Black on Black

Exploring Wild Ice on Lake Superior Story and photos by Darren McChristie

Ice formations on lakes are intriguing and beautiful. The jagged ice along the shoreline, fracture lines, frozen bubbles, and colours that range from white to deep blue and black form intricate patterns that seem to invite closer inspection. Skates are a natural choice for an afternoon adventure or a weekend expedition.

Lake Superior’s massive Black Bay is often the first part of the Great Lakes to freeze. A combination of shallow water and protection from large waves allows fast ice (fastened to the shore) to form on Black Bay, often by early December.

Three friends and I had the gumption to drive to Hurkett Cove Conservation Area in search of skateable Superior ice in early December 2020. As experienced seekers of wild ice, we had been studying ice charts and satellite images for weeks and Hurkett Cove provided easy access to the lake. Several cold, clear days and nights with light wind and zero precipitation provided the right conditions for the formation of seemingly endless epic black ice.

Careful planning and preparation is necessary prior to heading out to enjoy gliding on the wild ice of Lake Superior. I proceed onto frozen lakes with this mantra: there is no such thing as safe ice. Clear blue to black ice is strongest. You can often see the thickness of the ice when you spot a crack. The Canadian Red Cross suggests

avoiding ice that is thinner than 20 cm. On this day, the ice was black and we were taking a risk skating on an average thickness of 15–20 cm.

For added safety, life jackets and throw-bags were part of the equipment along with hockey sticks and skates. We passed around the puck (it's amazing how far a puck will travel when not impeded by boards), but were eventually lured out to the vast openness of Black Bay.

For a few minutes, the heavy clouds cleared and the ice turned from black to stunning shades of turquoise. It looked like we were skating on a mirror and it felt amazing —I was relaxed, but my senses were heightened. Occasionally my heart skipped a beat as the ice bellowed, popped, and pinged below by skates, contracting and expanding in the changing light.

Wild ice skating is one of the many ways to enjoy the vast beauty of Lake Superior, but you have to act fast when smooth ice forms. Snow is the enemy of seekers of skateable wild ice and, inevitably, the best ice will be covered in a blanket of snow. We returned to Black Bay a couple more times that month, but the ice wasn’t never quite as smooth. Undaunted, we swapped our skates for fat bikes with studded tires, but continued to chase black ice all winter.

This year, the ice is forming later than normal due to a mild and snowy fall. The Canadian Ice Services daily updates show new ice on Black Bay had finally formed by the middle of November with the long-term forecast settling into normal temps by December.