In the quest for maximum glide and minimum friction, Olympic officials hired ice master Mark Messer, a veteran of six previous Olympic speed skating rinks and the ice technician in charge of the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Canada, one of the fastest rinks in the world with more than 300 records.
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Messer has been putting that experience to work, one thin layer of ice at a time, since late October at the new speed skating stadium, built inside adjacent exhibition halls in the town of Rho, north of Milan.
“It’s one of the biggest challenges I’ve had in making ice,” Messer said during an interview less than two weeks into the process.
If Goldilocks were a speed skater, hockey ice would be medium hard, for quick puck movements and sharp turns. The ice for figure skating would be softer, which would allow you to propel yourself when jumping and prevent the ice from breaking when landing. Curly ice is the softest and warmest of all, for controlled gliding.
For ice skating to be perfect, it must be hard, cold and clean. And very, very soft.
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“The blades are so sharp that if there is any dirt, the blade will dull,” Messer said, and the skater will lose speed.
Speed skater Enrico Fabris, who won two Olympic golds in Turin in 2006, has traded in his skates to take up the position of deputy sports director at the Rho speed skating venue. For him, perfect ice means that the conditions are the same for all skaters, and if it is fast ice, even better.
“It’s more of a pleasure to skate on this ice,” he said.
ice science
Messer’s first Olympic Games were in Calgary in 1988 – the first time speed skating was held indoors. “That gave us some advantages because we didn’t have to worry about weather, wind or rain,” he said, and now he’s rising to the challenge by becoming the first ice master to build a temporary rink for the Olympics.
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Before Messer arrived in Italy, workers spent weeks installing insulation to level the floor and then a network of pipes and rubber tubes carrying glycol (an antifreeze) that is reduced to -7 or -8 degrees Celsius (17.6 to 19.4 degrees Fahrenheit) to make ice.
The water goes through a purification system, but it cannot be too pure or the ice that forms will be too brittle. Just the right amount of impurities “holds the ice together,” Messer said.
The first layers of water are applied slowly, with a spray nozzle; Once the ice reaches a few centimeters, it is painted white (a full day’s work) and stripes are added to form lanes.
“The first one is about 45 minutes. And then as soon as it freezes, we go back and do it over and over again. So we do it hundreds of times,” Messer said.
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As the ice becomes thicker and more stable, workers apply subsequent layers of water with hoses. Messer attaches his hose to hockey sticks to extend it more easily.
What you absolutely have to avoid is dirt, dust or frost, as they can cause friction on skaters and slow them down. The goal is that when skaters push “they can go as far as possible with the least amount of effort,” Messer said.
The Zamboni ice resurfacing machine plays a key role in keeping the rink clean, cutting a layer and spraying water to create a new surface.
One challenge is measuring how quickly water from the resurfacing machine freezes on the temporary runway.
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Another is getting the ice to the right thickness so that Zamboni, which weighs six tons, doesn’t move the insulation, rubber tubes or the ice itself.
“When you eject it, if there’s anything moving, it’s going to move. We don’t want that,” Messer said.
Final adjustments
The track had its first major test on November 29-30 during a Junior World Cup event. On a permanent track, test events are typically held a year before the Olympics, leaving more time for adjustments. “We have a very small window to learn,” Messer acknowledged.
Dutch skater Kayo Vos, who won the men’s neo-senior 1,000 meters, said the ice was a little soft, but Messer didn’t seem too worried.
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“At first we were very modest, now we can start changing the temperatures and try to do it faster and still keep it safe ice,” he said.
Adjusting air temperature, humidity and ice temperature must be done methodically, taking into account that there will be 6,000 spectators on site for each event. The next real test will be on January 31, when the Olympic athletes take to the ice for their first training session.
“Eighty percent of the work is done, but the hardest part is the last 20 percent, where we have to try to find the values and the way to use the equipment so that all the skaters get the same conditions and all the skaters get the best conditions,” Messer said.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics