Ice Made From Weather Alone
For decades, the James Sewell Ice Rink at Zenith Park held a title no other rink this far south could claim: outdoor ice frozen entirely by the mountain itself. Longtime operator Donald Wiklund tended the natural ice for 26 years, calling it "the southernmost outdoor, all-natural ice rink in the US" — a craft of "luck and logic," reading freezing windows and sometimes working from 8 p.m. until morning to build skateable ice. Before him, an operator remembered as Mr. Booky made ice the same patient way, compacting snow and spraying water layer by layer.
The 2025–26 winter was the final all-natural season. Southwest Sports Solutions of El Paso has taken over operations and is converting the rink to refrigerated ice — trading a beloved but weather-hostage tradition for longer, more predictable seasons. The setting doesn’t change: open sky, pine forest, and village lights at 8,650 feet.