Sudbury Trail Association reminding riders to stay safe during spring thaw

As temperatures rise and ice melts, the district president of the Sudbury Trail Plan is advising riders that there is still plenty of safe sledding in the area.

Murray Baker told CBC News that a group of volunteers is always checking ice conditions, setting up a stake path that marks where the safe trail is located.

But it's still important that riders stay alert to changing conditions, as even the areas near stake lines can quickly turn hazardous.

"If you do go near those areas I would use caution because as water starts to flow it starts to erode the ice from underneath and you can't see that," Baker said.

These situations shouldn't keep anyone off the trails, but riders should be aware of how to deal with going through the ice.

"If you get into trouble remember to try and get yourself out the way you came in," Baker said. "Don't go forward, go backward, because it was safe where you first went in, and kick."

"There's a whole technique of getting out of water," he said.

The OPP is reminding riders that any vehicle that goes through the ice must be removed by the owner at their own costs.

Last weekend, a truck plunged partway through the ice on Lake Nipissing, OPP said.