Ice skating is a pastime enjoyed by nearly eleven million people (according to 2014 numbers). That means a lot of people waiting to get time for hockey or figure skating at the local community rink. There’s no better place to enjoy skating though than at a home ice rink in your own backyard. Even better, there are so many different options to choose from for your home ice rink, from kits available online for a few hundred dollars to 6 all the way up to custom ice rink with built-in refrigeration units, that there is certain to be a price point that will work for just about anyone looking to add some fun to their backyard.
There are two basic types of outdoor home ice rinks. One involves adding water to your backyard rink liner or backyard ice rink tarps, assembled with ice rink brackets and boards, just prior to the temperature dropping to freezing, and letting chilly nature take its course to provide you with ice. You will need other backyard ice rink products to complete the project, but your rink will be complete once it has frozen over and will stop being skateable once the temperature rises.
As an alternative, a home ice rink can be built with a refrigeration unit for the ice on the backyard rinks. Obviously much more expensive, this means your backyard ice rink will still be skateable if the temperature is above freezing and as long as it stays below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 Degrees Celsius).
The other choice you need to decide is whether you feel comfortable enough to assemble a home ice rink or to have it built for you. Even if you are building it yourself, you may want to consider whether you are comfortable with standard backyard ice rink accessories or whether you want to assemble material custom built for you, based on specifications needed for your homemade ice rink. To build a home ice rink require some planning for assembly and maintenance but isn’t incredibly complex. However, for larger complex rink designs a professional will save time with their expertise and experience.
Whatever you decide about building a home ice rink, the one thing you don’t have to plan for is fun. It will come as soon as you and your family put on skates and feel your blades on the ice, experiencing the pleasure of the outdoors in winter, knowing all the time that when you’re done on your backyard ice rink, home is just a few steps away.
