With only a short time remaining for the snowmobiling season, riders are taking advantage of the spring weather to enjoy a few last trips. Although the warm weather can make for great riding conditions, it can also result in safety hazards, especially around ice.

“In the warm weather, ice continually melts and refreezes and the snow cover disappears. This makes even fairly thick ice unsafe to travel on,” explains Peter Huebner, coordinator of the Snowmobile Safety Program for the Saskatchewan Safety Council.

Cycles of melting and freezing due to changes in temperature can result in “rotten” ice. Unlike winter ice, rotten ice is very weak and cannot support a snowmobile. Rotten ice is easy to identify as ice that has lost its dark winter colour and is slightly white, with visual fissure throughout.

Snowmobilers should not take the risk by riding on rotten ice. Drowning after falling through ice that is thin or rotten is one of the main causes of snowmobiling fatalities.

“No matter how thick, rotten ice is much weaker than fresh winter ice,” says Huebner. He explains that he has witnessed a person fall through rotten ice that was two feet thick.

Huebner advises snowmobilers to ride safely for the rest of the season. “Do not be deceived by the warm weather. Drowning and hypothermia are still safety factors even though it is not cold outside.” He adds that wet clothing loses 90 per cent of its insulating value, which can cause the body to lose more heat that it generates, even at warm temperatures.

Riders can learn more about snowmobile and ice safety by attending a Snowmobile Safety Course offered by the Saskatchewan Safety Council. Led by qualified safety instructors, the courses are offered throughout the province during the riding season. The next safety courses will be offered at the start of the 2008-09 snowmobiling season.

The courses are open to everyone, including families and experienced riders. In Saskatchewan, all riders born on or after January 1, 1989 are required to complete a safety course in order obtain a permit to drive. Course fees are $70 per person and $145 per family.

For more information about snowmobile safety, contact Saskatchewan Safety Council at (306) 757-3197.