BUILDING A NATURAL ICE RINK

1. If there's snow on the ground, pack it down tightly and evenly across the rink. You need at least 2 inches (5 cm or more) of packed snow for a solid base. Loose snow makes for soft, bumpy ice, and can cause sections to collapse or melt quickly when it warms up.

2. If you don’t have any snow, wait until the frost goes at least 2 inches down into the ground, and make sure it stays below -4ºC (24ºF) for a few days before you start flooding. Usually, you’ll need about 7 to 10 days of temps at -10ºC (14ºF) or colder to get it right. Also, try to keep the surface as level as possible.

3. If you have extra snow, build a wall around the rink to act like a retaining wall. Make sure there are no gaps where water can escape, and fill any holes with packed snow.

1. Clean off the ice surface of any snow, chips, lumps, or dirt before flooding. The cleaner the ice, the smoother it’ll be after you flood it.

2. Start flooding from the farthest side away from your water source and move across the rink, lightly misting or spraying the entire surface until it gets wet. Don’t spray directly down at the ice; always spray up and out.

3. Make sure each layer freezes before you flood again. More layers of water help keep the ice strong during warmer weather.

4. Putting too much water on can pull the frost out of the ground, making it soak in instead of freeze. If it takes longer than 15 minutes to freeze, you’ve used too much water, and you should cut back next time.

5. Ensure the surface is thick enough to hold up against the sun if it gets warm and doesn’t expose any ground.

6. A frozen hose can take hours to thaw, so try to keep it in a warm place to avoid freezing. Remember to drain the hose by leaving the nozzle open while rolling it up to let any leftover water out. Never leave a hose running outdoors, especially into a ditch, since that can create a ton of ice and cause significant flooding when it warms up, which could damage your place and your neighbour’s.

7. Don't flood the rink when it's over -4ºC (26ºF); the water won’t freeze fast enough to make good ice.

8. If it warms up for a while or at the end of the season, make sure to drain all the water to a safe spot and return the area to how it was before you built the rink.

If the ice gets chipped, cracked, or has a hole, here’s how to fix it:  

1. Sweep or clean the hole out of any snow or ice debris.  

2. Make a slushy mix of snow and water.  

3. Pack the slush into the hole.  

4. Use a shovel to level it off.  

5. Lightly sprinkle some water on top.  

6. Keep skaters away from this area until it freezes.

Shell ice happens when an air bubble freezes to the ice, making a thin, white layer that’s easy to break. To fix shell ice:  

1. Break it up and remove it.  

2. Follow the same steps as repairing a crack, chip, or hole.