Backyard Ice Rink Fit for the State of Hockey

Winter is upon us and nobody can tell you how much fun an ice rink is better than a Minnesotan, especially a Minnesota who grew up in a hockey playing family. Minnesota is called the state of hockey and my family takes that title seriously. I have four cousins that range from older than me to younger than me all boys and all have played hockey for as long as I can remember. So of course I know how to make a backyard ice rink and I would love to pass off my tips to you.

You need to remember that backyard rinks are not professional and not meant to be. They are just meant to be fun. That said you cant just toss the hose out in the yard let it run all night and think you will have a rink in the morning. More often than not you will just have a flood, a river and a mess you need to explain to your neighbors.

The first thing you will need in any rink is a relatively flat surface in your back yard. Depending on how big you want the rink of course will depend on how big of an area you want. My friend makes his in a 56 X 33 are and all around this works well for them.

Materials: PVC pipe (this is preferable to wood for cost and the fact that it will never rot), Plastic Liner cut to size, Cutting Saw, Sand Paper, Measuring tape. Your entire basic fix it items.

Step 1: Clear your area. You're making this rink in winter and if you're like me you just might end up having 2 or 3 feet of snow on the ground before you get to make your rink. So bribe some friends bundle up and get to toss that snow you need your area to be clear for laying down the rink.

Step 2: Time to cut, and sand your PVC pipe with those tools we mentioned earlier. Because we need a spot for the plastic liner to be held we need to cut half of our pipe I prefer a 3 inch slot for my liner. After making the straight cut you will need to sand paper the edges down to make sure you keep the plastic liner intact.

Step 3: Take the PVC on out and set it at your rink sides. Make sure that all of your corners match and everything stays in place well.

Step 4: Take your plastic liner out to your rink frame and lay it down over the frame. You will than snap the PVC cap over the liner.

Step 5: Time for the water. This is easy of course. Just turn on your hose and fill the rink area. Make sure you don't over flow. Check your forecast when you do this step because you need at least 2 days of good solid freezing for the rink to be really solid.

And with that final step you should be able to enjoy your ice rink. It's fast and easy and affordable to make. And will stand up to use even in the coldest states of hockey.