The Magic Of The Season

Clear Lake, Manitoba gets its name from the crystal clear water it generally has throughout the summer. It's located in Riding Mountain National Park, and there a ton of places to explore and visit around the park and towns in the area. I've been lucky enough to visit there and the area is beautiful. I crashed for a few days in Onanole, enjoyed the town and its people, and was lucky enough to see the clarity of the lake in person. If you get a chance, I highly recommend checking this national park out. And not just in the summer when camping and exploring is easiest!

Every few years, there is a phenomenon that happens every five to ten years with the lake in that it becomes a clear skating rink! Currently, the ice is almost seven inches thick, but it's entirely see-through in so much that the bottom of the lake can be seen through the ice as one skates upon it!

While it might throw some off their stride as they watch the sand and rocks and, occasionally, fish below their skates, it's certainly one of the coolest rinks on the planet right now. This phenomenon is actually due to the weather in Manitoba, and it has nothing to do with global warming.

The ice starts forming when the temperatures drop below zero Celsius as we all know, but the lack of snow thanks to unseasonably warm daytime weather and the lack of wind have turned Clear Lake into Clear Rink! The ice is relatively flat and level thanks to the lack of wind generating waves and splashes, and the absence of snow has left the ice in pristine, clear condition. As the temperature drops overnight, additional layers of ice are formed and the result is what you see below!

Standing on ice over about ten feet of water. #Clearlake #clearice #clear #glass #ridingmountain #rmnp #ice #manitoba #canada

A photo posted by @callandramayhart on Dec 7, 2015 at 12:09pm PST

There are other lakes across the world that do this as well. Slovakia, Sweden, and the United States all have had instances of the same phenomenon happening in lakes in those respective countries, but it's nice to be bale to boast the same phenomenon in your backyard. While I have yet to skate on Clear Lake's clear ice, it appears those that do are enjoying every second of it!

So who wants to play a little shinny on this clear rink?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!