Earlier this month B.C.’s South Coast was covered in snow and ice, leading to some cranky locals and a few bad commutes.
But not everyone was unhappy with the uncharacteristic weather. Hoards of young people hopped on the opportunity to play pond hockey in a region typically known for its mild winters. Cole Cook, a 20-year-old university student, was one of them.
When Cook discovered Maple Ridge’s Whonnock Lake had turned to ice, he gathered his camera equipment and began organizing a trip. Just a couple of days later, he headed out to the lake with his brother and his girlfriend.
“We pretty much got in there at the perfect time,” he told CBC News.
It was just before dusk when Cook began filming them skating along the massive swath of untouched ice, hockey sticks in hand. He even managed to capture a few other skaters who were decked out in Santa suits.
The green background proves how short-lived this kind of weather can be in the Lower Mainland—Cook says the ice has since turned to slush—but the lack of snow made for pretty incredible ice conditions that day.
Cook’s footage, which he shot with the help of a drone, has since been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, and even shared by national media outlets like Hockey Night in Canada. Although Cook was shocked to see how much attention his video received, it’s no wonder people loved the footage.
He said it all when he first posted his video to Facebook: “Doesn’t get much more Canadian than this!”
