LAKE PLACID – The North Elba Parks Division, along with the help of CAN/AM pond hockey staff, have created a new ice track around Mirror Lake.

Local families and vacationers have already made use of the new ice track, which snakes its way around Mirror Lake.

Roman and Sammy Deniskin, from New York City were skating on the lake Monday. They are on vacation in Lake Placid.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Sammy Deniskin said. “My dream has always been to skate on a lake. I’ve always wanted to do this.”

It was Roman’s first time ice skating, so the couple didn’t try to skate the entire lake.

“My first time skating was filled with adrenaline.” he said.

Tracy Daby, a North Elba Parks Division employee was out plowing the snow from the track on Monday afternoon.

The CAN/AM staff had rented mini-utility vehiciles from Polaris Brutus to maintain 23 ice rinks last week during the pond hockey tournament. They hooked up small snow plows and brushes on the mini-trucks, Daby explained.

“CAN/AM staff went around with those,” Daby said. “After that I checked the ice and it was safe enough to put the trucks on.”

Then Daby, along with other parks division employees, plowed the lake again.

Butch Martin, manager of the parks division, said making a track around the lake was something he had thought about doing before.

“We’ve always thought about doing it,” Martin said. “This year the conditions were perfect for it.”

Martin said too much snow, along with not enough ice, are the problems they had in the past when attempting to make a rink. Heavy snow insulates the ice so it doesn’t freeze as thick. Around 12 to 15 inches is the recommended thickness of ice for trucks to go on the lake.

“We’re going to keep it as long as we can,” Martin added.

The amount of snow fall on Monday was minimal, and the trucks could easily plow it, Martin said.

“The worst thing would be a lot of snow.” he said. “In the past there was no way we could do it with the amount of snow.”

Sue Cameron, events manager at the Lake Placid Convention and Visitors Bureau, said people seem to like the new track around Mirror Lake.

“We’re all hoping it is maintained,” Cameron said.

Cameron said a friend of hers skated around the new track and used a GPS to track the total distance.

“It was 2 miles,” Cameron said.

Gerard Nyman, owner of the USA Hockey Store on Main Street, said his customers enjoyed going around the new track .

“I think it’s great,” he said. “I know a lot of the hockey players were going on it.”

Martin said he plans to plow the track again next year.

“As long as conditions permit, we will do it when we can.” he said.