A Zamboni took a dip in North America’s largest groomed skating pond at Keystone Resort tonight.

A driver was grooming the lake at about 6:15 p.m., when the ice cracked and the 7,000-pound machine began to sink at about 6:15 p.m. As a precaution, skaters were cleared from another area of the 5-acre pond, resort spokesman Ryan Whaley said. The driver was not injured.

There was no word immediately on how soon the rink might re-open, but staff will examine the ice and remove the Zamboni Wednesday, Whaley said.

“They’ll take it out and we’ll see how it is,” Whaley said of the machine and the safety of the ice around the crater.

With a lake that large, other areas could reopen immediately, he said.

Once it dries out, the machine is likely salvageable, he said.

Kenneth Waesche snapped a photo of the sunken ice machine when he stopped by Lakeside Village for a pickup game of hockey. His wife planned to do some skating.

Waesche said that the “thin ice” sign in the foreground of the photo was some distance away from where the Zamboni went in.

The lake is typically open from Dec. 18 to March. 28 depending on the weather, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Season passes are $59, but daily admission is $11 for adults, $9 for 12- to 17-year-olds, $7 for children and $3 for toddlers and senior citizens.

Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com