Easter Sunday was spent outdoors on the shores of Winnipeg Beach by many who live there. It wasn’t the sunny weather that brought them out; it was the mountain of lake ice that has piled up 40 feet high.
At first, some residents along Lake Winnipeg feared for their homes. But, just as fast as it came, it stopped, only feet from one house.
Around 7 p.m. Friday, gusty winds and strong currents pushed a massive wall of ice onto the shores of Lake Winnipeg. In a matter of 10 minutes, ice stretched as long as a kilometer and reached as high as 40 feet.
"This is phenomenal," said Linda Raven, a resident in the cottage community of Winnipeg Beach.
"It’s pretty amazing, it’s got to be 40 feet tall," said Byron Taylor.
Residents say the winds reached 90 kilometers per hour on Friday.
"This is the ice breaking up and the winds we’ve had the last couple days forced it up into the shore line," said Taylor.
Residents say the last time this happened was over 40 years ago, but it doesn’t compare to this.
"Nothing like this, not even close," said Gord Boitson, who has lived in the area for 50 years.
The giant pile quickly became an attraction. Sunday, people stopped by to see the mountain of ice and take pictures while children climbed the pile. Even some adults couldn’t resist.
But it may not be the safest perch. As children play on the ice, you can hear the sound of ice crystals moving and melting.
The piles of ice aren’t the only thing catching attention. Fish guts from the winter ice fishing season have also been pushed to shore. Fortunately, that’s the worst of it.
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