There are lots of fingers and maybe some toes crossed this week in Squamish, with locals hoping that the cold temperatures continue long enough to freeze the water pooling on make-shift backyard rinks.
Marie-Eve Béland and her partner Mathew Bergeron both grew up in Quebec, where outdoor skating is more common.
“Usually, in little towns, there’s always the big ice rink that you can go to at night and play hockey, or whatever,” Béland said. “I grew up on a farm, and my dad usually either did one in the yard, or there were natural ones that were just in the field, and you could skate there. It is just magical. Making memories, that is what we are trying to do with our kids right now.”
Though they have been in Squamish for about 15 years, the couple decided to make a rink in their yard for the first time this year to give their young sons memories that aren’t all pandemic-related.
Their oldest son, who is six-years-old, is anxious to skate. He started skating at the indoor rink last year, but due to COVID-19, he isn't skating there this year.
“We can’t do lots of things. It is trying to make memories for the kids that are not ... the bad things that are going around, like not playing with their friends. The pandemic is hard for a lot of people," Béland said.
For an added touch in the backyard rink, Béland added coins to the water so they will be visible to the kids under the ice.
Then, when the ice starts to melt, the kids can grab the money.
“The first one to pick it up, it is yours," Béland said of the childhood tradition she is continuing.
So far, about half of the water in their rink is frozen. The family is waiting and watching for the rest to freeze.
“If it works, it will be wonderful,” she added, with a laugh.
Squamish’s Morgan Wentworth and her family have created a backyard rink for five or six years.
“I grew up in Squamish competitively figure skating for the Squamish Skating Club for over 20 years and now coach... at the Whistler Skating Club,” she told The Chief.
“It was always a childhood dream of mine to have a backyard ice rink, but my childhood home on Skyline Drive didn’t exactly have a level yard for it.”
Wentworth's husband, Chris, who builds custom homes for a living, now builds the yearly backyard rink to make his wife's childhood dream a reality.
The rinks have grown in size over the years from about 20-feet by 30-feet (6.1 x 9.14 metres) to this year's 60-feet by 60-feet.
The family purchased the neighbouring property, hoping to have a swimming pool in the summer and the rink in the winter.
So far, some winters have been better than others in terms of how much ice-time Squamish weather provides.
The ice can stay frozen from a week to a few months, Wentworth said.
They string lights up around the rink and usually build boards on one end, and have a fire pit nearby.
“Night skating is my favourite. I love being able to walk out my door and straight on to my rink. We spend hours out there. Usually, our family, friends and neighbours will come join us, but this year will be a little different.”
The plan is either to split the ice in half to safely distance or to take turns with extended family.
“It’s a lot of work and maintenance but so worth it. Next, my husband wants to make a Zamboni with our ride-on lawnmower," she said.
Will it freeze?
There is currently an Arctic outflow warning in effect for Howe Sound, and temperatures are expected to be below freezing at night until Wednesday, according to Environment Canada.
“In the short term, there’s a very high probability of it working,” Squamish meteorologist Jason Ross told The Chief on Thursday, adding the cooler nights and cold winds are favourable for freezing the rinks.
“The arctic air is very dry and cold and perfect for creating the ice in backyard skating rinks.”
Overall, though, this winter has been unusually mild, Ross said, with temperatures through November, December and January running four to five degrees above normal.”
Ross noted that our lakes, however, are a long way from being frozen.
Have you made a rink in your Squamish backyard? If so, we would love to see it. Send photos to [email protected].
