That time I dumped $800 into a backyard rink that turned into a swamp by February

So last winter I got it in my head to build a proper backyard skating rink. I bought the heavy duty liner, the boards, the whole deal. Spent around $800 on supplies from Home Depot in Calgary. Got it all set up in December and it looked beautiful for about three weeks. Then we got that warm chinook in January and the whole thing just turned into a slushy mess. The liner ended up ripping on a rock I didn't see underneath, and by February I had a muddy swamp where my rink used to be. My neighbor still laughs at me every time he sees me shoveling snow out of the yard. Has anyone else tried those DIY rink kits and actually had them hold up past January?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivan_murphy801mo ago

Wait, you laid down actual gravel and a whole french drain under a backyard skating rink? For a temporary thing that's only up for a couple months? That's a serious level of commitment. I just threw the liner on the grass and crossed my fingers. The rock that ripped my liner was probably a buried piece of Calgary's finest landscaping gravel that I didn't even know was there. I honestly didn't think about prepping the ground at all, I just figured the liner would handle it. Your neighbor must have thought you were building a permanent pond.

the_piper1mo ago

@ivan_murphy80 I gotta ask though, are you sure that rock wasn't just hiding under the grass waiting to jump out at your liner? Because that's exactly what happened to me my first season. I swear Calgary soil has a secret layer of sharp rocks that only reveal themselves when you try to do something nice in your yard. After I patched that liner three times in one month I gave up and did the whole gravel and drain setup. It felt crazy at first but honestly my rink survived two chinooks last winter without turning into a slush puddle.

elliotm571mo ago

You're missing the real issue which is that Calgary clay soil holds water like a bathtub once it thaws out. I dumped gravel and a french drain under my rink area the next season and it actually drained properly instead of turning into a marsh. That $800 liner is useless if the ground underneath isn't prepped to handle chinooks and spring melt together.