'You have to have good rocks and you have to have good water.'

That's the secret to making the ice perfect for curling, according to local ice-maker Doug Gee. Or at least, that's part of it.

'The rest is mostly experience,' said Gee, who has been making ice for about 15 years and curling for 25, in an interview Wednesday. 'And you have to have good blades and know how to use them.

'The biggest thing is to keep it clean, keep it flat and maintain the pebble on the surface.'

The perfect ice surface also takes plenty of time and dedication, which is why Gee makes it a full-time job in the winter. He puts in up to 20 hours a day when the Whitehorse Curling Club is hosting an event, but as the saying goes, if you can find a job your like you'll never work another day in your life.

'I always knew I was interested in something to do with curling,' he said. 'I enjoy the creativity of it (ice-making). I enjoy doing different things and seeing what happens. I don't think the curlers enjoy it all the time, but that's how you learn.'

Gee began learning about the trade in Whitehorse years ago, then moved to Grande Prairie for a couple of years to attend school. He's been head ice-maker at the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre since 1998. That's how he met national ice technician BJ Gagnon, who has put on several ice-making courses in the Yukon.

The two have become good friends, and it was through Gagnon that Gee attended his first national event outside of Whitehorse the mixed championships in Abbotsford, B.C. last year. Now, Gee has been invited to another big show the Scott Tournament of Hearts, which will take place in Red Deer, Alberta, Feb. 21.

'I'd been talking to BJ about doing the Scotts or the Brier,' explained Gee. 'They (the organizers for the Scotts) had a guy drop out so I was in.'

Gee said he's excited but a little bit nervous as well.

'(I'm) just wondering what I'm going to be doing, what's going to happen,' he said. 'It's whatever is in their scheduling. It could be anything from running the scraper to running the broom up and down the ice. I doubt I would be doing pebbling.'

Pebbling involves spraying water on the ice surface with a special hose. The scraper than smoothes out the bumps.

Gee ran the scraper at the mixed championships last year, but said he might be doing something different this time.

'Going Outside is fun because I'm basically doing what I'm told, so I don't have to take the blame is something's not good. But I can also watch to see how they fix the bad things.'

Gee said the ice at the big tournaments can be a little bit more unpredictable.

'They have to deal with the crowds, the heat and the humidity,' he said. 'But they have the best of everything. There are a lot of ice-makers out there and everything they need is at their disposal.'

Gee is hoping the experience he gains at the Scotts will take him to the Brier next year, and maybe to a higher certification level in the future.

'It's a long process,' he said. 'In order to go any further than what I'm at now, you have to go Outside and be known, be seen. It's who you know and what they know you can do.

'Maybe if I become good enough some day they'll pay my way,' he laughed.

Gee is a Level 2 ice technician right now. He has to go out to at least three events in order to get to Level 3. Although he has helped with ice at a few Outside events, as well as headed the ice for a couple of events held in Whitehorse, this will technically only be his second national event. There has to be a national ice technician at the event in order for it to qualify on the record.

There are four levels in total, plus the national ice technicians, which is a committee above the top level.

Gee dreams of getting to the top one day. And if he does, he'll have a couple of people to thank.

'My dad (Allan Gee) really helps,' he said. 'I couldn't go anywhere without him. When I'm gone, he looks after the ice. Between him and Vic Hunter, they really help out.'

Gee will be looking after the ice for the Yukon/NWT men's curling championships, which are being held at Mount Mac this weekend. He leaves for the Scott Tournament of Hearts next week.