NNSL (DEC 18/96) - The North's heavy-duty snow farmers have been at the whim of Mother Nature so far this year. And they're losing.

Warmer than usual temperatures have prevented ice-road builders from going full-steam ahead on their projects.

"We're a little behind," said Al Philpott, transportation manager for Echo Bay Mines. "Right now we're working on the southern end on the portages."

"I don't see a major delay, but that depends on what Mother Nature does."

Each winte the mining company builds a winter ice road to its Lupin gold mine, about 600 road kilometres north of Yellowknife.

Work on the winter road began in early December in preparation for the busiest winter yet.

"If all the resource companies keep to their original plans we'll have the highest amount of tonnage over the road," Philpott said. "It'll be somewhere around 90,000 tons (91,800 tonnes)."

Echo Bay uses the road to haul supplies, fuel and cement for backfill to Lupin.

Also this year, the winter road will be used to haul supplies to BHP Diamond's Koala Camp as the company progresses in the construction phase of its development about 300 kilometres northeast of the city.

Average vehicle traffic on the road over the season will be about two vehicles per hour, Philpott said.

After New Year's, the company will begin to work south to north on the road and meet up with the crew working north to south, he added.

The forecast for this week is good news for the road builders.

With high temperatures near -20 C and lows near -30, typical winter weather has returned to the Yellowknife and North Slave area.

"We can always use cold weather," Philpott said.

The traditional winter road season is from early January to mid-March.