To be functional, the many city rinks would need a strong helping hand from Mother Nature, help that seems unlikely in the next two weeks.
On its website, the city of Quebec notes that the opening of outdoor ice rinks is subject to “the outside temperature remaining at -15°C for three consecutive days,” as well as the temperature being below zero and little rain. .
According to Météo Média forecasts, the mercury will never fall this low in the next 14 days. The coldest expected temperature will be around -11°C on some nights.
Worse still: a maximum of 11°C and up to 100 mm of rain are expected on Monday. Météo Média predicts that “several cities could set a new record for mild temperatures on December 18th.” This unusual temperature puts other winter sports at risk as the snow threatens to melt before our eyes.
The slide should survive the rain
The iconic Au 1884 slide on Dufferin Terrace will be closed for a few days due to rain, but the company has drawn up a plan to reopen in time for Christmas. “There is no snow on the horizon for the holiday season and it is certain that it is the highlight of our season for us,” says Marc Duchesne, owner of Au 1884.
“Our Plan A is to have a truck of snow delivered this week, just after the rain, and we will be able to get the slide back up and running just before Christmas,” he said. If everything goes as planned, the slide will be open to visitors from Thursday.
“It’s something extraordinary that we’ve never done before.”
— Marc Duchesne, owner of the Au 1884 slides
Since the slide only requires a layer of snow of about 10 centimeters, the supply of snow from the Laurentians should be enough to maintain the attraction during the holiday season, calculates Marc Duchesne. “If the thermometer plays along and stays below zero, we should still have a very nice Christmas season,” hopes the entrepreneur.
Two open mirrors
Only the Plains of Abraham and Place D'Youville rinks will welcome skaters despite the mild weather. Both types of ice cream are chilled and therefore last up to around 20 °C.
Les Plaines is home to a brand new chalet that was inaugurated on Friday. The new facilities include toilets inside the chalet rather than in an outside trailer as before.
The city also promises better control of humidity through improved insulation and forced-air heating. In addition to the rental of sports equipment, a snack is also offered on site.
The ice rink at Place D'Youville has been welcoming skaters for several weeks.
More chilled ice cream flavors will follow
Although there are only two of them, it is expected that there will be more and more refrigerated outdoor ice rinks in the coming years.
A refrigerated indoor ice rink in Victoria Park is scheduled to be under construction in summer 2024 and open in 2025. This project is offered by the Canadiens Foundation, but the City of Quebec is working on other refrigerated rink projects to open one in each district.
The city is particularly examining sites in the Charlesbourg, Beauport and Duberger sectors to install possible projects there.
