Parks Canada reminds skaters to check ice thickness on frozen lakes after four people fall through Lake Minnewanka in two days

Photo: Banff Visitor Safety

Thin ice rescue practice.

Parks Canada is reminding people to use caution when skating on frozen lakes after four people fell through the ice on Lake Minnewanka over a two-day period.

Lake Minnewanka is located northeast of Banff in Alberta. The 21 kilometre long lake is surrounded by the beautiful Canadian Rockies and attracts people from across Canada every winter.

Parks Canada is urging ice skaters to check the thickness of the lake’s ice very carefully after four people fell through. Three people managed to self rescue while one woman required a rescue response.

“Understand that ice thickness may vary considerably over short distances. Having equipment available for self rescue can be very useful in areas with unknown ice thickness,” read a statement from Parks Mountain Safety on Facebook.

“The recommended minimum thickness for ice skating is 15 centimetres or 6 inches of solid ice.”

Useful self rescue equipment includes ropes, ice picks and life jackets.

Photo: Twitter/Kim Teramoto

Lake Minnewanka on Jan. 18, 2021.