Warm sun overhead and thick ice on Salmon Arm Bay proved to be a winning combination for skiers, snowshoers, dog walkers and others in need of a dose of Vitamin D. By the early afternoon on Sunday, Feb. 24, the thick and powdery layer of snow over the bay was crisscrossed with tracks as dozens of people got out on the lake.
“I just came out to enjoy the skiing, I was going to go to Larch Hills but the lake looks so inviting,” said Krista Pitman, a visitor from Kamloops.
Read More: Larch Hills Chalet expansion completed just in time for ski season
Pitman added there are some small lakes near Kamloops which freeze solid enough to ski on but they can’t compete with the space and scenery Salmon Arm Bay offers.
Bernd Hermanski, another skier roaming the open expanse of the bay between Raven and the wharf, said skiing on the lake ice is a unique experience.
“It’s very open. Larch Hills you’re in the trees the whole time which is also lovely but this is just different and special,” said Hermanski.
“It’s not that often that one gets these conditions.”
Chad Shipmaker, out on the frozen lake with his family, said they also normally ski at Larch Hills but were enticed out onto the bay by the sunshine.
Read More: Hardy group of skiers brave cold to conquer Larch Hills traverse
Elvi Pukas was also out on the bay on a pair of skis, following a well-worn path through the deep snow. She said there were no patches of soft ice or open water spaces that she could see and some people had even cleared a skating rink several metres from land near the bird sanctuary on the foreshore.
“I could see from my window that there were people out here so I just thought I’ve got to get out here and do it,” Pukas said.
The sun, which drew people out onto the lake, is expected to continue for the rest of the week with daytime high temperatures hovering just above freezing.
@SalmonArm
jim.elliot@saobserver.net
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