I wonder how viable this is? 
Products - EZ ICE, Inc.
1 Like
I feel like I should chime in having made an ice rink for over 10 years (weather permitting) and learning a lot from previous mistakes and how to do things better.
I used to use a tarp. Now I just wait for it to snow enough and use a lawn roller to compress the snow. This can be a lot of work depending on the size of the rink and the depth of the snow. But it’s allowed me to make a rink without a tarp in my backyard which is not level and which has posts in the way.
I’ve also learned that the tarp inevitably gets full of holes. Even mice will chew through it. I used to try patching that up with Tuck tape but it never really worked and then you get “shell ice” once the top freezes but the water level continues to drop with it slowly leaking.
After the snow is compacted, you can water it to complete the ice making process. You can’t just take a hose to the compacted snow as this would drill the water through the snow. What I do now is put a large towel down on the compacted snow and fire the hose into that. That then requires repeated repositioning of the towel.
Of course they’re calling for a mild and rainy winter so, like last winter, I don’t think it’ll be cold enough in southern Ontario this winter for me to get an ice rink going.
Hope that helps.
4 Likes
In Victoria? 
1 Like
haha no.
I used to skate on the bow river in calgary as a kid. I lived down from Bowness park, and we used to skate upriver to the lagoon right from our backyard. Is there still skating on the Bowness lagoon in winter?
1 Like
We would skate on Lost Lagoon and Bever Lake in Stanley Park in Vancouver. When was the last time that happened?
1 Like
Damn people I made ice rinks in my back yard that hockey games, REAL ones could be played.
1 Like
A freaking garden hose and flat ground… I was 12 years old. How framing smart did you havta be… Towels shite… Wow people
Actually the name of this product (EZ ICE, Inc) has got me doubting it . I just wonder if you can purchase it at your local Home Depot ?
2 Likes
hehe I was hoping someone would catch that 
2 Likes
Well what can I tell ya , I’m smarter than your average Bobo . hee-hee !!!
2 Likes
lol the ez home depot dome thing was the first thing I thought of when I saw that company’s page.
2 Likes
As soon as I saw the link it jumped right off of the page .
1 Like
Same for me but I just saw it now.
Lots of homemade rinks in Winnipeg yearly but it’s been too warm this year so far. We have had a handful of cold days and the nights are now -10 or so but it was +7 last week and will be above zero again next week. What little snow we got yesterday will be gone by then. No complaints here. There is no one better at clearing driveways than Mother Nature.
We had a rink in our yard once when I was a kid. It was pretty small and involved buying a large plastic rink sized bag at Canadian Tire and filling it with water. Having worked as a greenskeeper I now know that putting ice on grass is a very efficient way to kill grass.
When I grew up there were numerous community clubs with rinks that could be used by the public. There were 4 rinks almost across the street from us. We played our house league hockey there. As far as I am aware the situation is the same although I suspect there are a few less rinks these days.
2 Likes
Yeah, like I said, our backyard is sloped. Not nearly as simple as you describe.
1 Like
2 Likes
If you have the money, the weather doesn’t matter, you can still have a back yard rink if it’s warm…
2 Likes
is that McDavid’s house?
No he’s up the street from there, that’s the Bosses house…
Pretty sure that McDavid owns him tho. lol
This topic was automatically closed 365 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.