Just thought I'd respond to a couple of things seeing as I was there
1. Where the truck went in is always a little thinner due to the falls/river from across the street. If the guy is a vendor, he's probably been there before and SHOULD know.
2. When they were setting up to recover the vehicle, I watched an auger go at LEAST 2 feet in before hitting water, and they were no more than 20 feet from the truck itself. Ice thickness varies.
3. Scott Crowder does a great job making sure everything is SAFE for all of the people. This year there were 250 teams, over 1,700 participants on 24 rinks. I emailed him personally to check on ice thickness because I was thinking of putting a trailer out there for my team (didn't do it) and he told me the thickness varied, but was 12+ inches around all of the rinks. Believe me, if it wasn't safe, he wouldn't have it there.
4. When leaving Sunday I noticed stakes and caution tape around the area where the truck went in. A little late, but better than nothing.
5. On Friday when walking out on the ice from the boat ramp at the town docks, I noticed a sign about ice thickness and it never being safe, but I can't remember exactly what it said.
Finally, on a personal note. The tournament was a blast and well run. The ONLY thing I would change is maybe either keep the snowmobiles away from the rinks, or give them a separate lane to travel through. Too many people/kids walking around for them to be cruising through. It's crowded enough without having to dodge the big machines, especially when they leave them in the middle of the trail to go get a coffee or something. While MOST snowmobilers are considerate, there are always a few jerks out there (as with anything). Us skaters are only there for a weekend, you guys have all winter. Just asking for a little space.