Snowmobile Falls Through Ice On Portage Canal

A Wisconsin man is fortunate to be all right but his snowmobile was not so lucky after falling through the ice Friday on the Portage Canal.

Around 10am, emergency crews were dispatched to the site about 50 yards from the Hancock shoreline near the condominiums.

Hancock Police Chief Wayne Butler says the snowmobiler was able to walk away from his sinking machine.

Crews tried unsuccessfully to pull the sled from the ice.

There is only about three inches of ice on the canal and there would need to be about twice that to support the weight of a snowmobile.

But Houghton County Emergency Management Coordinator Jack Dueweke says that still wouldn’t necessarily make it safe.

Dueweke says the health and safety of response team members are put in danger when they try to recover a snowmobile and the person responsible could be subject to fines and recovery costs for the sled.

Instead of crossing the ice, snowmobilers are urged to use the crossway underneath the Portage Lake Lift Bridge.