Hi!
I skate in Vancouver, but my favorite ice is in Richmond, 15 minutes from where I live. The Richmond Ice Centre has tons of open time... and in the middle of the day it can be very empty. I have been alone! And 5 people is typical, though with school getting out that will change. The downside is that it is really really cold. Nowhere else that I skate comes close to that kind of cold. My hands, in gloves, hate that place. Too bad the rest of me is so happy to have all that space! I guess it is cold hockey ice, but I'm too much of a beginner to tell you more about the surface except that it isn't too rough.
alison.