Ice Cave opened its doors July 26, giving community members their first chance to skate at Lake Elsinore’s new indoor ice rink.
The rink is located at 32543 Corydon Road, Suite A. The soft opening featured public skating sessions from 1 to 7 p.m., with guests checking in and signing waivers before taking to the ice.
Ice Cave plans to offer skating sessions, hockey leagues, figure skating, special events and other programs. The facility includes two rinks, skate rentals, a seating area with tables and chairs and locker rooms that can also be used for private events.
A line formed outside the rink as community members waited for their turn to skate during the opening.
Lake Elsinore residents Micah and Melanie Cicchelli said they had been following the project since it was under construction. Micah said he sees the rink as a place where youth can learn how to skate and get involved in ice sports.
“It’s been much-needed,” Micah Cicchelli said. “Lake Elsinore wants to kind of really go extreme and, so I think this is the first phase of bringing in something that can be a good sport.”
“I’m excited to have a place like this here,” Melanie Cicchelli said. “It’s something for people to do that’s different.”
For Alma Gomez, Ice Cave is an opportunity to return to a hobby. Gomez, who has lived in Lake Elsinore for 15 years, said she first learned to skate as a child but stopped when she was 9 years old. She picked it back up last year but found the drive to Riverside made it difficult to go regularly. She said Ice Cave is now only about 10 minutes from her home.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for our city, just because a lot of the ice rinks are 45 minutes to an hour away,” Gomez said. “It kind of expands our local community to have people come in and see what Lake Elsinore is all about.”
Gomez said she’s looking forward to getting back on the ice and improving her skills.
“I’m most excited to relearn all the beginner stuff because I am restarting on my feet again,” she said.
Amy McDonald, a Murrieta resident, attended the opening with her daughter, who hopes to become a figure skater.
Before Ice Cave opened, McDonald said they traveled to other cities, including Escondido and the San Bernardino area, for ice skating.
“It means a lot that it’s very accessible now,” McDonald said. “I work full time, so it was hard to take my daughter to go ice skating when she wanted to.”
McDonald said they are looking forward to the figure skating classes and that the rink gives her daughter a chance to continue improving her skills.
Ice Cave is open Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m. and Monday through Saturday from 2 to 8 p.m., according to Ice Cave’s website. Public skating sessions cost $20 for one hour, and skate rentals cost $10 for one hour.
For more information about Ice Cave and registration to skate, visit the rink’s website.
