Creating a curling ice surface isn’t as simple as flooding an area with water and freezing it. Milan Cortina 2026 brings together the best ice technicians in the sport to put four ice sheets in style inside the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium.
See for yourself the demonstration by Britain’s Mark Callan, world curling’s chief ice technician:
For curling, it’s not as cold as an ice rink and is generally softer than a normal rink environment. The type of water matters. Just pulling out the hose and spraying is not enough to meet the standards. Curling water is passed through a deionization system, which removes minerals for purer ice.
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Curlers play on a pebbly surface, and the ice beads create less frictional resistance as the ice moves toward the target area.
Ice technicians achieve the pebbled surface by spraying water droplets, which instantly freeze and create a texture that creates air bubbles beneath the stone.
The ice is then scraped away to smooth the surface and allow the stone to slide.
Curling first appeared at the Winter Olympics in 1924, but did not become a recognized sport again until the women’s competition was added to the men’s competition in 1998. In 2018, mixed doubles was introduced.
Canada leads the list with 6 gold medals and 12 gold medals in all competitions. Sweden follows with 4 gold medals and 11 medals. The United States has only won two medals in Olympic curling – a gold medal (2018) and a bronze medal (2006), both won by the men’s team.