Okemo Mountain Resort
Okemo to install ice rink refrigeration system
Project Facts
- Pre-engineered steel structure
- 115 by 215 foot skating rink in winter
- Tennis court and basketball court, surrounded by a single-lane jogging track, in summer
What does the Rink at Rockefeller Center, the Pond at Bryant Park and Okemo Mountain Resort’s Ice House have in common? They’re all using the same refrigeration system technology to build their ice skating rinks.
Okemo’s Ice House ice skating pavilion will be opening earlier than ever this winter and offering a more consistent ice skating surface thanks to a new, technologically advanced refrigeration system that can make ice at temperatures well above freezing. The IceMat system will create uniform ice temperatures in varied weather conditions, allowing Okemo to offer ice skating to its winter guests early in the season and throughout the entire winter.
“Installing an IceMat system will provide our guests with better quality ice and an overall better ice skating experience in Okemo’s Ice House,” said Okemo Vice President and General Manager Bruce Schmidt.
“Installing an IceMat system will provide our guests with better quality ice and an overall better ice skating experience in Okemo’s Ice House,” said Okemo Vice President and General Manager Bruce Schmidt.
Manufactured by CALMAC, IceMat ice rink systems a high quality, prefabricated ice rink floors made of sturdy polyethylene tubing that can be custom designed to the rink's specifications and installed in just a few days and disassembled for storage just as quickly. IceMat ice rinks unroll (much like a carpet) and connect to a refrigeration unit. A coolant is circulated through the tubes to begin the cooling process and the rink's unique piping system provides a counterflow that circulates coolant in opposite directions, to even out surface temperatures. As the mats cool, water is sprayed on the rink in mist form. Within hours, ice completely covers the mats to form a perfectly uniform ice sheet.
Installation of the IceMat is scheduled for early November and Okemo plans to offer ice skating to guests visiting during Thanksgiving weekend.
Built in 2006, Okemo’s Ice House, located at Jackson Gore, is a multi-functional, year-round sports pavilion that is open to the public. The main building, a pre-engineered steel structure, houses a 115 by 215 foot skating rink in winter a
nd a tennis court and basketball court, surrounded by a single-lane jogging track, in summer. The adjacent building features a gas-fueled fireplace for skaters to warm themselves in winter. Skate rentals are available and an ice resurfacing machine keeps the skating surface smooth and in top condition.
