Skaters wait for Evergreen Lake to freeze
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EVERGREEN, Colo. — Christmas came and went, then New Years and now Martin Luther King Day, but Evergreen Lake has yet to open for ice skating.
"I've never experienced anything like this," said Krista Emrich, in her sixth year as Evergreen Lake House manager.
The lake, which sits at 7,200 feet above sea level, is the largest outdoor Zamboni-groomed rink in North America.
Since the early-1900s, skaters have flocked to the lake during its winter season, which typically runs from late-December through February. Some residents remember skating on the lake before Thanksgiving.
“There were times when it was frozen in late-October, early-November,” said Ryan Reed, who grew up skating on the lake in the 1980s.
But this year, warm temperatures have prevented enough ice from forming.
The lake’s delayed freeze is part of a wave of weather-related interruptions to Colorado’s recreation economy. Ski areas around the state have suffered from below average snowpack, limiting terrain open to skiers. Warm temperatures have kept other recreation hotspots, like the Ouray Ice Park from opening altogether.
Emrich worries that if the trend continues, ice skating at Evergreen Lake could someday disappear altogether.
"Our seasons continue to get shorter and shorter. Once you get into February, you start getting erratic temperatures. You'll have a 60 degree day and then a really cold day. It's difficult to maintain ice when you're jumping around like that,” said Emrich.
Eight inches of ice are required to open the lake to public skating and 16 inches for workers to use a Zamboni. As of January 16, the ice was just six inches deep. December 2025 temperatures in Colorado averaged 10°F warmer than the 20th Century December average, according to the National Weather Service.
2025 was the third hottest year on record worldwide, which climate scientists warn could be a sign of more severe fires, heat and storms to come.
The lake's late opening has been particularly disappointing for “hockey-addicts” like Andy Potter of Evergreen.
Sick of fighting ski traffic, Potter switched to ice hockey years ago as his main source for exercise in January and February. He plays pickup hockey three to four times a week when the lake is open.
The lake provides players with a unique experience. Even though the ice is groomed, the surface is still “erratic,” said Potter.
“That's part of the fun. People who are really good will still hit cracks or the puck won't go where they expected. It equalizes the game,” said Potter.
But the highlight of Potter’s season is the annual pond hockey tournament Evergreen Park & Recreation District hosts at the end of January. The tournament draws 50 teams from around the country. Since 2022, Potter has competed alongside childhood friends who travel to Colorado for the competition. This year, EPRD canceled the tournament because of ice conditions.
“That was a gut punch,” Jarred Lilyhorn, park operations manager, said.
The tournament alone cost EPRD $30,000 in lost registration fees, said Lilyhorn.
EPRD also cancelled its annual polar plunge, but it plans to reschedule the event for March 1, weather permitting.
Ice skating, which costs $15 per day if you bring skates or $20 with rental skates, accounts for roughly $300,000 of revenue per year for EPRD, executive director Cory Vander Veen said. The department’s costs to keep the lake open are roughly equal.
Last year, more than 150,000 people visited the lake during the winter season, Vander Veen said.
“Not only are we feeling the impacts of it from a budgetary standpoint, but downtown businesses are too,” said Lilyhorn.
But when the cold doesn’t come, there’s little anyone can do.
On January 16, temperatures dropped enough for workers to spray a layer of water on top of existing ice. Doing so doesn’t necessarily help to build ice, but it does help to create a smoother surface for when the lake opens.
Despite this year’s disappointment, Potter doesn’t worry about losing his hobby for good.
“The fact that it's year 26 for me [in Colorado], and it's the first year this has happened, I don't have that fear yet.”
Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.