Humble Pie: An Ice Rescue Lesson in Winter UTV Safety and Preparedness
It was mid January, the weather was -15 C for weeks prior. I was travelling along the shoreline very close to shore on Lesser Slave Lake, Alberta. The fresh snow fall hid the flood water. In an instance, my tracked machine broke through. All ice anchor attempts to move the machine forward failed. Eventually, and strategically, another tracked machine came back with a rescue Team. After the ice was chopped out and cleared, a quick tug backwards and I was mobile again. After 30 years of living here, and having personally been involved in multiple rescues and recoveries, this is my worst personal ice incident.
Humble Pie: An Ice Rescue Lesson in Winter UTV Safety and Preparedness
By Keith Denoncourt
This was my ice incident of January 2026. At first, I was not going to post any pictures or make any comments. I was beyond embarrassed, and quite honestly I was physically beat up. From start to finish, it took us around 5.5 hours to get my machine unstuck and enroute home. It was not pleasant. It was -15 C, windy and snowing hard. Plus there was flood water all around you. Even when walking towards shore, which is 50 yards away, you were breaking through the two feet of snow in to a foot of water. All attempts of moving forward with winches and ice anchors failed. I had the equipment, but the weather and conditions made it almost impossible to be working outside by yourself safely. After about two hours of struggling, a snowmobile came by. It took us roughly 3 km back to my home for shelter and complete recovery. I had to make the safety call, leave the area, and knowingly let the machine freeze in. For now, I had no choice but to leave the machine buried in the ice in -15 C. Safety for personal had to come first. We changed out our clothes at home, regrouped with new gear, and arrived back with another team. They had another tracked up side by side and long tow straps. When we got back to my machine it was dark and froze in. We had to chop out the ice from around the tracks, and then with a quick tug backwards from shore, I was free from the flood water and back on the shoreline. If I had been using a team approach to begin with, this would have been non -issue. The recovery would have been almost instant with zero freezing in of the tracks. However a few people took pictures from the shoreline and posted them on line. I directly took a lot of stupid comments. Honestly I truly valued it when finally a snow mobile finally came and checked in on us rather than just standing by taking pictures. I had cell good cell service, and safe help was enroute. I did not want anyone else, who was unprepared, trying to force a recovery. It was non urgent. I was okay inside my warm ATV if I sat put and just waited until my recovery team arrived. Remain calm and all will be okay if you have a solid back up Team. I am Blessed that I know a few great guys in this area with the right training and the right equipment to get this recovery done safely. In this case, it just would take a few hours to organize. I was fully prepared for a safe extended stay on the ice, but when home is just a few kms away, a few moments of warm regrouping at home with new gear, and with additional help coming very soon, going home first would make the next few steps a lot safer.
I ultimately decided to own this incident. I do not have a thick skin, and with my background of ice rescue and recoveries, I was beyond embarrassed. Then a few good people checked in on me and when they stated quite bluntly, “…if this could happen to me, it darn well could happen to anyone...” I took ownership of the incident and decided to step forward and own the first set of pictures. Engaging in Nature is our lifestyle. It could happen to anyone at any time. More importantly, Nature does not care about your political beliefs, values or emotions. It is only what we do with our circumstances that make us who we are. Humbly and respectfully, this time, I was the one who needed back up. It was not like I was unprepared or did not know the lake. I was not drunk, stoned, or doing anything stupid. I was travelling to go get gas at our local gas station by travelling along the shoreline with a friend. It was not until I found the flood water near the shore initially did the armchair warriors come out. The flood water was hidden with a fresh snow fall, the weather was -15 C for weeks prior. For me , if I use this incident to help anyone realize that they must prepare, or most importantly prevent, ice incidents than my embarrassment is a small price to pay. Be safe, and thank you for your support !
Thank you for staying safe in the outdoors and for supporting a Non-Profit Conservation organization. If you have any comments or questions, never hesitate to give me shout at kadenoncourt@gmail.com
-Keith
This is my personal rescue and recovery kit. It is pre-packed with everything from Rescue ropes, Chain saws to the Portable Electric Winch. In this case, I needed my back up Team to assist. The right tools, with the right equipment, can make rescue and recovery just a memorable adventure.
In many instances, a quick tug backwards with my Portable Electric Winch is all it takes to get unstuck.
We are doing a preventative move with an Ice Fishing Shack. There is flood water on top so I am facing the shore with my Tracked ATV. I am initially using my Portable Electric Winch to move the shack free of the flood water. I am initially keeping a very long distance away from the shack while I am on the ice with an ATV. When we are clear of the flood water I maintain the safe distance by then connecting to a long tow rope. Only when I am on shore will I shorten the distance and go to a solid hitch. Using the right tool for the right job makes all of the difference in a safe and successful move.
Chains on vehicle tires is sometimes required on ice, however vehicle travel is generally unsafe when these are required. Tire chains also cause increased wear and tear on your vehicle. The right vehicle for the right job is the safest route and I highly advise not using a full sized vehicle on the ice for recreational purposes.
Once the ice shack is free from the ice, I used a solid hitch connection on my tracked side by side to move it to a safer location.
Accidents and Incidents happen to everyone. It is only if you adhere to all of the safety standards, and are fully prepared for self rescue and recovery can you take your emergency and turn it in to memorable adventure.
