This is my first year building a rink and I can't wait to get out to skate with the kids and whole neighborhood. However, I've only got about 2-3 inches of ice built up so far. I used a liner and have been patching holes as I find them. But my question is, there's about 3 inches of snow expected tonight. Should I utilize that snow to even things out on the ice?

My shallow end only has about 1 inch of ice so far so I'm thinking I could pack the snow down and then spray it down to fill in my gaps and uneven spots? I spent all day yesterday well into the night adding about 7 layers onto the ice. I made substantial progress, but it's STILL not thick enough.

Any advice would be great to alleviate some of the frustration.

Packing snow and watering it is how a lot of backyard rinks are made out there - that's how I built mind when I started this addiction. Pack it as best you can by any means, I have used snowshoes, jumping up and down on sheets of plywood and an actual lawn roller (the lawn roller will slide on the ice so I wrapped it in ice/water shield for roofing). Once it is packed, soak the snow and let Mother Nature create a base for you.

Thanks Kevin! Which of those versions worked best for packing? I've got access to snowshoes, but I also have a few extra sheets of plywood available from the construction of the rink that I was thinking I would use.

Depending on the size of your rink, all three will give you a great leg workout. By far the easiest for me was the lawn roller, but the plywood (depending on the size of your sheet) does a great job of packing the snow. You will end up with peaks and valleys but with enough water everything will eventually level itself out.

Is topping up with just straight water out of the question?

I *just* did this exact thing yesterday. I had a major-league hole in my liner and instead of 4"/8" I normally have at both ends, I was down to 1"/5". We got a few inches of snow that ordinarily I would have shoveled, but instead I got the hose out and spent two hours walking around creating my own slush. I'd soak a 10x10 area, then use my shovel to smooth it out as best I could. It took forever but I gained at least another inch or two, which on my hard surface should give me at least enough to snowblow the foot of snow we'll get on Sunday. Then I'll resurface a few times early in the week and be in good shape!

Joe - thanks for the info. It's encouraging to know I can use the snow that's supposed to be coming. I've got smooth ice on about ¾ of the rink now and I think it's "skateable." I'm resisting the urge to jump on it until I've got the whole rink ready.

Additional question that I just thought of...
What do you do to protect yourself from the liability of having neighbors & friends' kids over to skate? I'm not anticipating any issues from my neighbors, but all it takes is one kid to get hurt of a parent I don't know all that well and then I'm regretting doing the rink. Anyone just post a "skate at your own risk/not liable" sign?? I've thought about having them all sign a quick waiver but that's just more work for me.