Icy conditions force Calgarian into creative mode of transportation

The roadswere just a littleicy in Fernie, B.C., on Thursday night.

Freezing rain made travel in the area extremelydangerous. It was the same weather system that forced the temporary closure of Highway 3 fromColeman in the Crowsnest Pass, Alta., to the British Columbia border.

• Avalanche risk shuts part of Icefields Parkway as icy roads persist further south

Firefighter BrendanMorgan was attending a scene after dozens of vehicles slidoff the road around 9:30 p.m.when he noticed something coming his way.

He said someone remarked: "I think that's a guy skating on the highway." So he pulled out his phone to take a video.

That guy was Reid Tannahill. He was travelling to Ferniefrom Calgary with a group of friends to go skiing. They had pulled over in a Dairy Queen parking lot just as the mayhem started.

Since road travel was turning out to be impossible, the friends were forced to walk the rest of the way to their buddy's condo at the ski hill.

Tannahill, who plays in an outdoorhockey league, happened to have his skates in the trunk. So he strapped them on and headed off on his 4.5-kilometre skate to his destination.

"Nobody could walk, and I was carrying my skis and everything it was just really awkward," he said.

'Easier than walking'

"So it was actually a lot easier than walking,"Tannahill added, saying it was also safer.

Tannahill said vehicles that were just trying to cross the road to a gas station ended up in the ditch.

But not all of his friends were as prepared.

"I didn't have skates, so I walked took forever," said Craig Fulowski in a Facebook message.

The freezing rain also put a damper on amazing skiing conditions at the hill.

"It's pretty upsetting because they had some of the best snow everthis week, and the rain pretty much made its way up the mountain," saidTannahill.

But he was impressed with the kindnessof Fernie residents, who opened their homes to strangers who needed a place to stay.

"Fernie always blows me away with their hospitality," he said.

• Real Ski Report: Great conditions, but beware of the backcountry
• Avalanche Canada issues special warning for K-Country, Waterton, southeastern B.C.