Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Ice skating on your pond?

SilverT - Surface texture of the ice at first freeze will vary based on weather conditons when pond froze. If the night is calm and cold ice will be smooth as glass. But if wind, snow, sleet occurs during first freeze up, ice surface will be slighty bumpy to rough. Wet snow that freezes fast to the ice makes for a grainy surface once the snow is removed. Since you are fairly far north I think that most of the time your ice will freeze relatively smooth at first ice. In your location then your main problem will be keeping the snow off the surface for skateing. Smooth or grainy ice can get polished to a slick surface with a day or two of wind blown snow. If you have rough ice and want smooth ice about your only option as I see it is to flood the surface with about 1/4"-1/2" of water on a calm night.