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Ice Skating in Your Own Backyard: NiceRink Review

© Dr. Marie Miczak

Remember those old Currier and Ives paintings depicting Victorians ice skating on ponds? Now those were nostalgic times! Fact is, lake ice has a "natural spring that gives lift to one's jumps" according to the legendary Dick Button. During the early Olympics, all competitions were held outdoors on natural ice. You had other factors such as wind to co1ntend with but what a view! Blue skies, mountains, snow covered trees. No indoor rink could match that. However there were some drawbacks.

If you've ever skated on a lake as I have, you will quickly see that ice can be quite uneven. Ice doesn't always freeze uniformly and something called "lifting" can occur. Another thing is the gripping fear of crashing through the ice on a lake. There were huge deep cracks and fissures all over the surface. Very scary.

So, what if you could have the beauty and flex of natural ice without the hazards? The answer is to install a NiceRink! NiceRink makes professional quality ice rinks that are easy to set up in your own backyard. Hockey, figure skating, speed skating, curling, you can do it all right at home. No more commuting to the rink or paying for ice time. My rink charges $81.00 for a 10 hour ice pass. With 3 skaters in our family, we can use that up in one day on our home rink! Multiply that for the season and NiceRink actually pays for itself.

NiceRink is simple to install and when the season is over, stores away. Just mark off your site, set up the side boards, drop the liner and fill like a swimming pool. What makes this rink so easy to put down, (even if your land slopes), are the patented NiceRink brackets. You'll be glad you had something that sturdy and well made when you see how much water the rink can hold.

Now you may be wondering, how do I clean or "cut" the ice? You may not need to rent a Zamboni afterall. NiceRink also makes the NiceIce Resurfacer that's just sheer genius. It hooks up to a garden hose, has its own shutoff valve and resurfacing mat. Simply pull it along like a squeegee and it will put down a layer of fresh ice in a matter of minutes.

Please don't waste your time and money on "toy rinks". You've seen them in specialty catalogs. They only work on very level areas, which nobody has and don't hold enough water to be able to