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Many Muskoka residents and visitors enjoy winter recreation. From downhill and Nordic skiing, to skating and playing shinny on frozen lakes, to snowmobiling, there are many ways to enjoy the winter in Muskoka. Embracing winter is part of our identity as Muskokans and Canadians. Unfortunately, due to climate change our winters are becoming less predictable.
With the 2026 Winter Olympics coming in February, and with Ontario’s 2026 55+ Winter Games happening in Huntsville, winter sports are top of mind for many people. Recent data reveals a new statistic: by the 2050s, only half of the 21 previous host cities of the Winter Olympics are expected to have reliably cold and snowy conditions to host the Games because of the impacts of climate change.1
The winter of 2023 was so mild that the famous Rideau Canal in Ottawa, the world's largest outdoor skating rink, never opened for skating, for the first time in history. Mild temperatures, rain and heavy snowfall prevented the ice from forming thick enough to support heavy maintenance equipment.
Many outdoor skating rinks throughout Muskoka are enjoyed by families, residents and tourists. However, fluctuating winter temperatures, including mild spells like we are seeing this month, impact our ability to use outdoor rinks and make skating and snowmobiling on the lakes more dangerous. Frequent freeze and thaw cycles weaken ice, increase maintenance costs, and reduce safe skating days for us to enjoy.
Cold, snowy winters and hockey are traditions that tie us together as Canadians and while winters won’t be going away, they will get milder, making outdoor hockey and skating rinks harder to maintain throughout the winter months. Average winter temperatures will increase in Muskoka from –9.6 to –7.2 by 2050.2
When there are constant freeze and thaw cycles throughout the winter this can cause issues with outdoor rinks, increasing maintenance costs and make lake ice unstable and unsafe for our communities. The Rivermill skating rink in Huntsville needed to bring in additional refrigeration to ensure the rink remains operational all season, due to temperature fluctuations seen in recent winters. Rinks are most skateable when average daily temperatures are colder than -10°C. Skate quality deteriorates rapidly as temperatures approach -5°C.3
If you have an outdoor rink in your community, consider sending data to RinkWatch – a citizen science initiative to record and track the conditions of outdoor and lake ice rinks.
Many Muskoka families grow up skating on local rinks or frozen lakes, and it would be a loss to see these cherished traditions fade. Canadian singer Joni Mitchell captured this longing in her song River with the lyric, “Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on.”
Increasing winter temperatures and unpredictable snowfall will also impact Muskoka’s skiing community. From downhill to Nordic skiing, both sports require enough snow for conditions to be safe and enjoyable. With less reliable snowfall and winter temperature fluctuations, downhill resorts must make more snow, which increases water and energy usage, further negatively impacting the environment. Generations of families ski together, from children to parents and grandparents, but consistently cold and snowy conditions are not reliable anymore.
If you are interested in making an impact and pushing our ski community to be more sustainable reach out to Protect our Winters about starting a Muskoka Chapter.
For all Muskoka residents, there is something you can do to mitigate against these climate change impacts to the traditional Muskoka winter – take action and become a Climate Hero! (with link to engage page). Some actions to get you started are eating vegetarian one day a week, reducing your food waste and replacing your CFL or incandescent lightbulbs with LEDs.
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