Outdoor rinks in Sudbury, Ont., remain closed due to mild winter

The 54 outdoor neighbourhood rinks in Sudbury, Ont., are closed due to the mild winter so far.

"A few outdoor rinks had begun making ice but had to stop last week due to the mild weather," said city spokesperson Sacha Novack in an email to CBC News.

Nina's Way, a popular skating path that cuts through a wooded area of Sudbury's Kivi Park, is also closed due to a warmer than average December.

Jasmine Bureau, the park's marketing and events co-ordinator, said the path is on track to have its latest opening date yet.

"Usually our grand opening is in January," she said.

"Some years when we're lucky, we can open the last week of December, but this year we haven't been lucky and we still don't have a base on our skate path."

Because the path is created over gravel, Bureau said they need a week of temperatures of –10 C or colder for it to freeze properly.

"If you have above that, then it becomes slush and then your surface is compromised," she said.

Bureau said that with current forecasts, she expects the path to be open about two weeks later than normal.

However, she said when it finally opens, it will be better than in past years. For the first time, Kivi Park will have an ice resurfacer to maintain the path and keep the ice surface smooth.

Bureau said trees along the path will also be lit up at night, which will let people keep skating until 9 or 10 p.m., depending on the night.

Other outdoor rinks have fared better, even with a warmer start to the winter.

Cold enough for some ponds

Dan Lessard helps maintain outdoor rinks on the Mallard's Landing pond in the city's south end.

Despite mild temperatures during the day, Lessard said cooler nights have been enough to freeze the small pond.

"The lack of snow hasn't hurt," Lessard said.

"As a matter of fact, it's helped because we've had consistent cold and that's allowed the pond to freeze evenly without a lot of snow to remove, and it stayed relatively cold."

The pond has a hockey rink and even a makeshift curling rink.

Safety on open ice

Lessard added that ice safety is important when skating outside. For skating, the ice should be at least 15 centimetres thick, he said.

On Dec. 31, a 60-year-old man died after he fell through the ice at Onwatin Lake in Hanmer, Ont.

On Jan. 2, a 58-year-old man was killed when he fell through the ice at Trout Lake in Aweres Township, north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.