It has been a mild winter thus far and city crews are anxiously awaiting conditions to begin prepping the city’s four outdoor skating rinks for the season!
Ideal ice-making requires several inches of frost and daytime temperatures below freezing. A good, skateable sheet of ice can take up to seven days to build. Please refrain from skating on new ice until a proper base is built up and the rinks are officially open. Considering forecasted temperatures, crews hope to begin on December 14 on open by Christmas, weather depending of course.
Handke Pit (1133 4th Street NW) is the most popular outdoor rink in town, featuring two rinks with boards, an open skate area, and a warming house. This year, the city is partnering with Spectrum to provide an additional rink with boards, a warming house, and lights at the Spectrum athletic fields (10129 181st Avenue NW). The city also maintains two unsupervised general skating rinks in the following neighborhood parks without warming house facilities:
- Mississippi Oaks Park (17998 Elgin Street)
- Riverplace Park (13818 186th Lane)