rink on the tarp, Neal, my husband, invented a homemade Zamboni using PVC pipe, a garden hose and a beach towel. This Rube Goldberg solution actually got us ice on the lake last Saturday, and given the cold weather and lack of snow, we've still got good ice after a heavy weekend of skating. But snow is on the way. The temperature could rise a bit. The wind could pick up. And voila, crusty, chunky, un-skatable ice.
Is anyone successfully building an ice rink on a lake? What techniques are you using for clearing snow, creating ice, protecting the rink from wind and snow? If we pool ideas, we could have people skating all over our lakes in a week or two!
In the process of creating that rink on the tarp, Neal, my husband, invented a homemade Zamboni using PVC pipe, a garden hose and a beach towel. This Rube Goldberg solution actually got us ice on the lake last Saturday, and given the cold weather and lack of snow, we've still got good ice after a heavy weekend of skating. But snow is on the way. The temperature could rise a bit. The wind could pick up. And voila, crusty, chunky, un-skatable ice.
Is anyone successfully building an ice rink on a lake? What techniques are you using for clearing snow, creating ice, protecting the rink from wind and snow? If we pool ideas, we could have people skating all over our lakes in a week or two!
