Clear skies and cold temperatures.
That’s been the prevailing weather pattern all week over Prince George and that’s good news for skaters hoping to get started taking their laps at the Exhibition Park ice oval.
It might even be open this weekend.
Crews started flooding the 400-metre track on Monday, and have been keeping the hoses flowing every two hours several times a day, which means is should soon be open for public skating.
“We’ve done really well this week, we’ve been pouring the water to it and I think we’ll be able to skate on it in a couple days.” said Neil Bilodeau, part of a small army of dedicated volunteer ice-makers who build and maintain the oval ice throughout the cold-weather months.
“We’ve had good turnout, quite a few new guys helping as volunteers. It varies but we’ve had eight, 10 and 12 people come out. With the hose floods we’ve got four stations and you need two guys on each station so it works really good to get at least eight guys out and move the hoses around.”
Eventually, once the ice is an inch or two thick, a water truck will be used to spray a more even layer of water on the oval and the Zamboni will be out to use to shave the high spots and get rid of the bumps and grooves.
There’s been a few breezy days, which helps freeze the ice faster, but it makes spraying with the hose a bit more of a challenge.
“The downside to the wind is you’re wearing the humidity,” laughed Bilodeau. “You’ve got to turn your back to the water. Our biggest downfall is the sun. Clear days like this it beats down on the ice in the afternoon and doesn’t do it any justice.
“As long as we can keep the temperatures we’ve got now, that’s super. If we can get a good enough base down we can make it last pretty good, especially with colder temperatures coming on.”
The forecast calls for a low of -20 C overnight and early Saturday morning with a 30 per cent chance of flurries. The predicted high for Saturday and Sunday is -11 C, after overnight lows of -19 C Saturday and -15 C Sunday. The mercury is not likely to climb above freezing before Friday.
On snowy days, the ice crews use a skidsteer (Bobcat) equipped with a blade to plough the ice and a mechanical brush then sweeps the surface. Volunteers are also ready with their shovels to clear snow.
The Ice Oval Society has made several improvements to the facility, located adjacent to Kin 3 arena west of CN Centre. Physically-challenged skaters now have wheelchair access to the ice and a fully-accessible washroom has been built this year. The oval also accommodates parents with young children in sleds.
Season passes for the oval are available through the website, www.pgoval.ca.
Single memberships are $25 and a family pass (maximum of two adults) costs $60. Day passes are $2 (individuals) and $5 (families).
When it’s in full operation, the oval will be open most days from 11 a.m-8:30 p.m. Some time periods will be blocked off for exclusive use of the Prince George Blizzard Speed Skating Club and masters speed skaters on long blades. Check the website for an updated schedule.
The society has purchased new skates which are available for rental in the indoor change room. Speed skates and nordic blades (which attach to a pair of cross-country ski boots) are available for rental for $5 (two hours). Rentals are available Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., subject to volunteer availability.
The society is also actively promoting its Chill the Oval campaign and through its website has a portal to accept private donations. The ultimate goal is to raise enough money to pay for a permanent paved surface with refrigeration to extend the skating season and make the oval a year-round facility suitable for in-line skaters, roller skiers and other user groups on wheeled equipment.
