5 Types Of Back Yard Skating Rinks Found In Toronto,Canada
This article will go over the 5 types of back yard skating rinks found in Toronto Canada to act as a guide to understanding the different types of back yard skating rinks so you can select the best type of back yard rink for your yard and budget.
Canada has a long tradition of back yard skating rinks because they promote sport, family time and something to do during the winter. Back yard skating rinks are also attributed to the rise of several famous NHL hockey players like Wayne Gretzky and PK Subban. Just about every canadian has a lovely back yard rink memory and it is important that we keep theses memories going and help other experience the pleasure of the backyard rink.
1. The DIY Back Yard Rink Type
The Good:
The DIY back yard skating rink is an amazing option for a handy family to spend a few weekends construction their very own ice rink. We love the idea of introducing the family to basic hand tools fostering a life long skill in a positive environment.
The Bad:
Unfortunately building a rink DIY is a lot of work and most DIY rinks will only be setup once. This defeats the yearly family tradition of the back yard rink. Along with the immense amount of work, if done wrong you could have 2000 liters of water in your or your neighbours basement in a matter of seconds.
Materials needed to build a back yard rink are lumber, screws, stakes, saws, drills, heavy duty staple, heavy duty stapler and a back yard rink liner. This means you’re also going to need to rent a truck and count on a few runs to the lumber and hardware store.
The cost to build a DIY Backyard skating rink is $1250-$2500(20×30) +10-12 hours of driving and manuel labor
A perfect 20×30 back yard skating rink made by Rinkbuild.com is about $1800 – $2350, build and lined. Book a free laser level assessment in Toronto or the GTA
2. The Refrigerated Back Yard Rink Type
It goes without saying a rink with a platform, dasher boards and refrigeration system is absolutely awesome! This type of rink is not as common in Toronto but is very common in the GTA for a number of factors.
The Good:
The rink ice will freeze and remain frozen for much longer allowing for skating well into april. These rinks are also perfect for hockey drills and full games
The Bad:
The Cost of a refrigerated rink costs $15 000 – $75 000 with added utility costs.
Other then the high cost of the rink, there will also be a large tear down and storage fee along with any maintenance costs to keep the ice prestine all winter long.
Additionally these rinks can attract allot of unwanted attention, and can lead to angry neighbours and city bylaw disputes for both the eye sore, bright lights and obscene noise.
3. The Rink Kit Back Yard Rink Type
Rink kits can be a great alternative to the DIY back yard rink because they are easy to build so you can have a memorable family experience, however these kits are limited to surfaces with little to no load and if not built properly can cause a catastrophe.
The Good:
These rinks can be assembled in a few hours and are great for property’s with little to no slope. Some rink kit companies have wonderful add ons so you can have an almost arena like skating experience
The Bad:
Rinks with some slope are at high risk of rink kit blowouts. We had a customer migrate to our rinks after thier rink kit blew out cuasing $50 000 worth of damages.
4. The Natural Back Yard Rink Type
Back in the day, you could build some snow mounds and hose down your yard every night and make a fully natural back yard skating rink. These rinks are by far the coolest and most un practical rink types found in toronto.
The Good:
Shock and awe value of skating in your back yard without a frame or liner. these types of rinks can also be made in cool designes like around trees or bushes and can even be made into skating paths where space permits.
The Bad:
Unfortually these rinks take a ridicules amount of time to make requiring hours and weeks of work before the rink can even be skated on. Additonaly these rinks do not last very long in toronto or the gta. Most fully natural rinks will only last 2-3 weeks.
If you want a skating path experiance we reccomend taking a day trip to a city or privately owned trail, click here for more information
5. The Best Back Yard Rink Type In Toronto and GTA
Professionally made natural back yard rinks are the best of all rink types. Our rinks can be custom built on slopes and different terrain with free support all winter long
The Good:
Affordable, built quickly and can be a fully white glove rink experience if you want. Our rinks are amazing for inner city properties as they can be made noise reducing and are not an eye sore.
The Bad:
Just live every other rink type, our rinks are weather dependent. You can expect to skate for 2 1/2 – 3 months of the year. With a refrigerated rink you may get another week or 2 at best.
We hope this article helps you make the right choice this winter in selecting your back yard skating rink type.
RinkBuild.com
For a free onsite assesment with a laser level click here
Rinkbuild.com has built well over 1000 skating rinks with 100s of return clients every year. We offer every rink related service you can think of. Framing, filling, maintenace, tear down, storage and more all in one place.
Make rinkbuild your only stop for all you back yard rink needs.