Ask people in Central Oregon what they want from a new ice rink in Bend, Oregon, and the answer always reaches past the ice itself. They want quality sheets and reliable ice time, of course. They also want somewhere to belong. The Forge is built to be both a year-round rink and a gathering place where Bend actually spends its time. Picture an athletic living room with the lights on, the fireplace lit, and a game on the glass. That is the experience we’re building, and it starts with the people who walk through the door.

Bend’s Athletic Living Room

The best rinks give a town somewhere to be. At The Forge, the lounge and the fireplace matter as much as the Zamboni. Parents will not have to drop and dash before practice ends. They can stay, work over good coffee or a local craft beer, and watch the session through the glass.

We designed the building for lingering, the way a mountain lodge invites you to settle in. Warm light, real food, and a soft place to land between the rush of work and the rush home. A coach you know waves from across the room. A neighbor saves you a seat. That atmosphere turns a rink into a hangout, and a hangout into a habit.

An Ice Rink in Bend, Oregon Built for Families

Central Oregon families stay busy, and they know what it costs to chase ice time across the region. Some have driven three hours or more for a decent sheet. An ice rink in Bend, Oregon, close to home, gives those hours back.

While one kid skates, another can finish homework by the fire. A parent can answer a few emails or catch up with a friend who came for the same practice. The evening that used to vanish in the car becomes time the family actually shares. That is what a community facility in Bend can do for a household: it hands the calendar back to the family.

Where Ski Racks, Bike Racks, and Hockey Bags Share a Row

Bend lives outside, and it lives year-round. The same family skis on Saturday, rides singletrack on Sunday, and laces up for hockey on Tuesday. Our parking lot will tell that story, with ski racks, bike racks, and hockey bags lined up together. The Forge fits how Central Oregon already moves. Ice joins the lineup of things this town loves, right next to the mountain and the trails. Families from Redmond and Prineville share that rhythm, and soon they will have quality ice closer to home.

The seasons here shift fast. Powder gives way to trails, and trails give way to the river. Through all of it, the ice stays. The Forge will run every day of the year, so a rainy spring afternoon has a destination and a scorching August day has a cool one. The building becomes a steady point on the calendar, the kind of place a town leans on when the weather turns.

Room for Everyone on the Ice

Championship ice still welcomes the beginner. A first-time skater gripping the boards belongs here as much as a travel-team forward. Our programs keep room on the calendar for every age and stage, from learn-to-skate and public sessions to adult leagues and figure skating. Grandparents can take a quiet morning lap. Toddlers can wobble through a first glide. Birthday parties, date nights, and pickup games all find a home here.

That open door does more than fill a schedule. It strengthens the people who walk through it. The U.S. Surgeon General has called social connection essential to our health(opens in new tab), noting that communities feel the difference when they have somewhere to gather. The Forge gives Central Oregon one more reason to show up for each other, season after season.

Come Skate With Us

More than ice, this is a place built for how Bend gathers, moves, and stays. We are shaping the facility for families, first-timers, and lifelong skaters at once, and we want you there when the doors open. Sign up for our email list to follow the progress from vision to opening day, and watch what year-round ice can mean for Central Oregon.