Finally southwest BC is getting some of the cold much of Canada had to put up with all winter. Cold arctic outflow air is reaching our area. Lakes in the mountains around Whistler and Pemberton are solidly frozen and thanks to the lack of snow in prime skating conditions! I have only ever been on skates maybe half a dozen times and haven't been on a frozen lake since I was a teenager. In addition the views and conditions were simply spectacular. Pete and other paraglider friends played with different sorts of kites. I worked on my skating technique, first pushing a chair around, later with a hockey stick for balance.
The ice on some of the lakes was polished by wind and clear as glass. Amazing to glide over the dark water and near shore see green water plants and sunken trees under the ice. Even more mysterious are the occasional eerie creaking sounds from the ice. A totally new experience.
We also tried out another new activity: a friend took us ice climbing. Since the main ice climbing area was crowded with people we found our own mini cliff with a sunny belay spot. A belay spot in the sun must be very unusual for serious ice climbing but made our first foray into the sport extremely pleasant.
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| Frozen Gates Lake |
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| Glass clear ice |
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| Pete making lines on Brohm Lake |
