Ice fishing is one of the most dangerous professions in the world.
It takes place in an incredibly unpredictable work environment. With big money at stake, Ice Vikings follows the brave men and women, around 700 in total, who form part of Lake Winnipeg’s commercial ice fishing industry, worth around $25 million a year.
But these fishermen don’t use boats. They drive Cold War-era Bomabadiers Snow Cats, held together with duct tape and hope.
Facing blizzards, cracking ice and danger from every side, men and women use traditional ice fishing methods learned from their ancestors, the Icelandic Vikings, who settled near Lake Winnipeg more than 150 years ago.
For many, it’s a race against time and weather to bring their catch to shore before the ice gives way. It’s also a place where they put their livelihoods and their lives on the line in some of the most treacherous working conditions ever.
