Tis the season of children, teenagers, families, and grandparents spending their days and nights on outdoor skating rinks.
If you enjoy skating outside in the winter, chances are you appreciate a well-maintained rink.
A quieter afternoon on the trail.
Storybook Gardens is home to one of Londons most popular out door skating trails, as it runs through the park.
Keeping the rink well maintained for skaters can be a challenge especially with the unpredictable weather in the winter says Storybook’s Outdoor Operations Manager John Riddell.
“The rink is refrigerated and we have a zamboni so that certainly helps when keeping the ice in good condition.”
Temperatures between minus one to five degrees is when the skating trail is in it’s best condition but when heavy snow or lots of rain falls, Riddell and team know they are in for long shifts outside fixing it back up.
“Our professional ice staff work hard to keep the rink together even when the temperature hits 13 or 14 degrees like it occasionally does.”
“We try to predict what the weather will be but it’s so hard knowing, so we really go on a day to day basis and just roll with what we have.”
Open to families, corporate groups, teams, birthday parties, and more Storybook does everything in order to not have to cancel an event due to unfortunate weather conditions. 
When I look outside my office and see the rink filled, parents tying skates, little ones with their hot chocolates – it makes it all worth it,” says Riddell.
