'Like sculptured artwork': B.C. man photographs frozen Lake Windermere

Larry Halversonand his wife Karan have been skating on Lake Windermere in the Columbia Valley for 45 years.

The lake is nestled between the Rocky and Purcell mountains. Though it often freezes over, Halverson said he's never seen it as dazzlingas it is right now.

"The ice is just as smooth as glass and as clear as glass."

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While skating on the lake mid-December, Halversonsnapped a few photos of the ice and his wife gliding across it.

"When you're skating along, you could actually see some fish scooting out below your blades," he said.

Halverson said the ice is so transparent, he can tell how far down it goes, which he estimates to be about four inches.

"It felt like you weren't even on ice until you came across a crack," he said.

The couple noticed noother skate marks in the ice, meaning noone else had been on the lake recently.

"The feeling was like making tracks in very fresh powder, because there's no other skate marks on it.

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It was crystal clear and untouched by skates all the way across the lake.

Aside from a clean, flat sheet of ice, Halverson also noticed what he called a "beautiful" phenomenon: frozen gas bubbles under the water.

"They were just like sculptured artwork."

With files from Daybreak South