BEND, OR -- Bend Parks and Rec finally opens the Pavilion Ice Rink Tuesday. "Mother Nature was really holding on tight there to summer and our opening is about eight days past when we originally had scheduled it," Julie Brown tells KBND News. The team had to wait until overnight lows were cold enough, "Really, we have to work overnight in order to build ice, and it takes about a week." 

The ice season stretches into April, weather permitting, "The depth of the ice is just about 2” - maybe 1 ¾ - which is probably not as deep or as thick as most people would think that we would need," says Brown, "But, that depth of a slab will take us all the way through to the end of the season in April. It just takes a really long time for us to be able to build it."

She says daytime temperatures in the 50s, forecast for this week, shouldn't impact the integrity of the ice, "It’s lots of very, very tiny layers that you spray out and have to let freeze, and you do that over and over and over again. Once the ice is built, it is ready to go and we can take care of it with the Zamboni. The temperature outside isn’t as much of a concern as when we do get a lot of sustained wind. That will tend to carry away the cool-air layer that builds up right above the ice."

The Pavilion is open from pre-dawn to late night, seven days a week, including public open skate opportunities and the return of adult and youth hockey leagues. Weekly schedules are available here. All public skate sessions are drop-in with rental skates available and no reservation needed. Skaters are encouraged to bring their helmet or borrow one at The Pavilion.

Youth and adult hockey programs, curling and skate lessons begin this week along with hockey clinics and specialized ice times for hockey and curling. A second session of ice skating and sports programs, offered from January to March, will open for registration beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 6:00 a.m.

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