The Ice Arena (stylised as IceArenA), formerly Snowdome and Mt Thebarton Snow and Ice, is an
ice sports and public skate centre, located in
Thebarton,
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
. The centre is the home of the Ice Factor Foundation Inc and the ice sports associations (SAISA, IHSA, and BASA), and their respective clubs, including
Adelaide Adrenaline (
AIHL),
Adelaide Rush (
AWIHL), and
Adelaide Generals (
AJIHL
The Australian Junior Ice Hockey League (AJIHL) is an elite amateur national ice hockey league in Australia, open to players 20 years of age or younger.
History
The Australian Junior Ice Hockey League was first announced on 18 September 2012 by ...
).
History
The centre first opened in 1981 as the Ice Arena with a full size skating rink surrounded by a speed skating track.
In late 1987, the centre closed for the construction of the world's first
indoor ski slope
Indoor skiing is done in a climate-controlled environment with snowmaking, artificially produced snow. This enables skiing and snowboarding to take place regardless of outdoor temperatures. Facilities for both alpine skiing and nordic skiing a ...
and reopened in 1988 as Mt Thebarton Snow and Ice, featuring what was reported to be the world's first indoor ski slope on artificial snow. To accommodate the new structure supporting the ski slope and to make room for the bottom of the slope, the concentric skating rink concept was abandoned and replaced by two
ice skating rink
An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water or an artificial sheet of ice where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The growth and increasing popularity of ...
s (one large 56×26m rink and one smaller 30×15m surface).
The centre underwent a further name change to Snowdome Adelaide.
The facility temporarily closed in June 2005 due to the running costs of the centre, but it re-opened minus the indoor ski slope with the new name of IceArenA.
On 4 March 2016, the large ice was closed due to issues with the pipe works under the large ice. Media release stated that Ice Arena were in discussions with the government. On 7 May 2016, the large ice reopened, with various dignitaries in attendance, after a government grant was provided to purchase a new, modern refrigeration plant.
On 15 September 2021, the Ice Arena helped launch the
National Hockey Super League (NHSL), Australia's first professional ice hockey league.
The arena reopened in November 2023 after a change of management.
Events
The venue offers a wide variety of activities including ice hockey lessons, ice skating lessons, snow play sessions, school holiday skating, birthday parties, public skating sessions.
See also
*
List of ice rinks in Australia
*
Sport in South Australia
References
External links
IceArenA official siteIceArenA FacebookIce Skating Australia
{{Ice hockey in Australia
Indoor ski resorts
Ski areas and resorts in South Australia
Tourist attractions in Adelaide
1981 establishments in Australia
Sports venues completed in 1981
Figure skating venues in Australia
Ice hockey venues in Australia
Speed skating venues in Australia
Sports venues in Adelaide
Indoor arenas in Australia