Ice rink

The technology for the maintenance of natural ice did not exist, therefore these early rinks used a substitute consisting of a mixture of hog's lard and various salts.

An item in the May 8, 1844 issue of Eliakim Littell's Living Age headed "The Glaciarium" reported that "This establishment, which has been removed to Grafton street East' Tottenham Court Road, was opened on Monday afternoon.

The area of artificial ice is extremely convenient for such as may be desirous of engaging in the graceful and manly pastime of skating".

It wasn't until thirty years later that refrigeration technology developed to the point where natural ice could finally be feasibly used in the rink.

The world's first mechanically frozen ice rink was the Glaciarium, opened by John Gamgee, a British veterinarian and inventor, in a tent in a small building just off the Kings Road in Chelsea, London, on 7 January 1876.

In March of that same year it moved to a permanent venue at 379 Kings Road, where a rink measuring 12.2 by 7.3 metres (40 by 24 ft) was established.

Atop these were laid oval copper pipes carrying a solution of glycerine with ether, nitrogen peroxide and water.

Gamgee discovered the process while attempting to develop a method to freeze meat for import from Australia and New Zealand, and patented it as early as 1870.

[5] Gamgee operated the rink on a membership-only basis and attempted to attract a wealthy clientele, experienced in open-air ice skating during winters in the Alps.

[5] In the marshlands of The Fens, skating was developed early as a pastime during winter where there were plenty of natural ice surfaces.

[6] In Austria-Hungary, the first artificial ice skating rink opened in 1870 in The City Park of Budapest, which is still in operation to this day and is considered one of the largest in Europe.

The $3.9 million renovation project planned for the Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval was set to be completed before the opening of the rink's 29th season on November 18, 2022.

Many ice rinks consist of, or are found on, open bodies of water such as lakes, ponds, canals, and sometimes rivers; these can be used only in the winter in climates where the surface freezes thickly enough to support human weight.

Rinks can also be made in cold climates by enclosing a level area of ground, filling it with water, and letting it freeze.

An example of this type of "rink", which is a body of water converted into a skating trail during winter, is the Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa, Ontario.

This thin layer is painted white or pale blue for better contrast; markings necessary for hockey or curling are also placed, along with logos or other decorations.

A typical synthetic rink will consist of many panels of thin surface material assembled on top of a sturdy, level and smooth sub-floor (anything from concrete to wood or even dirt or grass) to create a large skating area.

For curling, the surface is 'pebbled' by allowing loose drops of cold water to fall onto the ice and freeze into rounded peaks.

A highly specialized form of rink is used for speed skating; this is a large oval (or ring) much like an athletic track.

One such team of professionals was responsible for placing a loonie coin under center ice at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah; as both Canadian teams (men's and women's) won their respective hockey gold medals, the coin was christened "lucky" and is now in the possession of the Hockey Hall of Fame[16] after having been retrieved from beneath the ice.

A skateless outdoor winter variant of ice hockey, spongee has its own rules codes and is played strictly within the Canadian city of Winnipeg as a cult sport.

Speed skating tracks or "rinks" can either be created naturally or artificially and are made either outdoors or inside indoor facilities.

The races concern speed skating by at least five skaters who start all together on an ice rink with a minimum length of 333.33 meters or on a track: The Netherlands is home of Elfstedentocht, a 200 km distance skating race of which the tracks leads through the 11 different cities in Friesland which is a northern province of the Netherlands.

The rink is recognized as the "world's largest naturally frozen ice rink" by the Guinness Book of World Records because "its entire length receives daily maintenance such as sweeping, ice thickness checks and there are toilet and recreational facilities along its entire length".

[22] The longest ice skating trail is in Invermere, British Columbia, Canada, on Lake Windermere Whiteway.

[25] The event leads past all eleven historical cities of the province and is held at most once a year, only when the natural ice along the entire course is at least 15 centimetres (6 in) thick.

Crokicurl[28][29] is a Canadian winter sport and is a large scale hybrid of curling and the board game Crokinole.

These areas and facilities also help individuals, youth sporting organizations, and families, offset the expensive cost of indoor ice-time.

The length of outdoor ice skating season began to experience a noticeable decline in North America in the early part of the 21st century.

Beginning in 2013 the program started collecting data on outdoor rinks and frozen ponds across North America.