While winter may seem far away, planning for skating season begins in the summer. Starting in July, Parks teams begin coordinating the work required to prepare the Prince's Island Park Lagoon for winter operations.

As fall approaches, crews review staffing plans, equipment needs, and any improvements or changes that may be made to the skating area. Multiple teams work together to prepare for another successful skating season.

In late September, crews begin preparing the lagoon for ice-making.

Unlike many outdoor skating lagoons, Prince's Island Park Lagoon can be drained using a system of water-control structures. As water levels are lowered, crews inspect infrastructure, prepare equipment, and get the site ready for ice construction.

This preparation is important because the lagoon does not function like a typical frozen pond. Instead, it freezes from the ground up, allowing crews greater control over how the skating surface is built and maintained.

Equipment used during this stage includes water-control infrastructure, hoses, water trailers, ice drills, snow-clearing equipment and a variety of maintenance tools that will be needed throughout the season.

Weather is the single biggest factor in determining when ice-making can begin.

Before crews start flooding, they look for sustained temperatures below -10°C. Consistently cold weather allows each layer of water to freeze properly to build a strong foundation for the skating surface.

Warm spells, Chinooks, and heavy snowfall can all slow the process. Snow acts like an insulating blanket, preventing ice from freezing efficiently underneath. A single warm spell can undo days of progress and force crews to wait for colder conditions before continuing.

This is why crews cannot simply start building earlier. Even with preparation complete, nature determines when conditions are right.

One of the biggest misconceptions about outdoor rinks is that crews flood the surface once and walk away.

In reality, the ice is built through many thin layers of water. Each layer must freeze completely before the next one can be added. Applying too much water at once can create bubbles, weak ice and an uneven skating surface.

At Prince's Island Park, crews use several methods to build and maintain the ice:

• Small amounts of river water are used to establish the base ice.
• Dechlorinated water is applied through hoses to improve the skating surface.
• Water trailers help crews reach areas that are difficult to access with hoses.

The number of layers required varies from year to year depending on weather conditions. Building safe, high-quality ice takes patience and careful monitoring throughout the entire process.

Before the rink can open, crews need to confirm that ice thickness is safe across the entire skating surface.

Ice conditions are checked daily using specialized ice drills. Because thickness can vary from one area to another, multiple locations are tested throughout the lagoon.

As a general guideline:

• 3 inches of ice is needed before people can safely walk on the surface.
• 5 inches of ice is needed before certain maintenance equipment can be used.
• 8 inches of ice is needed before larger equipment can safely operate on the lagoon.

Opening day isn't determined by how frozen the ice looks. It depends on measured ice thickness, weather conditions, and ongoing safety assessments performed by Parks staff.

Once the rink opens, the work is far from over.

Crews continue monitoring ice conditions, measuring thickness, clearing snow, repairing damaged areas, and flooding the surface whenever weather conditions allow.

Because natural ice changes constantly, maintenance happens throughout the season. Early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays often become opportunities to improve skating conditions when temperatures are favourable.

Around 50 Parks staff may contribute to the skating lagoon throughout the winter, including superintendents, foremen, equipment operators, gardeners, labourers, electrical crews, programming staff, and other support teams.

Their efforts help keep the rink safe, enjoyable, and open for as long as weather conditions allow.

• Skating rink: 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Crokicurl: 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. 

Fun facts about the Prince's Island Park Lagoon:

• Prince's Island Park Lagoon is not a typical frozen pond. The lagoon is drained each fall and the skating surface is built from the ground up.
• Snow doesn't help a skating rink freeze. In fact, fresh snow insulates the ice and can slow down ice growth.
• One warm Chinook can undo days of ice-making work.
• Ice thickness is tested every day during the skating season. Hundreds of staff hours go into planning, building, maintaining, and supporting the skating lagoon each winter.
• Last year marked the earliest opening of the Prince's Island Park Lagoon skating rink on record, opening on November 30.
• A new accessible access ramp will allow visitors to reach the ice surface from the south side of the lagoon at the Eau Claire Plaza dock, making it easier for people using mobility aids, wheelchairs and strollers to enjoy the rink.