At the end of January 2026, Town of Avon staff measured Nottingham Lake and found three to four inches of white ice under several inches of snow and slush. That settled the season. On February 5 the town announced there would be no ice skating at Harry A. Nottingham Park that winter, after above-average fall and winter temperatures left the ice "too thin and unpredictable to support skating or other activities."
"Natural‑ice rinks require sustained cold periods in order to create safe and dependable ice. Unfortunately, this year, the weather hasn't given us the window we need," Recreation Director Michael Labagh said in the town's release.
So as another winter approaches, the question in Avon is how cold it gets and for how long. A calendar date won't answer it. The lake has its own opening standard, and the town wrote that standard down.
The Standard Behind Every Opening
The town set safety standards for the public and for its Public Operations staff when skating returned to Nottingham Lake in 2020. The February release spells out what they require:
- Six inches of consistent ice across the full rink area before crews can begin conditioning the surface.
- Ten inches of black ice before the rink opens to the public.
- No turf rink as a backup. In the years without lake skating, the town set up temporary rinks on the upper athletic field and on the west lawn at the Avon Recreation Center. Because those fields get heavy use and the rinks damaged the turf over time, the town says temporary rinks "will no longer be used as a standard alternative."
The third point changes how a short winter plays out in town. A season without enough lake ice used to have a fallback on the Rec Center fields. Now it means no town skating at all, as 2025–26 showed. The town says it is still committed to lake skating in future years, and staff will keep tracking weather patterns and ice depth to build a long-term operating plan.
Why the Thresholds Are Set This High
Before 2020, Nottingham Lake had been closed to public skating since 2012. According to Vail Daily's March 2021 report, the closure followed several incidents in which employees fell through the ice while maintaining the surface, and the town ended lake operations because the ice had become too hard to maintain.
The lake was off-limits for nearly a decade because of crew safety, and that history explains the six-inch condition. The crew walking out to condition the ice is the first group the standard protects, and skaters come after.
The reopening also outperformed its planning. Avon Public Works studied ice thickness through the winter of 2019–20 and estimated the lake could operate for "roughly 30 days" in 2021. The first season actually ran 59 days, from January 1 to February 28, 2021. A report to Avon Town Council counted 1,273 skaters and 863 skate rentals over those two months, and rentals plus concessions brought in $7,536, as Vail Daily reported.
Six Winters on the Lake
Under the same standard, here is how each winter since the 2020 reopening has gone, according to the town's announcements and, for the first season, a town report to council as covered by Vail Daily:
| Winter | What the Town of Avon announced | When it announced |
|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Ran January 1 to February 28, 59 days | Reported March 2021 |
| 2021–22 | No skating; ice couldn't be safely conditioned | February 1, 2022 |
| 2022–23 | Target opening December 26 | December 22, 2022 |
| 2023–24 | Target opening January 8 | January 4, 2024 |
| 2024–25 | Target opening December 26 | December 24, 2024 |
| 2025–26 | No skating; 3 to 4 inches of white ice in late January | February 5, 2026 |
Three patterns stand out. First, two of the six winters had no lake skating. Second, no season has targeted an opening earlier than December 26. Third, opening announcements have come two to four days before the target date, so the town has never posted a lake rink date weeks in advance.
For this winter, the reliable signal is the town's ice skating page and its press releases. A thin early-season sheet on the lake doesn't count. The February release was direct on that point, asking community members to keep themselves and their pets off the ice.
What Opening Weeks Have Looked Like
In the seasons that did open, the town's announcements described an evening setup run by the Avon Recreation Department. The 2022–23 plan called for weekday hours of 3 to 8 p.m. and weekend hours of noon to 8 p.m. It included skate rentals, concessions, open skate, recreational hockey, lessons, drop-in hockey, and tea-kettle curling.
By 2023–24 the planned hours were 4 to 8 p.m. daily, and skating in your own skates was free with a signed waiver. The 2024–25 announcement kept the 4 to 8 p.m. schedule seven days a week, planned operation through early March, and again included free skating in your own skates, rentals, concessions, and recreational hockey.
Discover Avon adds the smaller details. The lake rink has fire pits and music, and its rentals include children's double-runner skates.
Hours and programs for any 2026–27 season will come from the town when it announces an opening. The figures above describe past seasons only.
November Skating Is Up the Valley
Six winters of records point the same way. Through Thanksgiving, nothing in that history suggests Nottingham Lake will be ready, and this November two rinks within a short drive have confirmed dates.
Dobson Arena in Vail reopens after its renovation. The Town of Vail's August 7, 2026 announcement set out the opening schedule for the rebuilt arena, which first opened in 1979:
- November 6–8: The Vail Sportsmanship Hockey Tournament plays the first games on the new ice.
- November 7: A Vail Yeti game during opening weekend.
- November 28: The first concert, an all-ages show the town describes as "priced for the locals."
- November 29: A free community celebration with an open house and open skating.
The project cost about $55.4 million, most of it, $48.8 million, from the Vail Reinvestment Authority. Populous designed the project, and Hyder/McHugh Construction was building it as of the August announcement. The work includes new south and west entries, a wraparound concourse, more locker rooms and concessions, and concert rigging, raising capacity to 1,500 spectators for hockey and 3,500 for concerts. Preserving the roof was one of the most requested elements during the public design process. Vail's notice says details on the November 28 and 29 events will be posted at discovervail.com, so check there for times and the full public-skate schedule.
Beaver Creek Village starts its winter on the ice. Beaver Creek opens for the 2026–27 ski season on Wednesday, November 25. The resort's events calendar lists two skating dates that same week:
- Friday, November 27: The Tree Lighting & Ice Spectacular, with complimentary ice skating.
- Saturday, November 28: A Retro Skate Party at the village rink.
Avon's own Thanksgiving tradition takes place on the ground. The Turkey Trot runs Thursday, November 26, from 8 to 11 a.m. in Harry A. Nottingham Park, and Discover Avon lists entry at $0 to $25. That makes Thanksgiving weekend a dense run of free and low-cost events: the trot on Thursday, the Beaver Creek Ice Spectacular on Friday, a skate party and a Dobson concert on Saturday, and open skating at Dobson on Sunday.
Following the Lake This Winter
Last winter's measurement is the useful reference. Three to four inches of white ice in late January fell well short of a standard that asks for ten inches of black ice. The town tied that shortfall to above-average temperatures, and its recreation director said natural ice needs "sustained cold periods" to become safe and dependable.
In the three seasons with announced openings after 2020–21, the target dates fell between December 26 and January 8, and the town published each one only a few days ahead. Questions about lake conditions go to the Town of Avon Recreation Department at 970-748-4446, the number listed on the February release.
If you're looking at an Avon home where a walk to Nottingham Park is part of the winter routine, it helps to know how the lake's season actually works, not just the brochure version. Michelle Rampelt works in Avon year-round, through the warm winters and the 59-day ones, and is glad to talk through what living near the park looks like across a full season. Let's Connect.
