The skating rink at L’Assomption River will not be open this winter

The City of Joliet has decided to cancel the 2023 season at L’Assumption River Skating Rink due to weather.

The winter we are experiencing this year has not allowed safe ice to form.

“Because of the very mild winter combined with snow events at the beginning of the year, the snow was not able to take off properly,” explains Florent Barbegat, professor of hydrogeology at UQAM.

So, people who want to ski there will have to be patient this winter, but it’s not just the public who will be disappointed.

The restaurant Chez Henri in particular took advantage of the large number of people who came to go skating there.

“For us, it’s still a loss, because we had good traffic at river level, which people appreciated a lot,” says restaurant owner Yves Pichette.

Last year, the city of Joliet had to close the skating rink in early March due to thin snow cover.

But the mayor says this is just a reprieve.

“You know, with climate change, shares Pierre-Luc Belleros, we depend on the seasons that Mother Nature gives us. But we are still hopeful because, in recent years, every year, we have been able to skate on the river for about thirty days.