Braemar's East Rink Froze From Below. What That Means for Edina's Skating Season

Late this summer, crews at Braemar Arena dug out the East Rink floor and found the ground underneath was frozen. An engineering firm measured the frost at 12 feet deep at its thickest point. Construction stopped in late August, and for the rest of the fall, one of the busiest arenas in the state has had one fewer sheet of ice.

This was the first winter of a $45.2 million project meant to give Edina more ice. For now it has given the city less. The East Rink is out until at least late December, and the outdoor Backyard Rink is being turned into the new indoor rink. Until the work is done, more of this season's casual skating will happen on outdoor ice, which depends on the weather.

How a rink rebuild ended up thawing its own floor

The frost wasn't a surprise anyone could have planned around. The City of Edina says two independent frost tests by licensed engineering firms were run before the project began, the latest in summer 2025, and neither found frost. In the City's words, "soil spot testing is not a perfect science," and the full extent only showed up once crews excavated the whole floor.

Pouring over the frost wasn't an option either. The City's East Rink scheduling update says a new concrete rink floor poured over frozen ground "would all but guarantee major structural failure down the road." So the ground had to thaw completely first. Here's the sequence from the City's updates:

1. Late August: Construction pauses after frost is measured as deep as 12 feet.
2. Sept. 11: Ground Thaw Units start heating the rink floor. Crews had already removed two feet of sand so the heating tubes and thermal pads could sit closer to the top of the frost.
3. Oct. 9: After four weeks of remediation, an engineering firm's tests come back negative for frost.
4. Next steps: Per the Oct. 9 update, construction was set to resume the following week with a new subfloor heating system and coolant pipes. After that, the concrete floor is poured and has to cure for 28 days before it can be used.
5. Dec. 26: The current target for the East Rink to be ready for play.

The target has already moved twice. The East Rink was first scheduled for completion by Oct. 20. When the frost turned up, the City moved it to Jan. 1. Clearing the frost in mid-October brought it forward to Dec. 26. The City's Oct. 9 update says plainly that there are "no guarantees we won't encounter another unforeseen obstacle that could impact this timeline." The 28-day cure alone takes up about half of the roughly two months between this post and Dec. 26.

Two sheets of ice until late December

The City says Braemar will run on two ice sheets through the fall. Arena staff are working with user group leaders to adjust schedules, divide the remaining ice slots fairly, and find other local ice where they can. In practice, that means less ice time for every group that uses Braemar, a point the City makes itself. Hockey, figure skating, learn-to-skate, and public sessions are all sharing two sheets during the busiest stretch of the season.

That pressure was there before the frost. Braemar draws more than 1 million visits a year, and the City notes that demand for ice time already exceeded capacity.

If you go for public skating, the basics haven't changed. A single admission is $7, skate rentals cost extra, and a $125 open skate pass is good for 12 months from the Guest Services counter in the main lobby. One schedule detail could catch you out, though. The City's online calendar still lists Open Skate sessions at the East Rink, including Thursday, Oct. 29 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Nov. 5 at the same time. Those listings conflict with the closure, so call Braemar Guest Services before you drive over to find out which sheet, if any, is hosting the session.

The outdoor rink at Braemar is becoming the indoor one

The bigger change at Braemar this winter is outside. The core of the expansion is turning the outdoor rink, known as the Backyard Rink, into a fourth indoor rink. The City plans to build the new rink on the Backyard Rink's existing floor, which saves money for other improvements, and it has said it's exploring reusing other parts of the Backyard Rink somewhere else. No replacement outdoor rink has been named.

When the City unveiled the design, Parks & Recreation Director Perry Vetter described why this is harder than a typical arena job:

"This is an especially complex project, because Braemar Arena has rinks in various lifecycle stages, including one that opened in 1965."

That quote comes from the City of Edina's design announcement, posted Jan. 2, 2026.

The rest of the plan is a list of things a 1960s arena eventually needs. It includes an expanded lobby, safety improvements at the drop-off and pick-up area, accessibility upgrades, new refrigeration and ice-making systems, new dasher boards and player areas, better locker rooms and restrooms, and new HVAC. The money comes from a half-cent sales and use tax that Edina voters approved in November 2022. Everyone who shops in Edina pays it, including non-residents, many of whom also use Braemar. In early September, the City Council approved a $33.2 million guaranteed maximum price for the construction work. The City expects the whole project to wrap up in fall 2027.

Once the East Rink is back and the fourth rink is enclosed, Braemar will have more indoor ice than before, and that ice won't depend on the weather. Until the East Rink returns, Braemar is down one indoor sheet. The Backyard Rink's conversion runs on the longer project timeline, which goes to fall 2027.

Where Edina's outdoor ice is this winter

That puts more of the season on Edina's outdoor rinks, and those open when the weather allows, not on a set date.

Centennial Lakes Park at 7499 France Ave. S. is where you can skate on the lake itself, with warming house and skate rental service at Hughes Pavilion. As the Sun Current reported, the park manager has said the ice needs to be 8 inches thick before equipment can safely go out on it, so opening day depends on the cold. Check the City's parks pages for this season's hours and rental rates before you go.

The City's neighborhood rinks are spread across 12 parks.

The City's neighborhood rink map is the quickest way to find the closest one. Weather can move the opening date a lot. In one past season, the City planned to open the neighborhood rinks Dec. 15, weather permitting, and a warm stretch pushed that back, according to the Sun Current. In a mild December this year, the outdoor rinks and the East Rink could open at about the same time.

Dates to put on the fridge

• Oct. 29 and Nov. 5, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Open Skate is listed on the City calendar at the East Rink. Confirm the location with Braemar first.
• Wednesday, Dec. 9, 6:30 p.m.: Braemar City of Lakes Figure Skating Club's Holiday Pops 2026, the club's annual holiday show and VEAP fundraiser, in the West Arena. Tickets are $10 at the door, and proceeds benefit VEAP.
• Dec. 26: Target date for the East Rink to be ready for play, if nothing else comes up.
• Fall 2027: Expected completion of the full Braemar project, including the fourth indoor rink.

For updates, the City posts progress on the Braemar Arena Upgrades and Expansion page, and you can sign up there for email notices when the timeline changes.

A four-rink Braemar opening in fall 2027 is a real long-term change for the homes around Ikola Way and the neighborhood parks across Edina, and it helps to understand that when you're thinking about what your house is worth. If you'd like a clear, data-backed number for your Edina home, SellingMinneapolis can help. Get your instant home valuation.