Warm weather delays opening of New Hampshire Ice Castles
WOODSTOCK, NH - It's probably no surprise that companies that rely on a true winter experience have been discouraged thus far, but one big attraction, the Ice Castles in New Hampshire say they're optimistic Mother Nature will come through for them.
All the staples of outdoor New England winters are suffering -- from local ski resorts struggling to keep the little snow they have with the incredibly mild January we've seen to local ponds, unfrozen and unsafe for skating.
Even backyard rinks are nothing more than cold kiddie pools.
To Boston's north in New Hampshire, the Ice Castles draw huge crowds each winter. This year, they've yet to open.
"We've been waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting. We've had some cold temperatures, followed by temps in the 40s," said Brent Christensen, founder of the Ice Castles. The lack of prolonged cold not only has delayed the opening of New Hampshire's site, but also in New York and Wisconsin, a move that Christensen calls unprecedented.
Normally at this time of year, each of the six Ice Castle sites would be open. Christensen says, "once in a while, we'll have a site that gets delayed," but they'd still be opening around now.
Winter is the fastest changing season for Boston. In fact, over the last 50 years, Boston's average winter temperature rose by 3°. The cold snaps that allow the castles to thrive are also getting shorter.
These types of changes are on the mind of Christensen.
"What's hard for us and challenging is the fluctuations year-to-year, in the short-term trends. Long term, we know it's creeping up," Christensen said. "We're all about minimizing our risks. Otherwise, we're all going to end up with one castle in the North Pole or something."
In order to grow the castles efficiently, temperatures need to fall within a sweet spot. Usually that means temperatures below freezing during the afternoon and overnight lows in the teens and single digits.
While there is still lot of work to be done, Christensen tells WBZ he expects the New Hampshire Ice Castle to be open in the next couple of weeks.
