Meewasin Skating Rink could open soon thanks to ‘cooler’ weather

Conditions for building a good outdoor rink have been nearly perfect this winter for Alan Otterbein and others throughout Bridge City.

Last year, Saskatoon saw more brown grass than snow on the ground with temperatures well above seasonal.

Otterbein, design and development manager for the Cameco Meewasin Skating Rink located next to the Delta Hotels Bessborough in downtown Saskatoon. He said ice-making conditions are completely different than last year.

“We’ve had better conditions in that we have snow. Last year, we didn’t have snow till January, so that really helps us build up the edges,” Otterbein explained. “And the temperatures have been a lot better this year as well, with significantly cooler temperatures leading up to now to get the flooding done.”

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Because of the cooler temperatures, Otterbein said his crew can now flood the sheet of ice multiple times a day as opposed to last year.

“We were having some struggles in getting more than one flood in a day. For instance, we opened on December 20 last year, so a little later than we would like, but we were able to get it to work. It just took us a little longer,” he said.

While conditions have been almost perfect for constructing a rink, some warmer weather is in the forecast for Saskatoon over the next week.

Despite that, Otterbein doesn’t think it will impact the construction of the rink. He’s confident they’ll be able to open very soon.

“The ice is looking pretty good,” he said. “We need a few more floods here to get it flat and even I’d say (we’ll open) within a week.”

Otterbein added he thinks the rink will open on Dec. 12.

Once open, the public can skate for free on it from Wednesday to Sunday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

An official opening ceremony for the rink is scheduled to take place on Dec. 19 and will include drinks, guest speakers and a light ceremony.

The rink will be closed on Dec. 25, 26 and 27 and also for Sip & Skate events.