Warm temperatures are causing a major programming problem for the remaining days of Frost Regina, leading to melting Ice sculptures and closed ice rinks.
Skating rinks on Wascana Lake and downtown were forced to shut down operations earlier this week due to melting ice.
“Our ice rink is closed right now,” said Judith Veresuk, executive director of the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District. “We’re hoping that if the weather continues to get colder over the coming weeks we can still reopen it before the end of the season. However, right now … we just can’t keep it open for safety sake.”
While some ice sculptures still remain downtown, Veresuk says some have melted with more expected to be lost in the days to come.
While the downtown location hopes to reopen after the festival, Wascana Lake’s skating rink will remain closed for the remainder of the season due to the weather.
“At this point in the season it’s just getting a little bit too late, the weather could be a little bit too unpredictable so we are not going to reopen it this year,” said Jenna Schroeder, executive director of the Provincial Capital Commission.
Warm weather is disrupting programming at the 2024 Frost Regina festival. It’s also affecting other outdoor winter activities.
Schroder says “it takes time” for the ice thickness to reach a depth the park needs to put up boards safely, and says it’s too late into the season to continue with the programming.
“This past season we still had open water on the lake in December, so it took longer to get cold, longer for that ice to form, and it’s just been a little bit too warm this week,” she said.
The City of Regina also announced the closure of 9 outdoor rinks, citing weather as the main cause:
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Elsie Mironuck — boarded.
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Eastview — boarded and non-boarded.
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Glen Elm — boarded.
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Judge Bryant — boarded & non-boarded.
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University Park — boarded.
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WF Ready — boarded.
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Horizon Station — boarded.
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Stan Oxelgren — boarded.
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Speed Skating Oval.
The city says the melting ice on the rinks has caused crusher dust and asphalt to be exposed, posing a safety risk for skaters.
The closed rinks will be assessed on Feb. 5 to determine whether they can be reopened at some point for the remaining winter season.
Regina Frost organizers are redirecting guests to activities that have not been affected by weather, such as musical performances and art installations.
Businesses feeling the pressure
The weather has also taken a toll on outdoor sports stores such as Fresh Air Experience in Regina.
The store sells skis, snow boards and winter boots for those hoping to enjoy the winter weather. But the warm weather has cost the business customers, its manager says.
“There’s a lot of winter activities to do in Saskatchewan, but unfortunately when it comes to it [8 C] you just can’t do those things,” said Trevor Norgan.
Norgan says the business has had to put items on sale much earlier than expected to help make up for the loss.
“Nobody’s buying things so we’re just trying to increase people coming through the door,” he said.
While he hopes the weather can improve for people who still wish to enjoy winter activities, he says it’s too late for the business to rely on selling items at full price this far into the season.
“The weather is so warm right now — basically a lot of the snow has already melted,” he said.
“I just don’t see the market bounce back from that December and January that we were really hoping and hoping for.”
The winter festival began on Jan. 26 and runs until Feb 4.