Lace up those size 10 toddler ice skates and hit the ice. Alpine’s Viejas Outlet’s Ice Rink is adding ice skating fun to Southern Californian’s holiday season.
“Our smallest skate is a toddler’s size 10,” said Peter Cortese, General Manager VOC/VP-Property, Viejas Casino & Resort, “As long as a parent accompanies a child on the ice, they are allowed to skate.” A waiver is required for all skaters and the parent is not allowed to carry the child while skating.
“For whatever reason, skaters get a kick out of the Zam,” said Cortese, “We own and operate a Zamboni which conditions the ice a few times a night.”
“We have a team of workers that spend six weeks installing the system,” he said, “At the same time, they assemble our 60 ft. Christmas tree, along with holiday decorations. The conversion process from roller skating rink to ice rink starts in September. The actual ice creation of the ice started in mid-October. The ice, itself, takes two weeks before it gets to the proper depth for skating.”
Since it’s inception 12 years ago the rink has grown from 3,000 sq. ft. to its current configuration of 10,000 sq. ft. Cortese noted the rink is Southern California’s largest outdoor rink.
“We occasionally have interesting guests show up,” added Cortese, “You may see Santa, the Grinch or characters from Frozen. However, that is completely random and not scheduled.”
Although skating lessons are not provided, Cortese said staff is available to help skaters. Additionally, they do have skate aids.
“Adjacent to the rink is a coffee cart where you can purchase a variety of hot drinks and snacks,” he said.
The skating season began the first week of November and will go through the last weekend in January. On occasion, bad weather can cause the rink to be shut down.
“We have a built-in drainage system that is designed to capture any runoff,” noted Cortese, “That water then travels to our treatment plant to be recycled for irrigation around the resort.”
An annual pass costs $99. The ice rink calendar, hours of operation, skate rental information, and prices can be found at www.viejas.com under the entertainment tab. According to their website the ice rink is open on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day 2019.
