Loewen Winterplex way of connecting families and enjoying winter

Arvid Loewen often spends his summer cycling, but the winters have him creating a wonderland in his back yard for his family and their friends. 

Loewen is best known for taking his body to the physical extreme limit all in the name of blessing children in Africa. But he's been blessing kids in his own backyard for many years as well. 

"This year, like any other year for the last, I don't know how many years, we have a fairly large hockey rink," says Loewen. "We call it the Loewen Winterplex. It's a sizeable rink, as it's 42 ft by 70 ft."

On the side of his big outdoor skating rink, Loewen has added a double-lane ice luge. Around the rink there are lights for decoration as well as being able to see during the dark evenings. 

"When we're all together there's 19 of us," says Loewen, referring to his wife, their children and grandchildren. "Our sunroom is the change room with a whole bunch of extra carpets and benches."

Keeping the ice rink in top condition has almost become like a part-time job for Loewen. 

"For me, there's a couple of hours of preparation beforehand because I want a decent ice rink. I don't want it to be choppy or uneven for I put a fair bit of effort into the ice rink."

Loewen's wife, Ruth, is just as involved in the winter activities process. 

Arvid Loewen with his family enjoying the backyard winterplex. (Supplied)

"Ruth comes out with chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate in between for the break and depending on the weather, we've also put a fire pit up which is often frequented by the adults."

Loewen opens up his backyard winterplex to his family and their friends. This includes birthday parties as well as recreational hockey games with up to 15 different players. 

"When parents drop off their child that is playing hockey, usually there is a sibling along and then they are the ones that are jumping onto the luge. Sometimes it's hard for the parents to take the kids home. It's great."

Loewen trains most of the year for intense physical cycling events, and because of his bad knee, he doesn't go skating on the rink anymore. Rather he maintains it for the family. 

"What we have felt so privileged is that we have an opportunity to get to know the families kids of our grandkids, their friends. That has been a lot of fun."