There's still time to have a typical outdoor rink season in Okotoks despite the mild start to winter.
All 13 outdoor rinks listed on the Town’s website are closed, but that’s not unusual for this time of year, said parks and recreation director Christa Michailuck.
The weather is often too mild for outdoor rinks to be ready by late December, Michailuck said. December of 2022 is the lone exception she can recall in her 17 years with the Town, when consistent cold weather allowed rinks to open by the middle of the month.
“We always have high expectations, but every year it never fails, the conditions are too mild,” Michailuck said.
The natural ice season usually lasts eight to 10 weeks, ending by late February or mid-March, she said.
There has been some flooding done to try to make ice on the skating rinks and the Skating Trail at the Lions Campground was almost ready, she said.
“(Ice making) was already well underway before Christmas, but unfortunately with the warm weather, I think we’re going to be starting from scratch again.”
If conditions are right, it takes about five days for the ice surface to form on a typical rink following a deep flood, she said.
“We'd like to see the daytime highs below zero, preferably not too much above minus four,” she said.
She knows kids are excited to get out on the rinks, but asks that people stay off until they are open.
Most rinks have a liner underneath that can be damaged before the surface is completely frozen, and people going out or throwing things on recently flooded ice can slow down the process, she said.
Up-to-date information about the status of the Town’s outdoor rinks is available at okotoks.ca.
