Few things are as uniquely Canadian as a backyard skating rink. If you're lucky enough to have a level patch of yard that's large enough, making one isn't difficult. I built my rink using a garden-variety lightweight tarp as a watertight liner. This method is more expensive than just hosing down a patch of flattened snow and hoping for cooperative temperatures, but it's also almost foolproof. The rink structure can be built before the really cold weather sets in, and because the water stays put, the rink will withstand a bout of warmish weather without leaking away. Plus, the rink components are reusable, making the amortized cost more agreeable.
Build your rink as large as your yard (and the tarp you can find) will accommodate. Rinks as small 10' x 20' are fine for little kids, but you'll need larger dimentions if you want to join in the fun without feeling crowded. My rink is about 30' x 50' and is just perfect for a quick game of pickup hockey or a moonlit leisure skate. Finally, use a white tarp-dark colours heat up in the sun and are counterproductive to good freezing.
The precise size of the rink is based on the size of the tarp. Don't be fooled by those numbers printed on the tarp packaging. I found out the hard way that the printed tarp dimensions are more like the manufacturer's best guesses. For instance, my 30' x 50' tarp was actually 29' 2" x 48' 7". To determine how long the boards should be, subtract 18" (9" on each side) from the actual size of the tarp to allow for overlap.
The great Zambini
Once your future greats have put their skates to the ice for couple of hours, you'll want to resurface it. This is best done at night when the temperatures dip. The easiest way to resurface the ice is to spread a thin layer of hot water over the surface. The hot water melts the ice shavings and fills in the blade gouges, and then quickly melds with the existing ice to create a nice flat surface. You could just use a hose to accomplish the resurfacing flood, but a simpler and faster way is to build a Zambini. (My kids started calling it that, and the name stuck.)
The Zambini is a T-shaped hose extension made from off-the-shelf underground sprinkler fittings. Just screw all the fittings together and drill a series of holes on the underside of the horizontal part of the contraption.
Attached to your hose, the Zambini is used like a broom. The beauty of the device is that—like its inspiration, the Zamboni—it gets the hot water right down to the ice level without losing too much water to evaporation, and the little holes spread the water out evenly. Of course, to run hot water through the hose, you'll need to attach it to a supply inside the house; I used the laundry tub in the basement. Don't forget to bring the hose and the Zambini inside to prevent freeze-ups.
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