Community stunned as unusual conditions turn beloved winter tradition on its head: 'Nobody can believe what is happening'

Warming global temperatures are threatening a slew of beloved winter pastimes like ice fishing and speed skating, leaving outdoor competition organizers scrambling to modify their events, the CBC reported.

What's happening?

In British Columbia, organizers of popular events like an ice fishing derby and a winter sport medley have been forced to adapt to warm temperatures and melting ice.

Canada has experienced record-breaking high temperatures this winter, leading to a lack of snow that makes certain winter sports dangerous or outright impossible.

With barely any ice on Moyie Lake, people who wanted to partake in the surrounding community's annual ice fishing derby had to do so from boats.

"It's bananas," organizer Wanda Cavelle said, per the CBC. "Nobody can believe what is happening, and that there is not ice on our lake."

Meanwhile, Prince George's annual Iceman competition, which involves cross-country skiing, running, speed skating, and swimming, had to eliminate its speed skating section due to a lack of ice on the outdoor rink. Also, instead of skiing a continuous eight kilometers in the cross-country event, skiers had to complete several 1.6-kilometer loops.

While it is not unusual for some years to be colder than others, the threat to outdoor recreation is part of a years-long warming trend caused by humans burning polluting fuels, such as coal and gas, that release heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.

Kathy Lewis, president of the Prince George Ice Oval Society, said that the lack of snow is threatening the rink's future, per the CBC.

"We've been seeing this trend happening over the last five to 10 years, our number of days that we're open for public skating is going down," she said. "Our season is getting smaller and smaller. And at some point it may become non-existent if we're putting in so much work and effort only for a few days of skating."

Why is winter recreation important?

Winter recreation is an important driver of economic activity in places like British Columbia, where people travel from far away to ski, skate, and even compete in Olympic qualifying events, as the CBC noted.

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Elsewhere, some ski resorts have come to rely on snowmaking machines to stay open. Some winter attractions, like glacier tours in Norway, have become unfeasible as winter landscapes change.

The loss of highly anticipated winter activities can also take a toll on a community's mental well-being, since it deprives people of an opportunity to spend time in nature.

What's being done about threats to winter recreation?

While event organizers are doing their best to adapt to the changing climate, the only way to reverse the warming trend is to halt the emission of air pollution.

Organizations like Protect Our Winters attempt to appeal to people's love for winter recreation to promote climate-friendly policies. On an individual level, getting involved in climate action in your community can help protect nature while reducing pollution.

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