You’ll have a hard time finding a Zamboni anywhere in Canada’s remote Yukon Territory. Not that you need one if you’re skating Windy Arm, the western fork of Tagish Lake.

Here, the wind whips so violently through the Canadian Rockies that snow refuses to settle and the ice melts in translucent sheets, creating some of the most gorgeous natural skating conditions on earth. Of course, there’s always the risk of falling through the ice here, as there is at any natural skating hole. But these guys look like they know what they’re doing. And they’ve got each other if one hits a thin spot and falls through.

In the wild, keeping buddies around isn’t just fun, it can be the safe way to enjoy the outdoors.