Skating

Help bring winter fun to your community by creating and maintaining a neighbourhood ice surface! The County supports resident-led skating areas that encourage outdoor recreation, active living, and community connection throughout the winter season.
  • A minimum of four volunteers must be committed to installing, maintaining, and removing the ice surface for the season.
  • Applicants must identify where water will be obtained. Where an Aquatera standpipe is available, the County will help facilitate access. If no standpipe is nearby, volunteers will be responsible for transporting water to the site.
  • County staff will conduct a pre-installation inspection to confirm the proposed location is suitable for an ice surface.
  • A post-install inspection will be conducted by the County to ensure requirements are met
  • A post-removal inspection will ensure the site has been properly restored and left clean and undamaged.
  • Approval is valid for one skating season only, and a new application must be submitted each year.
  • Funding support is available through Policy K6 - Connected Community Grant.
  • Deadline for applications is December 31, 2026
Ready to help create a community skating space? Gather your volunteer team and submit your application to get started. For more information, contact the County's Recreation and Culture team.

Best Practices-Neighbourhood Ice Surface Program

Every site is unique, and there are many different ways to create an outdoor ice surface. This guide provides general reference information and basic guidance for Volunteer Groups. Groups may also use information from online sources, personal experience, or other resources. For questions or concerns about a Neighbourhood Ice Surface, contact the Recreation and Culture Department at 780-532-9727.

If rink boards are available, use the following steps: 

  • Lay out the planks in a rectangular shape. 

  • Ensure boards are at least 2 metres away from hazards such as water standpipes, light poles, park benches, walking trails, trees, or similar obstructions. 

  • Join the boards together, stand them up, and secure them with pins. 

  • Ensure the boards are straight, then join them at the corners until all boards are standing and square. 

  • Check that no nails or pins are sticking out. 

  • Bank snow around the outside of the boards. Pack the snow down and water it to seal the bottom of the boards and help prevent leaks. 

Natural snow banks may be used as boards for the ice surface. 

  • Make sure the site is level and square. 

  • Find the centre point of the rink surface. 

  • Mark out the edges of the ice surface. 

  • Move snow to the outer edges. 

  • Use extra snow to create snow banks as the surface boards. 

  • Freeze the snow banks by spraying them lightly with water. 

  • Allow the snow banks to form solid walls before beginning to build ice. 

Safety Alert: For the safety of all users, ensure rink boards are installed securely and that no nails, pins, or spikes stick out beyond the boards. Leave an opening for entrance and access by snow blowers or maintenance equipment. 

Water Valve Reminder: Ensure the water valve is operated fully open to prevent damage. A quarter turn counter-clockwise opens the valve fully, and a quarter turn clockwise shuts it off. 

  • Level the snow and pack it using a shovel, snowshoes, scraper, or similar tool. This may be done by back-dragging or patting the surface. 

  • Take time to level the surface carefully, especially where the ground is uneven. Carry snow as needed to fill low areas. 

  • Choose the coldest available time of day, such as late evening or early morning, rather than mid-afternoon. Ideal temperatures are between -5 and -20 to ensure proper freezing. 

  • Use a 1.5-inch diameter hose with a nozzle capable of producing a fine spray. 

  • Turn the nozzle to a fine spray and begin sprinkling the packed snow systematically. 

  • Apply only enough water to dampen the surface on the first pass. 

  • Keep the hose moving at all times. Do not stop or stand still while spraying. 

  • After completing a preliminary sprinkle over the full area, stop and return to the starting point. 

  • If the surface is frozen, apply another fine coat. If it is not frozen, wait until it freezes before continuing. 

  • If channels form in light snow or because too much water was added at one time, fill the channels with snow and sprinkle lightly with water. Repeated fine coats will eventually create a solid ice surface that can be walked on, although it may still be rough and not yet suitable for skating. 

  • Confirm that the first sheet of ice has bonded to the rink boards. If it has not, sprinkle lightly and add snow as required, making sure water is applied to the side of the board as well as the snow. Once a solid crust has formed and bonding with the boards is firm, flooding may begin. 

Flooding should only be done when it is cold enough for the water to freeze. Ensure the water valve is turned fully on and fully off to prevent damage. 

  • Start at one end of the rink and apply an even spray across the width of the surface. 

  • Spray in strips approximately 6 feet to 6.5 feet wide. 

  • Work progressively down the rink until the entire surface has been sprayed. 

  • Use a flooding pattern that allows the full surface to be covered without overlap and without walking on freshly watered areas. 

  • If slush builds up, remove it immediately. 

  • After the first flood is frozen, continue adding floods until a base of approximately 2 inches has formed and the rink is generally flat and level. 

Water seeks its own level. With enough properly frozen floods, the rink will become flat, level, and ready for skating. 

 

Flood as often as possible when temperatures are cold enough for proper freezing. Build up the ice thickness so the surface can better withstand mild days without earth showing through or chunks breaking from the surface. 

Caution: Make sure each flood is frozen solid before adding another. Scrape the ice surface clean of snow, ice chips, flakes, and dirt before flooding. Use a good, stiff corn broom or stable broom to sweep around the boards and remove snow left behind by the scraper. This helps prevent ridges from forming along the boards and improves the bond between the water, ice, and boards. 

Ongoing repairs to cracks and chips are more effective than trying to correct ice damage through flooding alone. 

Repairing a Crack, Chip, or Hole 

  1. Sweep or clean the hole of all snow and ice chips. 

  1. Mix a slush mixture of snow and water. 

  1. Pack the slush into the hole. 

  1. Level the slush with a shovel. 

  1. Optional: sprinkle the area with a light flood of water. 

  1. Keep people from skating on the repaired spot until it is frozen. 

Water Runoff 

Water runoff may occur when water seeps through snow, under the boards, and away from the rink. This is more likely where the ground has a noticeable slope or where boards do not sit flush to the earth. Ensure rink boards are well sealed and frozen before applying large amounts of water. 

Shell Ice 

Shell ice occurs when an air bubble freezes into the surface. It appears as a white patch of thin, brittle ice that breaks easily and exposes the layer underneath. 

Repairing Shell Ice 

  1. Break the brittle surface. 

  1. Remove the brittle ice completely. 

  1. Pack the area solid with a mixture of snow and water. 

  1. Level the area with a shovel, trowel, or similar tool. 

  1. Remove excess slush. 

  1. Avoid stepping or skating on the area until it is frozen solid.  

  • Do not allow snow banks to become too high. 

  • Periodically lower snow banks by pushing snow from the top farther away from the ice surface. 

  • Keeping snow banks lower reduces the amount of snow dragged back onto the surface by participants and makes cleaning easier. 

  • During mild spells, boards may come loose. Freeze them back into place as soon as possible. 

  • Keep boards at least 2 metres away from hazards. 

  • Ensure no nails, pins, or spikes protrude beyond rink boards. 

  • Operate water valves fully open or fully closed. 

  • Build ice using repeated thin coats rather than large amounts of water at once. 

  • Flood only when temperatures are cold enough for freezing. 

  • Remove slush immediately if it forms. 

  • Never add a new flood until the previous layer is frozen solid. 

  • Repair cracks, chips, holes, and shell ice promptly. 

 

Visit Recreational Use of Stormwater Ponds to learn more about recreational use of stormwater ponds in residential subdivisions across the County this winter season.

2026-2027 Ice Surfaces

All Neighbourhood Ice Surfaces are built and maintained by local volunteers. Respect the neighbourhood and always tidy up after yourself. For safety considerations, helmets are recommended, and adult supervision is advised. All rinks are used at your own risk. Check your neighbourhood social media page for more frequent ice surface updates - the County of Grande Prairie does not have access to these pages. 

Community Address Status

Contact Us

Recreation and Culture
10808 100 Ave
Clairmont, AB
T0H 0W0

Phone: 780-532-9727
Email: recreationandculture@countygp.ab.ca

 

 

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