Building in a blizzard
The frigid wind blowing off Lake Minnetonka blasted through the backyard, creating a wind tunnel between the houses. Icy snow bit at my cheeks and forced my eyes closed as I made my way down the hill with the snowblower.
Great, I thought. It might be hard to build an ice rink when I can’t even open my eyes.
As wicked as the weather was, it was nothing compared to the first day we had planned to install this rink. I like to think we are a hardy bunch here at Polar Bear Rinks, but with temperatures well into the negatives and high winds, we might not have had much of a crew left if we’d pushed forward that day. Now, with only slightly better conditions, and Christmas quickly approaching, we felt the extra motivation to get this thing built.
I was about halfway through clearing snow when my buddy Max arrived in the backyard. He chose to walk backward through the wind tunnel to protect his face and eyeballs. Veteran move. I had warned him it was going to be rough, but I was pretty happy he was dumb enough to show up anyway. I showed my gratitude by launching a stream of snow out of the blower chute, directly into the wind—and straight into his face and the eyeballs he had worked so hard to preserve.
We spread out the material and started setting boards, occasionally chasing down a panel that tried to take flight. Near the end, Max said, “Honestly, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.” I appreciated his optimism, but it was exactly as bad as I thought it would be.
We wrapped up and let the client know we’d be back in a few days to roll out the liner and install the lights. If we had tried that night, the liner would’ve ended up in the treetops.
The next day, the homeowner and a neighbor filled the liner themselves, pumping water straight out of the lake. When I stopped by a couple days later, the kids were already skating and enjoying the rink—playing hockey and follow-the-leader as I installed the lights. Seeing families and kids enjoying a rink the same way I did growing up, and now with my own kids, is incredibly rewarding. As I was leaving, the client sent me home with a box of Christmas goodies to share with my family.
This first season has required a fair amount of sacrifice from our family. This build was a good reminder of why we’re doing this. As my kids grow, I hope they can be more involved—sharing these experiences, learning the value of hard work, and seeing how it can translate directly into something that brings joy to others.
