Yeah, you don't need the tarp.
Packing it with snow, from my experience just makes sure you get nice white ice. Some people I know don't, and their ice just looks hollow.
Once it starts hitting -10, what we usually do is use a garden hose to saturate the ground, so it creates a solid, frozen foundation. Not a lot of water at a time though. Once the ground is frozen solid, you can start flooding the rink. We usually do layers at a time. Layer, let it freeze, layer, let it freeze.
If you have holes or weak ice that chops up easily, clean out the hole and fill it with REALLY hot water. The hot water bonds to the ice better and when it freezes you get rid of the weak ice.
Of course, the rinks I used to flood are really big. 200'x85' big. In Manitoba where their winter stays consistent.
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