As we start to experience warmer temperatures, you may be tempted to take one last drive on the ice road, however, that may not be such a good idea.
We spoke with Leonard Boucha; he has helped maintain the ice roads for over 30 years and he belongs to a family very well-seasoned in the ways of Lake of the Woods.
Responsible for maintaining a few of the main ice roads, Boucha says they are no longer maintaining the roads as it has become too dangerous for vehicles.
We asked if it was still safe to use smaller vehicles such as quads and snowmachines, Boucha said “With the conditions that are out there now, quadding is pretty much off the table because air holes from ridges that have sunk are getting big enough to the point where they could completely swallow up a quad.”
“The modern-day snowmachine will move very well on the surface but the amount of slush and water on top of the ice means you could get stuck, and I mean stuck to the point where you cannot get yourself unstuck,” he continued.
We may see some colder temperatures this weekend but that doesn’t mean that the ice will become safe again, Boucha explained “This cold weather that is coming is going to be interesting because it is going to put a crust on everything which means it will take you just a little longer before you break through everything – you will go into the slush again and it will be even worse.”
“Don’t mess around too much longer. The thing that people don’t realize is that the ice wears from the bottom during this time of year, even if it’s cold – if it’s cold, it seems to wear even faster,” he added.
When asked about the MNR Landing, Boucha said that it is completely unsafe to drive on. Due to the high traffic through the MNR Landing in the winter, the large amounts of road sand accelerate the melting process causing air pockets to make the entrance unusable.
According to Boucha, you can still walk on most of the ice but after this next cold snap, it is probably safer to just avoid the ice completely if possible.
“The problem with this time of year is that the sun is so high that it makes it powerful, and that is why ice conditions can change so fast,” said Boucha.
“You can really run into trouble because you cannot see the air holes in the ice, so something could look completely normal and then the next thing you know, there is a six-foot hole right in front of you,” he concluded.
As one final message of safety, Boucha said “If you have to go out on the ice, don’t go by yourself and make sure you tell someone exactly where you are going and when you will return – be very specific because if you get stuck, you could be there for quite some time.”