I hope John Hack's questions are of interest to some on hockey-l.  I'll
give some brief answers and invite further discussion to go on the back
channel.  (Is that OK, Wayne?)
 
1)  Thickness:  depends on your building, latitude and all kinds of
factors, but general practice is to keep the ice at 3/4" to 1".  If it's
thinner than that, 200 lb. players making deep turns behind the net on
razor sharp blades will cut down to the concrete or sand in no time.  If
it's thicker than that, you're just wasting energy trying to keep it
frozen.
 
2)  Temperature:  For hockey you want to maintain about a 17-20 degree
range.  Colder than that, the ice fractures as the players dig in to skate,
turn and stop.  Warmer than that, and the blades get "bogged down" and
players complain your ice is "slow."  Figure skaters love it though,
because they can dig in and grab a lot of ice for jumps.
 
Jill Maser
Penn
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Posted: Mon, 07 Nov 94 00:00:01 -0500
Date: Mon, 07 Nov 94 02:46:01 -0500
From: "JOHN HACK" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "Multiple recipients of list HOCKEY-" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: ice thickness
 
 
    Does anyone have any information on what the desirable thickness
of ice should be in an arena.  I've always believed 1/2"-3/4" tops.
Can the ice temperature be turned down lower then the 15-19 degrees
that I've been familiar with?  Does the temp of the ice reach a point
where it becomes to cold and begins to shatter?  Do figure skaters
need softer ice then hockey players?
--
John Hack, SID
UW-Superior
 
 
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