Lace up and hit the rink: Earliest opening ever for skating at The Forks

After a record-breaking run last year, skating at The Forks is once again open for the season — and it's already broken another record with its earliest opening ever.

The rink under the canopy at the popular Winnipeg gathering spot and heritage site opened on Sunday, Nov. 18. That's the earliest opening date on record, according to posts from The Forks on Facebook and Twitter.

The posts said the early opening was due to a few weeks of lower-than-usual temperatures, as well as the hard work of the crew on-site.

Last year, The Forks broke two other records. It saw its longest-ever skating trail, at a full 10 kilometres, and its longest skating season, at 72 days.

The river trail isn't open yet this year, and Winnipeg police are advising the public to stay off the ice.

Here are a few of the other stats compiled by The Forks from last year:

• 1.1 million: Litres of water pumped from the Red River to flood the trail.
• 1,011: Kilometres driven by the ice resurfacer to maintain the trail.
• 28: Number of smartphones lost (and found) on the trail.
• 282: Litres of coffee consumed by the 12-person maintenance crew.
• 200: Number of Tall Grass Prairie cinnamon buns consumed by the crew.
• 36: Inches of ice recorded at the thickest point on the trail.
• 450: Number of recycled Christmas trees used along the trail.
• 20: Number of warming huts along the trail.
• 43: Number of hockey pucks recovered from berms along the trail.
• 600,000: Approximate number of visitors recorded over January and February.