Hike Ontario does not approve of hiking on frozen lakes. We just had an enquiry from a x country ski club that wanted to join Hike Ontario and get our insurance, and their request was declined because we knew they ski or snowshoe on frozen lakes.
As to your rope question, my response would be that your organization may be held responsible if you knew that the ropes were unsafe and did not do anything about it, and someone then filed a claim if they suffered an injury.
My suggestion would be to either
1. re-route, if the ascents/descends are not safe without ropes
2. replace the ropes and devices with proper equipment and inspect them regularly
(but I would have to check with the broker on whether they would cover that)
3. remove the ropes if deemed unsafe
Heber
