Vancouver family builds miniature ice rink in front yard

Last summer it was a 1,000-pound pumpkin that brought people flocking to this Dunbar front yard, now it's a miniature outdoor rink.

A Dunbar neighbourhood family known for its front yard displays is taking advantage of the recent cold snap.

Mike Polay and his family made headlines last summer for growing a 1,000-pound pumpkin in their front yard, eventually winning a province-wide contest. Now, he’s created an ice rink for his neighbourhood to enjoy.

“We normally grow giant pumpkins here,” said Polay, originally from Calgary where outdoor rinks are far more common. “So we thought, okay, we can’t do that now. What can we do? Weather’s amenable for skating. Let’s get a pond on here.”

He also made a smaller rink in his backyard.

“I go about two hours a day,” said Logan, Polay’s son.

“You can practice where no one can see you fall or trip,” said Ellie, Polay’s daughter. “I’ve gotten way better than before.”

Polay started a little over a week ago when the temperatures started dipping below zero.

“You just got to have a frame, throw a tarp over it, and make sure it’s really, really nice and level,” said Polay, who waters the rink every night. “You don’t want any slope because then you get a lot of water underneath.”

Vancouver is experiencing colder and drier winter conditions than usual. A new report from B.C’s River Forecast Centre shows snowpack levels are below normal, sparking concerns for drought in the spring and summer.

On Tuesday, Vancouver reached a temperature of -8.6 degrees, snapping a more than 100-year daily record low. However, a mild weather system is approaching.

“All that cold Arctic air is finally going to retreat away from the coast,” said Colin Fong, meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. “[Expect] certainly a good soaking this weekend and I’m sure a welcome change from all the dry and cold weather that we’ve been having.”

Despite Polay’s outdoor rink set to melt away in a matter of days, he says he’d happily do it all over again.

“You don’t get a chance to skate outside so much in Vancouver, but the kids have really made good use of it.”