Winnipesaukee Forum - Ice-in Watch 2007-2008

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Pretty good article w/ photos in today's www.citizen.com about someone breaking a suv (a Ford?) thru the Gilford-Winnipesaukee ice, and getting out alive. See, if it had been a Mercedes suv, this would not have been a problem....those Mercedes can just walk on water...:D
..............

Supposedly, automobile insurance on a suv will pay on this 'accident', while automobile insurance on a non-suv will not pay, based on the reason that suv's are designed to go off-road, and regular cars are not.

"Hello Progressive Insurance, yes, that's correct, it fell through the cracked ice about 400' from shore. Gosh, was I ever surprised! So's what you say Progressive, am I covered or whatever? Hey, they sure don't make ice like they used to make ice!"

Looks like we have an early candidate for 2008's Darwin Awards...:rolleye1:

Wow, he used a new SUV to check the ice. Hope his insurance company has a sense of humor.

FLL, the guy in Stratham was 25 years old and lives in Hampton, the guy in the SUV is from Andover and judging by his picture, he is well older than 25.

They could be related, who knows. But it's unfair to tar this guy with unsubstaniated wrongdoings.

Hey, the guy isn't fat, he must be a Democrat.:laugh:

What was this guy thinking, drive onto the lake to check the ice thickness, oh the shame.......

As I posted on another thread, "It's like using a match to test for a gas leak."

Between Black Cat and Three-Mile yesterday I measured about 4 inches of "snow ice." Very low quality ice. Very fluffy composition. Took only 10 or 12 chops from the mountaineering ax to get through it.

The zero-degree nights have brought a lot less cracking and booming than there would usually be on zero-degree nights, which I presume is a result of the ice composition not being as solid as it could be (i.e. "black ice".) It's all white ice formed from December's 42 inches of snow, melted and re-frozen during that warm spell we had earlier this month.

This white translucent ice holds lake heat much better than clear ice and therefore doesn't thicken as readily. We need an extended period of extremely cold weather - longer than just a few days. Until we get it, continue to distrust this year's ice.

Perhaps he saw Just Sold's pic of Saturday (1-19-2008) at Alton Bay? :eek:

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopo..._is_Open_C.jpg

Anyone have an idea how the ice on the broads is coming along, mainly around rattlesnake??

Weather seems to have been OK for "growing" ice over the past week

Thanks

I drove from Alton to Gilford yesterday afternoon. I looks like the entire Broads has iced over.
I don't know anything about the ice thickness.. but didn't see any open water.

Today's www.citizen.com has an article, 'Ice-in Declared', that quotes Island Girl and has links to this website and to the Rattlesnake Island Cam, and airplane aerial views and, interviews, and all sorts of good stuff.

At least one Inquiring mind wants to know; How thick was the ice where the Ford Explorer broke through?:coolsm:

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveA (Post 61878)

I drove from Alton to Gilford yesterday afternoon. I looks like the entire Broads has iced over.
I don't know anything about the ice thickness.. but didn't see any open water.

I got a report from an airboat owner who went out to Rattlesnake from Minge Cove yesterday. The ice around Rattlesnake is only 2" - 3" thick and although the air boat didn't break through the ice, the ice sheets were cracking and shifting under the weight of the boat. In his opinion, the ice out there is not yet safe for snowmobile travel.

The cold weather we're having here now (it's 14 degs as I am writing this) will hopefully let the ice grow so it will be safe for travel soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatlazyless (Post 61879)

The print edition of that same article in today's Citizen omits the entire section about winnipesaukee.com and Island Girl that appears in the online edition. :confused:

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatlazyless (Post 61879)

Where are the aerial views? I assume in the print edition. Bummer.

For those who care. My brother is currently out on Meredith bay halfway down on the North side checking the ice to put our house out. He said his first hole was about 8" of ice. He was going to drill some more to be safe before heading out with the sleds and house. Decent amount of activity out there too.

Thanks Bronco, anyone else with Ice updates ??

looks like were getting close !!

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRH (Post 61717)

Yep, looks like he was sneaking around in our yard, got stuck, and his belly froze to the end of our deck! :laugh:

Seem to be a lot of red and plaid there. Are you sure it's isn't Al from "Tool Time" ? :D

Lot's of Lake activity

Looks like the lake is frozen solid. Lots of lake activity now!!

I want to drive on for the Rotary Derby !!

Finally, a winter like we used to have! Years ago I had to buy a 1 foot extension for my Jiffy ice auger, there was so much ice on Winni. I wonder if we'll ever see that again? Or did Al Gore really give us Global Warming, just like he invented the internet :D :)

Plenty of Ice and gas price is down to $2.87 in Meredith!! Get out and play!!

Ah, you lucky people!

I am terribly jealous. Down here in Jersey everything is brown. Brown, brown, brown and boring! I put away all my snow and snowman decorations in the hope that this will break the jinx!

We need a little snow, right this very minute!

nj2nh

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRH (Post 61880)

I got a report from an airboat owner who went out to Rattlesnake from Minge Cove yesterday. The ice around Rattlesnake is only 2" - 3" thick

DRH

Any further updates from the lucky airboat owner?

Thanks

More Ice Updates

I took my first hike out to Mink Island on Saturday morning bright and early. I cut holes every couple hundred yards until I was well over towards Mark Island and then tested again about half way between Mark and Mink Islands (when I encountered some slush and wanted to be sure what was under me) Very consistent ice thickness of 8-9" including 2-3 inches of weaker "snow ice" between Cattle Landing and through and around the channel between Mark and Bear Islands and then across to Mink. Overnight, an additional 1-2" formed in front of my place, so conditions are improving quickly. Saw several groups of sleds on Saturday including at least one coming through from the Broads side of Jolly Island from the north -- a bit aggressive given that general area only locked in during the past week. Saw almost zero sled activity today. With the couple of inches of fluff that fell this morning and the additional ice thickness, lake conditions are now quite good in the area I travelled.

Highlight of the morning was a coyote that came bounding over from Bear Island and passed about 50 yards away from me at a full run heading south. Saw him later way off by Mark Island.

On my hike out, I encountered a much expanded ice rift running a bit East of Dolly Island across to the mainland. Pretty consistent 12-18 inch ridge running the whole way across today. Much more pronounced than the day before. Easy enough to cross, but I wouldn't want to hit it at night going fast on a sled....

Notice that the Channel Cam stil does not show ice. Does that area usually freeze up?

The Channel never freezes

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mee-n-Mac (Post 62071)

Seem to be a lot of red and plaid there. Are you sure it's isn't Al from "Tool Time" ? :D

It may be Norm from the Yankee Work Shop or perhaps it is a LUMBER JACK! Can you hear "I'm a lumber jack and I'm OK"?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Hubbard Rd (Post 62145)

The Channel never freezes

The original Mount used to be docked in the channel during the winter as it never freezes. And if it did the I'd have no place to watch people skimming. :D

I am please to announce that I did manage to get out onto Weirs Bay on Saturday, and didn't manage to drown myself. I neglected to tag along the auger, but there is at least 6" of snow ice on what sounds to be several inches of black ice underneath. I will drill some holes this week/weekend and give a better ice depth. Lots of sled activity and at least one bob house.

FISHING DERBY TIME!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weirs guy (Post 62172)

The original Mount used to be docked in the channel during the winter as it never freezes. And if it did the I'd have no place to watch people skimming. :D
FISHING DERBY TIME!

It's illegal now right? My father, brother and I watched a guy drown there probably about ten years ago. Not good. I forget what happened but he was running from Paugus to Meredith bay side. There were a bunch of people just watching from Weirs beach. All of a sudden he fell off out by the last pilons. It was funny for the first five seconds until we realized he was really screwed. Obviously his clothes being soaked and the feezing water got to him. Took about 10-15 minutes for a rescue boat to show up. I think they revived him in the ambulance but I heard later that he died at the hospital. Not to put a damper on things I just thought I would share a story of skimming.
I'll be there for the Derby. Bring on the cold and then snow just before derby weekend.

Heck, all you have to do is watch the WCYC cam on any given winter day, and you'll see guys skimming across the open water in front of the dock.

BoulderBronco, your right it, skimming was outlawed several years ago I believe in part due to the incident you remember and a few others.

From the Baysider

Quote:

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=bottom><TD colSpan=2>Come and fly your friendly neighborhood Alton ice
Alton Bay ice runway is now open with safety improvements; plenty of activities in store</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD></TD><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>http://www.thebaysider.com/images/z.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>
<TABLE height=5 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=196 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=4>http://www.thebaysider.com/images/z.gif</TD></TR><TR height=5><TD rowSpan=2>http://www.thebaysider.com/images/z.gif</TD><TD align=right colSpan=2 rowSpan=2>http://www.thebaysider.com/placedima...319687.med.jpg
</TD><TD vAlign=top width=10 background=/shadow%20pieces/Whiterb.gif height=10>http://www.thebaysider.com/shadow%20pieces/Whitetrc.gif</TD></TR><TR height=5><TD width=10 background=/shadow%20pieces/Whiterb.gif></TD></TR><TR vAlign=top height=10><TD></TD><TD width=5 background=/shadow%20pieces/Whitebb.gif height=10>http://www.thebaysider.com/shadow%20pieces/Whitellc.gif</TD><TD background=/shadow%20pieces/Whitebb.gif height=10>http://www.thebaysider.com/images/z.gif</TD><TD height=1>http://www.thebaysider.com/shadow%20pieces/Whitelrc.gif
</TD><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD colSpan=2>YELLOW CONES like this one were recently anchored to the ice around the perimeter of the Alton Bay runway in order to prevent unintentional encounters between pilots and bob houses. Mike Pouliot–Courtesy Photo (click for larger version)</TD><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>January 31, 2008
ALTON — The ice may still be too thin for anything more than bob houses, but if frigid temperatures continue to hold sway over the Lakes Region, the sight of planes coming in for a landing may soon become a familiar one to the homeowners around Alton Bay.

According to Mike Pouliot, an Aviation Planner for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation's Bureau of Aeronautics, pilots and plane enthusiasts are in for a fantastic season once the ice thickens up enough to open the Alton Bay ice airport.

While the opening date depends on Old Man Winter's willingness to cooperate, Pouliot said, the chilling temperatures of the past few weeks are a good indication that local pilots won't have to wait much longer to take advantage of the only FAA-registered ice runway on the east coast.

In honor of this season's runway opening, he said, the New Hampshire Aviation Association (NHAA) is planning a special "Fire and Ice" fly-in event for some time in mid-February.

The fire, Pouliot explained, will come from a barbecue, warm beverages and fellowship among the pilots.

"And I'm sure you know what the ice part is," he said.

The NHAA will also be on hand, he added, for this year's Winter Carnival at Alton Bay (scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 17), which has traditionally attracted pilots from all over New England to stop at the bay and observe the festivities, which are slated to include an ice-fishing derby this year.

In the hope of avoiding the unfortunate encounters between planes and bob houses that marred last year's operating season, Pouliot explained, a series of bright yellow cones have been anchored to the ice with cables around the perimeter of the runway in order to give pilots a better indication of where they can safely land, and fishermen a better indication of where they can safely bait their hooks.

The cones, he said, are the same type commonly used to delineate turf runways, and have been arranged according to the minimum landing area required under FAA regulations.

With the new safety measures in place, Pouliot said, "hopefully, everybody can enjoy the recreational activities" that Alton Bay offers in the wintertime.

For more information about the Alton Bay ice airport, and for updates on the status of the runway, visit www.flyaltonbay.com.

Editor's note: Shortly before deadline on Tuesday, Jan. 29, The Baysider received word that the ice runway is now open.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

I have been looking at a few of the area webcams, but haven't seen a single snowmobile. Has anyone been out and about.

I remember that my mom told me that the children of one of our neighbors on Echo Point used to ride the snowmobile to school in Wolfeboro. I bet that took less time than driving all the way around, huh?

nj2nh

I saw one parked in front of the Pine Island cam one day last weekend or week.

There's been many snowmobiles, maybe 5-20 everyday, going past buoy 3. The ice looks hard and white with lots of traction.

A neighbor has an ice eater that runs probably way too much, and keeps a lot of water ice-free, like maybe 100' extending out, at a point on Meredith Neck, and it attracts skimmers. Sledders see it, or know about it, and speed up in advance and skim the 50' or so of water. Most avoid it, but a few are attracted to skim it.

It also attracts merganser duckies for a flying drop-in, and they do a terrific tail skimming performance.....natural skimmers..

Seems like a good spot for practicing eskimo rolls, Any eskimo ladies looking for a terrific winter practice spot? Send me a pm. I have an old 16' Aquaterra Chinook w/ a spray skirt and skinny bladed paddle that I stumbled across in October for $250. and I'm look'n to learn eskimo rolls, plus a hot, outdoor, 104 degree hot tub is a big plus! How difficult to do eskimo rolls?:banana:

Anyone with ice reports from the Broads, weather permitting I was thinking of making my way out to Rattlesnake on Satuarday if today and tonight don't make it unreasonable.

Any input is appriciated !!

Formula,

I have a few contacts that say the ice is solid in most parts, we are going to try and get out to Rattlesnake tomorrow as well. They said the ice ridges are not completely solid and that the access road is open to snowmobiles. If you want, send me an email and I can send you the entire update, we can also exchange cell numbers and who ever gets there 1st can give the other a live update.

I have my ice safety picks ready! Good luck.

If you are not experienced I would make sure others have gone before you after all this nasty weather..

My sources say that there is water on top of one side of some of the ridges, and some of the shoreline is not thick.

The construction road has been used this week when the snow was good...

I am not going out to Rattlesnake this weekend as planned because I anticipate slush... and that will bog down a snowmobile. Getting stuck is not fun.

If you just can't help yourself and venture out.. wear ice picks, take a cell phone and make sure someone knows your whereabouts.

Island Girl

Great advice, we are going to be real cautious and if we are even a slight bit uncomfortable, turn back.

And yes, the ice picks will be on at all times.

Webbsatwinni:

Please post about your trip when you return. Thanks.

Secondcurve,

I will update this thread when we get back, I take a few pictures. Right now we are not looking to take the sleds over, we plan on walking, but who knows.