In Curling, how come the ice doesn’t melt over repeated ends, then create ruts and paths for the rocks altering how they glide?

Question

Watching the Curlers at the Olympics I see them spend so many trips up and down the ice and so many throws. But the surface stays pebbly and nice, not melting with pools of water and channels that get ground down from the rocks being repeatedly thrown over the same area. How come there is no degradation? Is the surface a compound? Is there a chemical involved that moderates the ice?

In: 225

Answer 1

The ice absolutely changes throughout a draw and throughout a tournament despite the best maintenance. Although the changes are small, they are noticeable and need to be accounted for.

Of note, no 2 curling centers play exactly the same, some are known to be “fast” while others are “slow”.

These factors both certainly add to the game as the curlers need to learn each sheet of ice they play on and adjust as needed.