 Glacier
Ice Rink began with the modest goal of creating an ice surface that
could be relied on throughout Missoula’s fickle winter months. The
weather in this valley that we live in is not conducive to ice
skating. With very few consistently cold weeks, plenty of wet snow
or rain, and bursts of warm sunshine, natural ice hard enough to
skate on is almost impossible to keep around for more than a month
or so.
With the express purpose of giving the local area youth a place
to skate and play hockey, the Missoula Area Youth Hockey Association
was formed. The dedicated group of individuals saw the need for an
affordable ice surface. A four million dollar rink facility would be
nice but without a deep pocketed donor it would surely be
impossible. Instead, more modest plans were begun and the first rink
was built at the current location on the Western Montana Fair
Grounds. A lease arrangement has been worked out with Missoula
County which has allowed the Glacier Ice Rink to make permanent
improvements to the property. Those improvements originally included
a steel roof over the rink, a concrete slab that the ice sheet is
created on, a small office and a parking spot for the Zamboni.
Travel forward now ten years and witness that the construction
hasn’t stopped. The original ice rink has now been fully enclosed
and a second concrete slab for a second sheet of ice has been
prepared. A larger cooling system has been built with some
innovative technology that will allow the recapture of heat from the
ice making process which will then be used to heat the new locker
rooms with in floor radiant heat. New boards have been purchased and
the second ice sheet which is covered but not fully enclosed will be
up and running in November. The locker rooms, concession booth,
offices etc will be completed through the remainder of the season.
 The
decision to add an additional rink was made easy by the heavy use
the first rink was subjected to. The rink is typically busy from six
in the morning until well after midnight every night of the week.
The goal is to provide as much organized ice time as required for
all the participants in figure skating and hockey, but still allow a
full schedule of open skating times for the general public. In this
way it is hoped to build the foundation of skaters who want to be on
the ice and listening to the sound of cold steel in the winter.
All of this brings us to the point of support for the activities at
the Glacier Ice Rink. The total project cost from the building of
the first ice sheet to today’s new buildings is in the range of two
million dollars. A capital funds drive has been initiated to raise
the money needed for the improvements the rink is currently making.
Donations have been generous to this point but additional funds are
still needed. Some of the fundraisers being done by the rink are
corporate sponsorships which include signs along the boards, in the
ice, or around the rink. A golf tournament was held at Phantom Links
in October, and a Curling Bonspiel is scheduled for Presidents day
weekend in February. That’s right folks that curiously Canadian
sport of curling will be open for novice and veteran players alike
right here in Missoula. Several curling sheets will be created
outdoors, lessons will be provided, and good times will be had by
all.
For Glacier Ice rink information visit
www.glaciericerink.com
or call the ice line at (406) 728-0316.
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