Is your ice rink open year round?
- Thread starter wintersmith
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2003
Interesting question. The outdoor rinks all close for the spring/summer. The semi-enclosed rinks also close - so those are the rinks that have, for example, a roof, but either no or only a couple of walls. But most of the rinks here are indoors, and open year 'round. Those that I skate at have multiple ice surfaces, so one of them closes one rink and turns it to roller skating for the summer, while the other rink is still ice. Others might close one of the rinks for a few weeks in summer to redo the ice, then close the other for the same, but they'll always have at least once surface up.
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2018
When I was skating as a kid, one of the reasons I ended up quitting was the lack of year-round ice time. In the late spring and summer months and until it got cold in the fall, we had to drive two hours one way up to Spokane for ice time. It was hard to progress. I got frustrated. Now I live in a metro area in Minnesota so there are lots of rinks both outdoor in the winter and indoor year-round. It's too cold to really train outside most of the winter but it's certainly fun to skate outdoors!
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2010
The area around Washington, DC.
Eiting to update my list. These are the area indoor rinks on the list my home rink has:
Ashburn Ice House in Ashburn, VA
Cabin John Ice Rink in Rockville, MD
Capitals Clubhouse in Waldorf, MD
Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, VA
Columbia Ice Rink in Columbia, MD
Ft. DuPont in Washington, D.C.
Fairfax Ice Arena in Fairfax, VA
Skate Frederick in Frederick, MD
The Gardens Ice House in Laurel, MD
Mt. Vernon Recreation Center in Alexandria, VA
Piney Orchard Ice Rink in Odenton, MD
Prince William Ice Center in Dale City, VA
Rockville Ice Arena in Rockville, MD
Skate Quest in Reston, VA
Wheaton Ice Arena in Wheaton, MD
Ice rinks are expensive to operate, and this is a very affluent area, so there is enough money being spent to keep all the rinks afloat. Some of them are operated under local governments and parks, and as such are not as fully dependent on the wealth of the people in the community as the privately owned ones.
A bit of an off topic side note: of all those rinks, the only ones with skate techs I have ever heard people recommend for sharpening and fitting, are the Waldorf, Kettler, and Fairfax rinks.
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2012
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Mine, in The Hague (NL) is open for the most part, except for 6 weeks in July and August. Mind you, that's the inside rink, also used for Ice Hockey. The long-track rink closes down in april and doesn't open up until October. But for someone who does FS (be it at ever such a low level), I'm quite pleased. Don't know about other rinks in The Netherlands. Most will probably close down for quite some time. That's why quite a few speed skaters turn to inline skating in summer.
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- Jan 9, 2017
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I see treesprite answered with her location.
It's the same in many training towns/areas in the US. Colorado Springs and surrounding areas, LA and SF, as well as Detroit are all this way.
Plenty! In my small country alone we have the indoor Queenstown Ice Arena which is only open for half the year (the winter half). It even has a ice hockey team which plays in the national league despite this.
I think many of the ice rinks in major U.S. cities are able to stay open year round is because of multiple sports & activities that use the ice sheets.
For our rink and other ones within a reasonable drive from us, ice hockey for youth teams is their biggest and most consistent client. Though hockey is mainly in the fall & winter (no weekend freestyle sessions these months), there are spring hockey teams as well as summer hockey & figure skating camps that support the rinks year round. I’ve also seen curling and speed skating club advertisements at some of the rinks we visited.
For our rink and other ones within a reasonable drive from us, ice hockey for youth teams is their biggest and most consistent client. Though hockey is mainly in the fall & winter (no weekend freestyle sessions these months), there are spring hockey teams as well as summer hockey & figure skating camps that support the rinks year round. I’ve also seen curling and speed skating club advertisements at some of the rinks we visited.
- Joined
- May 4, 2017
No. It's open september or october until early January. 
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2017
All our rinks are year round, I live in a hot country so it's not really a seasonal sport to begin with. Summer is my favourite time to skate, you're warmed up as soon as you get there and you can start skating in a tshirt right away.
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2018
That’s too bad
Most of the rinks in my area are open year round.
One of the rinks near me used to be sort of the opposite of yours. It’s mostly hockey, but they had open skate during the summer one year. The public skate was only a $5, and it was never ever crowded. Most of the time, I was the only one on the ice.
Best. Summer. Ever.
Most of the rinks in my area are open year round.
One of the rinks near me used to be sort of the opposite of yours. It’s mostly hockey, but they had open skate during the summer one year. The public skate was only a $5, and it was never ever crowded. Most of the time, I was the only one on the ice.
Best. Summer. Ever.
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2018
Oh they're open. Whether there's actually any sessions available to practice figure skating is a totally different story.
I really just wanna skate today but that's not possible.
I really just wanna skate today but that's not possible.
- Joined
- May 19, 2018
Wow, this thread makes me even more grateful for my home rink than I already was. It's open year-round and has hours of freestyle almost every day. I didn't even know there were indoor rinks that aren't year-round. (hugs to all whose rinks close!)
The one indoor rink (2 patches, only one of which is open to the public) closes from may to mid-august, the outdoor patches (3 in the city) are only open from november to end of february, mayyyybe mid-march.
there are some indoor patches in neighbouring towns (which are all acessible with public transportation within ~1 hour), but they also close down from march to november.
I have high hopes for the new ice hockey rink they're building. it's supposed to have 3 or 4 patches and, as it wasn't built in the 60s, it's probably possible to keep it running all year while staying cost-efficient. construction work is only starting, though, so no finishing until 2020 or even 2021...
there are some indoor patches in neighbouring towns (which are all acessible with public transportation within ~1 hour), but they also close down from march to november.
I have high hopes for the new ice hockey rink they're building. it's supposed to have 3 or 4 patches and, as it wasn't built in the 60s, it's probably possible to keep it running all year while staying cost-efficient. construction work is only starting, though, so no finishing until 2020 or even 2021...
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2017
Not to be bitter, but I'm pretty sure that one of the reasons why Austria currently sucks in figure skating is because of our lack of year-round rinks.
99% of our ice rinks are outdoor rinks, with very few of them having a roof over them. So they are open November-March.
I live in Vienna (so the capital city) and I literally know of ONE ice rink that is open all year. Public skating times there though are limited to two evenings during the week so you need to be a part of a club and see if you can organise something else there.
I used to live in london and REALLY miss the fact that there were at least 3 all your round rinks that I knew.
99% of our ice rinks are outdoor rinks, with very few of them having a roof over them. So they are open November-March.
I live in Vienna (so the capital city) and I literally know of ONE ice rink that is open all year. Public skating times there though are limited to two evenings during the week so you need to be a part of a club and see if you can organise something else there.
I used to live in london and REALLY miss the fact that there were at least 3 all your round rinks that I knew.
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- Apr 14, 2018
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Yup I live in London and my closest rink Queens is open all year with public sessions every day and only very short private sessions in the mornings. It’s a half size rink now but it’s still very good. A lot of celebrities skate there when they Skate. Tiff Zahorski’s dad coached there before he passed away.
Then there is Streatham which is also 365/7 and is probably the best rink actually in London. Olympic sized.
Lastly there is Ally Pally, Alexandra Palace, which is beautiful old building with huge windows. It really looks like a palace. Almost full sized and they do shows there, this year it’s Aladdin on Ice. Also 365 days.
The only seasonal rinks here are the outdoor ones. The most famous being at Somerset House, just five minutes on the bus from Queens.
(Also shoutout to Murryfield in Edinburgh my home rink. The most hideous building I’ve ever seen but a very good rink with kind staff and good ice.)
In the U.K. if it’s indoors it’s usually open all year. We had a period where a lot of rinks closed but I think that time is over.
Then there is Streatham which is also 365/7 and is probably the best rink actually in London. Olympic sized.
Lastly there is Ally Pally, Alexandra Palace, which is beautiful old building with huge windows. It really looks like a palace. Almost full sized and they do shows there, this year it’s Aladdin on Ice. Also 365 days.
The only seasonal rinks here are the outdoor ones. The most famous being at Somerset House, just five minutes on the bus from Queens.
(Also shoutout to Murryfield in Edinburgh my home rink. The most hideous building I’ve ever seen but a very good rink with kind staff and good ice.)
In the U.K. if it’s indoors it’s usually open all year. We had a period where a lot of rinks closed but I think that time is over.
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