430 replies to this topic

[gumgum]

Ya it's pretty public friendly.

[VicHockeyFan]

So the Empress rink will be open 5-9pm nightly and 12-9 on weekends.

 

http://www.timescolo...-lawn-1.1466864

 

That's a pretty good number of hours.  But it's $10 for adults and $5 for kids, for 2 hours.  And $5 to rent skates.  So those prices, I think, will not make it super-popular, but maybe just right.

 

Around town there is lots of drop-in skates for $3 (most are under 2 hours), most are around $6.50, and skate rentals top out at around $3.50.

[dasmo]

That's not bad. It cost 21 to go to the shaw discovery center for me and my son and that was a half hour worth of entertainment that I stretched to an hour... There aren't any drop in skate outside downtown in a nice photogenic setting options so....

Edited by dasmo, 26 October 2014 - 07:59 AM.

[Mike K.]

Are Bear Mountain and Mayfair planning rinks this year? And wasn't there one in Centennial Square put on by the DVBA?

[HB]

The DVBA rink  was not a successs due to the cost and labour in keeping the Ice frozen so that is why they went to the Ferris wheel for the past 2 years They found it was easier to keep the people on the Ferris wheel frozen rather than the ice on the rink

[VicHockeyFan]

That's not bad. It cost 21 to go to the shaw discovery center for me and my son and that was a half hour worth of entertainment that I stretched to an hour... There aren't any drop in skate outside downtown in a nice photogenic setting options so....

 

I wonder if the tent might make it less appealing though.  Every time someone breaks out a tent in this town, they really fail to dress it up, inside or out.

 

[VicHockeyFan]

A lot of commenters here think the price is a bit much.  Centennial Square was only $2 to skate.  Of course it was subsidized by DVBA property taxes.

[HB]

Well it is true because the Empress is in business to make big profits and it is a private company doing this not a public venue.

It would be different if money was not the motive.

[Mr Cook Street]

I noticed in the TImes Colonist article about the skating rink it mentioned something about BOSA undertaking significant renovations to the Empress property. Anyone know what that might entail? Hopefully they do a big revamp to the site.

[VicHockeyFan]

Well it is true because the Empress is in business to make big profits and it is a private company doing this not a public venue.

It would be different if money was not the motive.

 

Also, to be fair, the Empress won't get all that much of a business spin-off by having it.  

[dasmo]

If inside a tent like that then it's too much...

Edited by dasmo, 27 October 2014 - 10:42 AM.

[Bingo]

If inside a tent like that then it's too much...

Right, you might as well go into an arena to skate.

[VicHockeyFan]

I guess many rinks have family skates for less than $20, including skate rental.  At Pearkes it's just $14.70.

[dasmo]

For the premium it would have to be nice...utility skate? Why bother?

[Matt R.]

I see a skating rink on Craigslist for $299,000.  All you'd need is a flatbed to get it where you want it.

 

I could see paying it off in a few years.

 

Matt.

[HB]

The empress could buy it and pay it off this winter at the rates they are charging for a skate

[VicHockeyFan]

http://www.latimes.c...1031-story.html

 

Canada: Fairmont Empress on ice! Landmark hotel to add skating rink

 

[HB]

Construction of the Ice Rink at the Empress has started this morning its on the right side of the front lawn.

[gumgum]

South side?

[HB]

Yes Southside facing Govenment

 

You can see a little of it here