Hockey is far from the first sport that comes to mind when thinking of Moab. Ice skates, pucks, and sticks aren’t usually high on people’s packing lists when coming to town, and many residents find it hard to believe that there’s skateable ice nearby throughout much of the winter season – sometimes as close as a 15-minute drive away.
Ian Jewell has lived in Moab for nearly 20 years, and, like many people who move here, had no idea that he could find skateable ice amid the red rock desert.
In his third year in town, he heard that Ken’s Lake was frozen, and hauled out his hockey gear to skate. In the following years, Jewell and a core group of other skating enthusiasts became de facto champions of local ice skating.
In the early years, the group would find ice wherever they could – in the mountains, the wetlands, and, in a cold year, at Ken’s. They’d struggle to put together full games, playing two- or three-a-side pond hockey. Jewell soon found ways to extend the season, finding ice up in Geyser Pass as early as mid-October, moving down to Oowah as the snow blocked the roads, and later to the South Mesa stock pond.
This season, Rattlesnake Reservoir near La Sal has been the primary ice for the hockey group – Jewell received a tip from a local ice fisherman, and he’s been corralling skaters for weekend hockey games since late November.
For a group that used to struggle to field full sides, the hockey community has ballooned in recent years, largely through the “Moab Ice Rink” Facebook page, where participants swap gear, share ice updates, and organize meeting times for games.
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“We would never get teams like this before,” Jewell said. “The Facebook group is what grew the whole thing.”
Now, five-on-five games are commonplace, with several more players on the sidelines waiting to sub in.
Jewell, who is originally from Philadelphia, said that the group mostly attracts transplants from the Midwest and East Coast, people who grew up skating and are often shocked to find a thriving hockey scene in town.
Chris Parrilli is one of those transplants, originally from the Chicago area where he grew up playing pond hockey and ice hockey all winter.
“This is my first season playing with everyone,” Parrilli said. “Almost every weekend I try to get out here.”
Like Jewell and most transplants, Parilli had left his gear at home and had to have it shipped out to him when he found out about the games – and he said it’s well worth it to be able to skate all season.
“It’s such a good winter activity,” he said. “It brings the community together and gets people going outside all throughout the winter.”
Leah Olson is another player who just started skating this year, who heard about the games through word of mouth.
“The hockey community is very inclusive,” Olson said. “You can truly show up, whether you’re a beginner, or we have some people who have played semi-professional hockey – everybody’s super helpful and very welcoming. It’s awesome too because I feel like there’s quite a few women who have started really consistently coming out this year too, which is a lot of fun.”
Jewell said that they welcome all skill levels, while encouraging good ice etiquette and safety. He advises skaters to stay off of softer afternoon ice, which, similar to biking on wet trails, can leave grooves that make it dangerous for other skaters. Throwing rocks into ice is another pet peeve, as they can lodge themselves in the surface and create a hazard.
Jewell, who has been skating on desert and mountain ice for years, uses common sense and group consultation to make sure that the surface is safe and comfortable for a large group.
This past weekend, for the first time this season, the crew was able to get a game going at Ken’s Lake, which freezes less often than it used to in the early 2000s. Jewell anticipates that the ice will be even better this coming weekend following this week’s cold front.
Newcomers are encouraged to come out, whether they want to jump into a game or just enjoy a free skate. The Moab Ice Rink Facebook page often has people willing to loan gear, and it’s there that game locations are posted based on ice conditions.
The season often lasts through mid-February, so there’s still a few weekends left of great skating for those who want to try. Skating under Moab’s red rock is certainly an unforgettable experience, and there are more and more people giving it a try as the years go by – so long as they remembered to pack their skates.
Previously: An eye on the ice: On Ian Jewell, Moab’s unofficial ice forecaster