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A mesmerizing video of wild skating on a frozen lake in the Canadian province of Alberta has gone viral on Instagram.
The clip was shared by Samantha Reid (@samanthalreid), the Australian artistic swimming athlete and two-time Olympian, and has had 166,000 views since it was first posted on December 5.
The footage shows a person skating across a frozen lake amid what appears to be snow blowing across the lake under cloudy skies. It seems as if the person is skating across ocean waves, as patches of snow speed past the person's feet in a wave-like motion.
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A caption shared with the post says: "Am I moving forwards or backwards? Wild skating in the Canadian Rockies really living up to its name."
According to hashtags shared with the post, the skating was captured in the Spray Lakes area of Kananaskis Country region, a vast park system at the foothills of the Canadian Rockies spanning 1,544 square miles, notes the website of Tourism Canmore Kananaskis, the nonprofit organization for the region's tourism industry.
Bordering Banff National Park and hugging the town of Canmore, Kananaskis is a "wild unspoiled paradise," featuring rolling foothills, forests as well as glaciers and sapphire-blue alpine lakes.
The video was shared as Canada's winter season was forecast to bring "higher-than-normal temperatures across the country," due to the impact of El Niño conditions, the Canadian government's website advised in December.
"El Niño conditions are due to natural variability in the climate system and will likely contribute to the higher-than-normal temperatures in Canada this winter, intensifying the warming effects from human-induced climate change," the website explained.
Safety Tips for Skating on Frozen Lakes
The Parks Canada government website warns that it "does not monitor natural ice surfaces for safety or mark potential hazards," adding that "if you choose to skate on natural ice, you do so at your own risk."
Citing advice from the Canadian Red Cross, the website noted that several environmental factors can affect the thickness of the ice, such as the following:
- Water depth and size of the body of water
- Currents and other moving water
- Chemicals including salt
- Fluctuations in water levels
- Logs, rocks and docks absorbing heat from the sun
- Changing air temperature
The Canadian Red Cross advises taking the following steps if you get into trouble on ice and you're on your own:
- Call for help.
- Resist the urge to climb back out where you fell in, as the ice is weak in this area.
- Try to relax and catch your breath. Turn yourself toward shore so you are looking at where you entered onto the ice, as the ice is more stable close to shore.
- Reach forward onto the broken ice without pushing down. Kick your legs to get your body into a horizontal position.
- Continue kicking your legs and crawl onto the ice.
'Never Seen Anything Like This'
Users on Instagram were blown away by the surreal footage of wild skating in the latest viral post.
User difrik_travel wrote: "Wow. It looks like you skating the waves."
User jaggykullar said: "I've never seen anything like this, looks so cool but very scary."
User ashilahnrlaela posted: "Bruh I thought you were standing and stunned, and the water flow beneath you."
User sadoutwest wrote: "This is insane omg," while kinsam1668 said "Absolutely stunning."
User crabbtacular said "This is brutal but beautiful" and neesahaqqi agreed, saying "this is crazy beautiful & scary."
User benarcherscott said: "This is so cool—you know how to live."
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via Instagram. This video has not been independently verified.
Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
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