Natural ice rinks open in Doorn, De Lier

The maintained natural ice skating rinks in Doorn in Utrecht and De Lier in Zuid-Holland are open today and will remain open for as long as the weather allows. The one in Doorn opened at 8:00 a.m. and the one in De Lier at 9:00 a.m.

“It did not freeze as hard as we thought, but there is a nice ice surface all around,” Cees Schippers, secretary of the Doornsche IJsbaan, told NOS. They started prepping at 8:00 p.m. last night, driving a car pulling a cart containing 2,000 liters of water to spread on the rink. “We drove in circles and then straightened the track with a mop.”

The Doorn ice rink is about 10 meters wide and 300 meters long. There is about 1 centimeter of ice on the track. The rink will remain open as long as the sun stays away and the ice does not melt. Schippers expects it to be busy today because some schools near Doorn are still closed.

Ice skating enthusiasts can also go to the skating club Hard Gaat-ie in De Lier today. The natural ice rink opened at 9:00 a.m., the club said on Facebook.

The freezing weather will continue in the coming days, but it will probably not be enough for skating on ditches and lakes. Weeronline expects moderate frost until at least Wednesday.