Keep safety in mind when venturing out on Windsor region's frozen lakes

While winter trips on all-terrain vehicles are a good way to get outdoors during the pandemic, riders are being advised to stay off frozen lakes and rivers in the Windsor area.

For now, at least.

"No ice is safe ice to take a motorized vehicle out, and especially since we're talking only three weeks of cold to create the ice that we have, this ice hasn't got that maturity, that thickness," Windsor Port Authority harbour master Peter Berry said earlier this week. "I wouldn't recommend that anybody you drive a motorized vehicle of any type, even a snowmobile out on the lakes for at least a couple more weeks of good freezing temperatures, stable freezing temperatures."

Berry said it's vital that people heading out on ATVs or snow machines — or even for a winter walk on the ice — tell someone else where they're going, and what time they plan to return.

"If you're walking out on Lake St. Clair, there's areas that cell phones don't work, so don't let cell phones be your safety plan," Berry said. "Let it be that you told somebody you're going out on the lake. You anticipate being home around six o'clock and that person calls and checks."

"And if you're not back, that person doesn't hesitate and calls for a potential search."

The Ontario government states ice needs to be at least 20 centimetres thick to support a snowmobile, and 30 centimetres to support a light vehicle.

Other safety recommendations include keeping track of colour of the ice — clear, blue ice is strongest, while white or opaque ice is much weaker — and remembering that ice thickness isn't uniform. Ice near the shore is often much thicker than ice located farther out on the lake.

Guy Riendeau, owner of Windsor motorsports store Xtreme FX, said business at his shop is good this winter, with ATVs "pretty much" sold out, and parts becoming difficult to get.

He said some types of ATV offer additional safety features that would help when out on the ice.

"An Argo, if you were to fall through, it floats," he said. "So there would be really no harm in going through the ice if that were to happen."

There is a modification that can be made to any ATV to make it safer on the ice, as well, Riendeau said.

"A lot of people will insert ice studs into their tires for traction, because when you're on the ice, there's very, very little traction," he said. "That would give you a means to stop if you saw something quickly."

"That would be the biggest modification for ice riding."