Backyard Hockey Rink Update
January 29, 2006
It has been a strange winter so far in central NY. It started with a snow storm and an early deep freeze, but has been followed by several warm spells that were interspersed with single digit temps. Just yesterday we were back in the single digits, but tomorrow it is supposed to be upper 40s. These warm spells have meant more rain than snow this year, but through it all my rink has held up suprisingly well.
I see two keys to my success. First, the rain filled my rink almost to the top and the first deep freeze left me a thick 6″ base. The worst the warm spells could do was reduce my base to a 3 inch ice berg, but when the temps dropped again it quickly froze solid again.
Second, my rink is located on the north side of my house and is enclosed in shadow almost all day long. The shade protects it from the sun on those unseasonably warm days and help it freeze quicker when mother nature cooperates.
In the future I want to expand the rink which will mean exposing it to the sun. To deal with this I plan on replacing my 2 x 8 frame with 2 x 10 or 2 x 12 so I can have an even thicker ice base. I also want to add 3-4 foot side boards. These will not only keep pucks (and toddlers) in the rink, but also provide additional shade. The only downside will be getting the snow out of the rink. Hmmm…maybe the taller boards will wait until my boys are old enough to shovel the rink themselves…
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