I've built several rinks in the past using the snowbank-blue tarp method. As you'd expect the results have been marginally successful. Last year my oldest son (16 at the time) and put together a rink very late in the season and we ended up with a small sheet of ice (probably 20 x 30). We agreed to make a "real" rink this year.
This year we built a plywood framed 44' x 40' with an iron sleek liner. We had our first skate last Monday followed by a week of rain, freezing rain, and a foot snow. Needless to say the rink surface is a mess. We shoveled the best we could and we're now waiting for some colder temps before resurfacing.