Northern Games (storey 37 of 40)

April is a grand month for sliding. Sunshine warms the surface of the snow and ice glazes road surfaces and drifts of snow that have banked up during the long winter of whiteouts. There is no such thing as a fall season when you live without trees that have leaves to drop, there is freeze up.

Boats and some motors (also known in the north as kickers) are hauled up on the pebble beach of the Arctic Ocean at this freeze up time and left for spring thaw out time. For everything there is a time…

I have seen boats being hauled on Komatiks in the spring when there is danger of falling through the ice. A Komatik is a sled that is pulled behind the Ski-doo with a 12 to 20 foot lead line. A person could survive by at least jumping into the boat tied onto the sled if your Ski-doo breaks through the sea ice.