Mobile and seasonal real-ice rinks designed around the site and operating model

A mobile ice rink creates a real refrigerated skating surface without committing the site to a permanent ice slab. It is the right starting point when the rink must be installed for a season or event, removed afterwards, reused in future years or adapted to a site where a conventional permanent arena would not make sense.

SPORTWAVE develops mobile projects around the complete operating requirement: ice area, expected skater capacity, climate exposure, base construction, refrigeration, electrical power, boards, resurfacing, visitor flow, installation time, storage and future reuse. AST EPDM, IceBox and SkateWay® technologies then provide different ways to turn that brief into a practical rink.

When a mobile rink is the better solution

A mobile system is particularly suitable for city centres, Christmas markets, shopping and leisure centres, resorts, hotels, public squares, temporary sports events and recurring winter attractions.

The key question is not simply “permanent or temporary?” but how many weeks or months will the rink operate, how often will it be rebuilt, and what must happen to the space when the ice is gone?

• One-off event — minimise permanent construction and plan installation backwards from the opening date.
• Recurring seasonal rink — prioritise repeatable logistics, storage, quick installation and durable reusable components.
• Public attraction — optimise skating capacity, visitor circulation, rental skates, resurfacing and visual integration.
• Temporary sport rink — dimensions, boards, ice quality, training schedule and event rules become the dominant criteria.
• Custom ice world — geometry and visitor experience may matter more than a conventional rectangular footprint.

Start with capacity, not only with the available square metres

For public skating, the 2026 ASHRAE Handbook gives an early-stage planning range of approximately 2.3–2.8 m² of ice per person actually skating. This is not a legal occupancy limit and does not replace a safety plan, but it is useful for checking whether a proposed rink is proportionate to the expected peak demand.

For example, a 15 × 30 m rink provides 450 m² of ice. Using the ASHRAE planning range, that corresponds to roughly 160–195 skaters on the ice at one time. The complete site must then also accommodate people queuing, changing skates, resting, entering and leaving the rink.

Planning note
Daily visitor numbers and simultaneous skating capacity are different. A well-operated rink can serve several waves of visitors during the day, but the ice area still has to be sized for the peak number actually on the surface.

Source: ASHRAE Handbook — Refrigeration, Chapter 44: Ice Rinks.

AST EPDM ice mats — the flexible refrigeration surface

The basic AST mobile system uses flexible EPDM refrigeration mats laid side by side over the prepared base. A water/antifreeze mixture is cooled by the refrigeration unit and circulated through the mat field; water applied above the mats then freezes in controlled layers to form the skating surface.

The mat system is valuable because it combines low construction height with flexible geometry and can be removed after the operating period. AST uses a Tichelmann-type hydraulic arrangement to support uniform flow across the mat field, because consistent flow is essential to consistent ice temperature.

The same underlying refrigeration-mat principle can serve anything from a seasonal leisure rink to professional temporary event ice. What changes is the scale, refrigeration capacity, boards, operating equipment and project control around it.

AST IceBox — designed for repeated seasonal handling

AST IceBox combines the EPDM mats and collector pipes into transportable modules. The mats remain connected to the collectors, can be rolled onto the IceBox after use and stacked for transport or storage. This reduces loose components and makes repeated annual installation more predictable.

Standard AST IceBox modules use a 2.5 m width and are available with:

AST also allows special sizes. The module dimensions do not mean the finished rink must be a simple multiple of one standard rectangle; they provide a repeatable logistics and hydraulic building block.

Source: AST Rental Ice Rinks technical documentation — AST IceBox.

AST SkateWay® — when the attraction should not be a rectangle

SkateWay® develops the same mobile principle into paths, curves and connected ice zones. AST uses connection panels in selectable widths of 0.5, 1.0 or 2.5 m with mat lengths of 10, 20 or 30 m, giving much greater freedom in width, route and geometry.

This makes it possible to create ice trails around architecture, connect beginner and advanced zones, form loops through a public space or build a larger “ice world” rather than one crowded central rink.

The Daugavpils 2018/19 reference, with an approximately 120 m skating path connected to the main ice area, is a regional example of this visitor-experience approach.

Rectangular, rounded or completely custom?

AST standard layouts can be configured without corner radii or with a 2.5 m radius. Ice Worlds and SkateWays can go much further, including connected zones and non-standard forms.

Custom geometry is commercially attractive, but every curve affects board layout, hydraulic distribution, resurfacing access, supervision, emergency circulation and the amount of usable skating area. A visually impressive shape still has to work as an operating rink.

The Vilnius Town Hall 2024/25 project used an approximately 900 m² wave-shaped rink, demonstrating how mobile real ice can respond to a prominent public-space layout instead of forcing the site into a standard rectangle.

The base does not need to be a permanent ice slab — but it still matters

Before a mobile rink is specified, the existing surface should be assessed for level differences, local slopes, load capacity, sharp objects, drainage, water movement and access for installation equipment.

EPDM mats can adapt to site geometry better than a rigid slab, but poor drainage or uncontrolled settlement can still create operational problems. The base also influences how much water and ice thickness are required to achieve the final skating level.

For public-space projects, SPORTWAVE also checks how the rink interfaces with steps, kerbs, underground services, temporary structures, pedestrian routes and surrounding event infrastructure.

Outdoor weather becomes part of the refrigeration design

Mobile outdoor rinks are exposed directly to air temperature, solar radiation, wind, rain and changing humidity. This means two 500 m² rinks can need very different refrigeration capacity even if their dimensions are identical.

Site orientation and shade can therefore be meaningful design variables. A rink exposed to low winter sun and wind is a different thermal problem from one protected between buildings or located indoors.

Refrigeration capacity must be calculated from the actual design conditions, then coordinated with pump flow, connecting-pipe length, equipment location and available electrical supply.

Power availability can determine the practical rink size

A project concept should confirm electrical infrastructure before the rink is finalised. The required supply depends on refrigeration capacity, pumps, resurfacing equipment and supporting site loads.

If the available connection is limited, the project may require a different rink size, a different refrigeration configuration or temporary electrical infrastructure. Discovering this after equipment selection creates unnecessary redesign and cost.

Boards should match the users

A public leisure rink, a Christmas-market attraction and a temporary hockey rink should not automatically use the same perimeter system.

• Leisure / public skating — visibility, safe access, appearance and repeated seasonal handling are key.
• Alpine / themed environments — wooden-style AST ProFun Alpine systems can visually integrate with winter-market architecture.
• Transparent layouts — useful where visibility through the rink is part of the site design.
• Professional hockey — requires a sport-specific impact-absorbing board and glass system rather than a leisure barrier.

Board gates, entries, exits and resurfacer access should be fixed together with the visitor-flow plan, not added after the ice geometry is complete.

Resurfacing strategy changes with rink size and visitor load

A small low-throughput rink can be maintained with simpler equipment, while a larger or heavily used public surface usually benefits from mechanical resurfacing. High visitor turnover increases snow accumulation and the number of resurfacing cycles required to keep the surface flat and attractive.

Resurfacing water is also a refrigeration load. ASHRAE and IIHF guidance for a full-size 30 × 60 m rink indicates approximately 0.4–0.8 m³ of water per resurfacing operation, which shows why water volume, temperature and frequency matter to both ice quality and energy use.

Energy control is especially valuable outdoors

An outdoor rink rarely experiences the same load throughout a 24-hour period. Running the chiller continuously at one conservative setting can therefore waste energy during colder periods.

AST EasyCHILL can be integrated with suitable mobile systems to monitor conditions and reduce unnecessary chiller operation. AST’s current English-language material communicates savings of up to 60% in chiller operating time / energy consumption in suitable applications. Actual savings depend on climate, rink design, schedule and control strategy and are not a guaranteed result.

Rental or purchase?

The technology can support both commercial models, but the decision is operational.

Rental is usually the stronger starting point for a first season, one-off event or organiser who wants the technology, installation and support coordinated for a defined period. Purchase becomes more relevant when the rink will return year after year and the operator is prepared to manage storage, seasonal installation, maintenance and long-term equipment responsibility.

SPORTWAVE can compare both routes using the number of expected seasons, site repeatability, storage possibilities, staffing and equipment scope rather than only the first-year price.

Regional mobile-rink references

• Vilnius Town Hall 2024/25 — approximately 900 m² wave-shaped seasonal rink using EPDM cooling mats.
• Gargždai 2024/25 — compact seasonal rental rink with operating equipment and support.
• Daugavpils 2018/19 — city-centre rink combined with an approximately 120 m skating path.
• Jūrmala 2019/20 — technical rental archive documenting EPDM installation, refrigeration and ice build-up.
• LIDO Riga — large seasonal outdoor ice attraction using a semi-mobile AST refrigeration-mat concept.

What we need for an initial mobile-rink concept

• city and exact site;
• available area or preferred rink dimensions;
• expected simultaneous skaters and daily visitor volume;
• indoor, covered or outdoor location;
• planned operating and installation dates;
• base type, slopes and drainage conditions;
• available electrical power and connection location;
• possible chiller location and noise restrictions;
• preferred rectangle, radius or custom geometry;
• required board type;
• resurfacing and skate-rental requirements;
• rental or purchase preference;
• storage possibilities if the system will be purchased for recurring use.

From these inputs, SPORTWAVE can define the appropriate mobile technology, preliminary capacity, refrigeration concept, equipment package and installation route for the project.