Portable Ice Rink

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed)
Nov 1st 2006 at 6:06PM

What child wouldn't love to have an ice skating rink in the back yard? Hammacher Schlemmer has a 37-foot portable ice rink that can be set up anywhere and is perfect for practicing for winter sports or just skating for fun. The frame keeps the water in the rink even if the temperatures get too high to sustain the ice, ensuring it will be ready to go whenever the weather gets cold, and the rigid PVC at the bottom protects the rink from skate damage if the ice gets too thin.

If only I had had one of these to put in the yard growing up! Actually, it wouldn't have helped me to become a more accomplished figure skater because, portable though it is, it still needs to be below freezing to properly form the 2.5-inch thick ice layer and that is something you can't necessarily count on in most of California. Price: $700.

Tags: ice, ice rink, ice skate, outside, sport, sports, toy, winter, yard

Filed under: Sports

Source

Subscribe to these comments

Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)

sean Nov 9th 2006 7:48PM

The person that wrote the first comment isn't very smart. It doesn't matter how uneven the ground is, the water will be level no matter what. Haven't you ever seen a lake.

Sarah Nov 17th 2006 12:47AM

My nephew made a rink in his backyard in New London, Minnesota with a lot of water and elbow grease. Boy did he have fun working on that thing night after night in the dark (at 4:30 in the afternoon....) - almost as much fun as skating on it. He grew up to be a better golfer than hockey player, but his pride and pleasure from the skating rink will always be with him. Help your kids make their own rink and donate the $700 to charity.

mary Nov 9th 2006 8:02PM

I think you are the one who is not smart, Sean, and maybe you don't truly understand the concept of the English language. The person obviously meant that the ice would be thicker on one part of the rink if the rink was sitting on an incline. The person was not implying that the actual water level itself wouldn't be flat.

martin Nov 13th 2006 11:52PM

I was given one of these from a friend at work. Her son moved off to college and she didn't need it any longer. It was a breeze to set up, but if your yard isn't level you are in for problems. I'm adding extra dirt at one end so I don't run into it filling up at just one end and very thin at the other. It's tough to fill when it's below freezing since the hose would freeze. She gave it to me in the winter and I had to try it out. It will be set up prior to the big freze this year. The one I have is 37' x 25' and it's perfect for my 7 year old. Time to get out in the garage and finish building his net.
It better get cold enough in Indiana this winter to set up in my yard. My wife hates it, since I have to set it up in my front yard. The back yard is sloped too much.
I grew up in Ontario where there was always a pond hockey game going on across the street from where I lived.
This one is WAY overpriced!!!!!
Give blood play hockey!

judie Dec 27th 2006 7:03PM

From Chicago, skated all my life. We would skate on the streets or sidewalks to school; it was faster and more fun than walking. A teenager (with the help of another bloke) can make a decent ice rink. My hubby and I live in remote Australia and we can still put together a decent rink at the drop of a hat (and good compressor). Not rocket science.

Previous 20 Comments