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Olympic ice describes the uniform ice surface specified for international competitions, including the Winter Olympics.<\/b><\/p>\n
Skilled technicians are responsible for making and maintaining the ice and they are are known as ‘ice masters’.<\/p>\n
The team is tasked with ensuring the surface is optimal for the athletes to compete on in sports such as curling, ice skating and ice hockey.<\/p>\n
The ice hockey arena in Milan-Cortina was built from scratch for the men’s and women’s matches following delays, concerns and last-minute building works.<\/p>\n
But how do they make the ice for the rink?<\/p>\n
It all starts with five centimetres of insulation laid down on the concrete floor. A vapour barrier is placed on top of the insulation, before engineers lay mats containing glycol on top to keep the ice cold.<\/p>\n
Boards and glass walls are then placed around the rink and then roughly two inches of water is added above the mat – this is when the ice sheets are created.<\/p>\n
The surface is painted white and sealed, with ice hockey markings and logos added.<\/p>\n
Finally, the rink is topped with three to four centimetres of water to create the playing field. Temperatures are kept between -5 and -4C.<\/p>\n
Resurfacing machines, colloquially known as Zambonis, are sent out regularly to shave away ice and form a new smooth layer.<\/p>\n
Ice master Mark Messer, who is overseeing the long track speed skating said the hardest part is “working with a new system for such a high profile event, with little time for preparation”.<\/p>\n
He added that although ice has been made on temporary settings, it has not been done on this scale for an Olympic Games.<\/p>\n
Milan-Cortina will be the first time a temporary venue has been used for long track speed skating at a Winters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n