Luc Mehl told Reuters the once-in-a-decade “ice window” was formed because of an “unusually cold but dry transition into winter.”
“The combination of of being able to look down three or four meters and see what’s on the bottom, I’ve never experienced that in the 12 years that I’ve been doing this.”
The weather conditions allowed the Rabbit Lake, in the alpine area near Anchorage, to freeze in a way that maintained the ice thickness suitable for skating on it.
Footage shot by Mehl and his wife between October 23-26 showed people skating on the frozen and translucent lake, revealing huge rocks in the bottom.
Mehl said he had never seen something similar in the last 12 years he’s been skating there. The instructor also emphasised the importance of having the proper safety measures in place before doing the activity. “Yeah, it is dangerous. And some people even did fall through during that week,” he said.
Photos from @lucmehl Instagram
