text: Winter Recreation Update for New Year's Holiday | City of Madison, City of Madison, Wisconsin
  Winter Recreation Update for New Year's Holiday
  Friday, December 28, 2007 - 8:43am
  Issued Dec. 28, 2007 @ 2:30 p.m.
  Cross County Skiing -
  The Parks Division of the City of Madison packed the snow on Friday, Dec. 28, at Odana Golf Course and Elver Park. On Saturday, December 29 tracks will be set at Odana Golf Course and Elver Park. As more snow falls on Friday, crews will monitor conditions to will determine if they are able to work on the remaining trails. If all goes well (no equipment breakdowns) by the end of the weekend, the remaining sites should be grooming.
  The warming shelters at both Odana Golf Course and Elver Park will be open on Saturday and Sunday. Odana is open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Elver is open from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Skis will be available for rent at both locations. Rental prices are: Adults $10.00 for the first hour and $5.00 for each additional hour. Children age 14 and under are $5.00 per hour. These prices include the cost of a daily ski permit.
  The Elver shelter will be open on December 29 and 30 Elver will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. or when the last patrons leave. The Elver shelter will also be open on December 31 and January 1 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The shelter will be open on January 2 thru January 6 from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. or when the last patrons leave. Staff will monitor conditions throughout this next storm and determine whether this schedule will change.
  There are sledding hills at Hiestand, Olbrich and Warner Parks on the Eastside and at Arbor Hills, Elver and Huegel Jamestown Parks on the Westside. Please remember that the hills may be getting slippery with the warmer weather and watch out for sledders coming down the hills.
  The Parks Division maintains two types of outdoor ice rinks. We have ice rinks on lagoons/ponds and we have land rinks. Unfortunately this latest snow emergency has caused crews to be diverted to plow streets and sidewalks so neither type of rink is operational at the present time. We face different challenges with each.
  Land Rinks
  Crews have shoveled off the snow for the skating rinks and are waiting for the ground to freeze so they can spray water to form ice. We have been unable to flood those rinks because there is no frost in the ground.
  Lagoon and Pond Rinks
  On the ice rinks that are maintained on lagoons and ponds, crews are working on clearing the ice at Vilas and Elver. Unfortunately the ice is extremely rough at this time so there will be no skate rentals until the ice can be planed to even it out.