The lower Manorburn Dam has frozen over for the second time in two years, but warmer weather on the way is threatening the surface.

Ice masters Earnscy Weaver and John Campbell drilled the ice on Tuesday (July 22) and Wednesday in preparation for the Matagouri Trophy traditional curling tournament - and it was the required 75mm thick.

The trophy was played between the Alexandra and Manorburn clubs on the natural ice for the first time last season since 2015, but this year participants were struggling to get their teams together at short notice, and may now have missed the window.

Manorburn club member Bruce Kissel said Wednesday and Thursday were really the only two opportunities they had, and the tournament was now unlikely to go ahead.

“Unless we get some more heavy frosts… but the sun is going to wipe it out I think,” he said.

Ice skaters and hockey players have been spotted on the dam over the past week, but people needed to look out for markers indicating the safest areas where the ice was thick enough.

Ice hockey players try out the natural ice surface at the Manorburn Dam near Alexandra last week. Photo: Pete Lusk

Last season, Olympic speed skater Andrew Nicholson shared his story of falling through the ice at the lower Manorburn on July 14, without his usual safety equipment.

He said normally he would take a surfboard, buoyancy aid, ice picks and tools needed to safely self-rescue.

After plunging through the thin ice into cold water, following a wide turn at one end of the dam, he still knew what to do - starting with keeping calm.

Quietly lying on his back to allow his body to float, he spread his arms and took big breaths to float his torso. Then he slowly hooked a foot onto a corner of the ice and managed to slide onto his belly to safety.

Bruce said there was still a possibility the ice may recover in August with some more heavy frosts, but usually the warmer days kicked in.

“August can bring nasty weather but you just don’t know.”

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