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This couple climbed 4,500 ft. to skate on a breathtaking B.C. mountain lake (VIDEO)

They waited two years to tackle the skate on the sky-high lake.
Elana Shepert
Elana Shepert
mountain-skate
Photo: Neaturemanmike / YouTube

What are you willing to do to experience a breathtaking, intimate skate?

Hailing from Vancouver Island, Michael Hudson and his girlfriend Lorraine climbed a whopping 4,500 feet to reach their icy destination. What's more, the pair waited two years in order to have a shot at the scenic spot.

Jewel Lake, located on Mount Arrowsmith in Vancouver Island, offers spellbinding panoramic views of the surrounding mountain range. During the winter, the lake freezes, but it isn't always suitable for skating. 

In fact, Hudson told Vancouver Is Awesome in an email that a great deal of planning went into enjoying the sky-high skating adventure. He notes that the area gets a great deal of precipitation in the wintertime. As such, the lake gets snow covered very quickly after freezing, which makes it impossible to skate on.

"We had a cold snap just before this weekend, with clear weather for about five days before we went skating," he explains. "I checked live satellite photos every day on Sentinel-Hub Playground to make sure the ice was black and not covered."

Hudson adds that he was able to get an idea of the "freezing/snow level"  from the photos, but that a nearby weather station at a similar elevation provided more information. He says that the station recorded an average of minus seven for the previous five days, which is, "enough time to have at least four inches of ice assuming the water is already quite cold."

"Before checking the ice I used a 4" ice screw to make sure it was thick enough. The inflows and outflows of the lake are typical weak points so I checked close to the outflow as a worst case and it was around 4". 2" is the minimum typically," he describes.
 
"The center of the ice was probably around 6" as my screw couldn't touch water and looked to be at least 2"s away. The perimeter of the lake is usually thinner ice as it get's warmed by the land. I grew up skating on lakes in Ontario and I've fallen in a couple times. One I expected it and the other was to practice getting out. It sucks but good to know you can get out!"
 
Hudson adds that the lake is also very difficult to get to during the winter. He says that most of the trail was iced over and required crampons and an ice axe. In order to get down to the lake, he says that they had to lower themselves down with some ropes. He remarks how, "it was easier to free solo some of the low grade cliffs rather than take the ice."
 
Have a look at the video from their breathtaking experience. 
 

See more of Hudson's video on his YouTube channel.