After three straight years of poor ice conditions and short seasons, this winter looks like that trend might continue at the Prince George Ice Oval at Exhibition Park,
“We can’t start flooding yet, it’s way too warm,” said Kathy Lewis, president of the Prince George Ice Oval Society. “It’s very frustrating for us. As soon as it gets cold enough... and we get some cold temperatures at night we’ll start. But there’s no point in doing anything yet.”
Last year was one of the shortest seasons ever for the oval.
An early November cold snap allowed the rink to open Nov. 19 but it got too cold for skating during the week before Christmas. Then, an early February warm spell produced a rapid melt that drained water underneath the surface and created air pockets beneath the ice layers. The rink cracked in several places under the weight of the water truck and it became too dangerous for skating. The oval closed Jan. 28 after just 46 skating days.
The 2021-22 season wasn’t much better. The rink opened Dec. 18 but ice conditions were “horrible,” as Lewis described, through much of the season and by early February the rink was closed. In 2020-21 the first skaters weren't on the ice until Dec. 23 and the year before that it was Nov. 30 but neither season lasted long.
The Weather Network is predicting daytime temperatures ranging from 0 to 2 C and very little snow accumulations for the next 14 days for Prince George.
