2 men dodge icy dip as snowmobile track groomer falls through thin ice
Chelsea Kemp | CBC News | Posted: February 11, 2023 12:00 PM | Last Updated: February 11, 2023
The Ochre River Snowmobile Club is glad the members survived
A central Manitoba snowmobile club is grateful two groomer operators are safe after their machine ended up at the bottom of a lake.
Operators on the Ochre River Snowmobile Club groomer were clearing trails on a lake path last week when the ice started to crack and the rig shifted and started to sink, said Channing Hudson, president.
"It's very, very good that they made it home back to their families that night and at the end of the day, that's what really counts," he said. "Our operators walked away safe and sound ... machines can be replaced, but people can't."
The groomer sank under the water around 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3. Work to free it from the ice started Monday, Feb. 6 and it was on the shore by Wednesday evening.
It was the first time the groomers were working on the lake ice near Ochre River, about 300 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, without one of the senior operators.
They had driven out on the lake and went to turn around while navigating blowing snow and poor visibility. They went out a little too far, Hudson said, and soon began to feel and hear the ice start to give way underneath the machine.
"Within a couple seconds, it started to sink pretty fast," Hudson said.
The club hired the Dr. Hook Towing rescue team to pull out the water-logged rig.
Freeing the machine was a complicated process because the groomer was hooked in the ice, Hudson said. The rescue team used chainsaws to free it and drop it to the bottom of the lake. From there, two divers hooked the machine to a winch and lifted it out.
The groomer will be checked for damage and Hudson hopes it will be operating again soon.
It's been a busy season for the snowmobile club, Hudson said. He hopes everybody will stay safe and be aware of the ice conditions, especially with the mild weather making things a little less frozen than usual.
"We're all aware of the risks we take when we get on that machine ... to make these trails," Hudson said. "Everybody should take extra special precautions when going snowmobiling or doing anything really on the ice this year."
Hot and cold weather making weak ice
The extreme temperature fluctuations in the province are creating dangerous ice formations, said Christopher Love, LifeSaving Society Manitoba's water smart and safety management co-ordinator.
"Every year we have received cases ... about vehicles going partially or completely through the ice," Love said. "Just because the ice can hold the weight of ... a person, it's not necessarily going to hold the weight of a vehicle."
Consistent cold temperatures of around –15 C or –20 C keep ice hard, firm and relatively safe, he said, noting there haven't been good conditions this year.
The yo-yoing temperatures are creating freeze-thaw cycles — melting and freezing ice so it becomes layered. This creates dangerous empty spaces that can easily break under any type of weight.
The society recommends staying off the ice, but if someone does go on the ice, it should be in a supervised location where somebody is checking the ice on an ongoing basis.
If someone visits an area that is not monitored they need to take ice thickness measurements, check the quality of the ice and take responsibility for the situation.
At unsupervised locations people should have safety gear, including a personal flotation device and kit to call for help and start a fire.
People should also tell someone where they're going and how long they'll be out. Love said it's safer to travel with someone so you can help each other out in case of an emergency.
"If you're alone, even with all your safety gear, that could end up being a very dangerous or tragic circumstance if there's no assistance around," Love said.