Winnipesaukee Ice Report

Massasauga · 01-14-2011, 02:09 PM

I just blasted out to the south side of Rattlesnake (from the Landing) by snowmobile. Although I had no problem I am known to push it a bit... , Bottom line is the ice is still very marginal. Even a small spot of open water just 100 yards out from shore near my camp on Rattlesnake (very unusual...).

For perspective... the ice just locked up from Ames to Diamond to South side of Rattlesnake last Wed (1/5). The Broads locked up on Thu (1/6). Further, there is still a fairly large open spot between Welch and Ellecoya (odd that this has not frozen given how cold it has been the last few nights). While many of the bays are likely safe, I would not yet spend time out on the main body of the lake.

ishoot308 · 01-14-2011, 02:21 PM

Great report!! Thanks!!

Leave tomorrow for a sunny vacation for a week. Good cold weather happening here all next week so it looks like the ice will be perfect when I return!!

Dan

ArborTech · 01-14-2011, 07:39 PM

Talked to a kid who rode from Ellacoya to Glendale yesterday. He said the same thing, kind of sketchy. I also walked out about 400yds from Glendale and had 6-8in of ice the whole way.

texas chopper · 01-17-2011, 10:34 AM

I drilled a few holes this past Saturday and had 5-6" of clear ice 75' from shore. This was inbetween Grouse Point and Weirs Beach on the west shore. There were a few sleds out there but only a few. I think after this weeks cold nights you will see alot of activity on the lake next weekend. Also be careful on trail #15 from Weirs to Ashland as there are alot of exposed RR tracks.

Irrigation Guy · 01-17-2011, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texas chopper

Also be careful on trail #15 from Weirs to Ashland as there are alot of exposed RR tracks.

Corridor 15 and 8 go north on the tracks from the Weirs to Meredith where Corridor 15 goes east toward Center Harbor/Moultonboro at Lake Waukewan and Corridor 8 continues North to Ashland/Lincoln.

I saw a lot of exposed rails along side Waukewan when driving by on Thursday Morning I'm sure it hasn't improved from there.

BoulderBronco · 01-17-2011, 01:19 PM

5-6" of ice out there is pretty good for this time of year. That would make me think there is a solid 10" down in town. Maybe? Hopefully the snow is blowing off and/or compacting a bit so it is not so insluated with these cold temps and the ice can really build. Should make for a great and safe derby this year.
I'm suprised the trails on the tracks are that beat down considering all the snow you guys got the other day. More to come it sounds like. Wish I was there.

hilltopper · 01-17-2011, 01:37 PM

We haven't gotten any snow with that had a decent moisture content. It takes a lot of snow to make railroad tracks rideable. It takes at least a foot of PACKED snow (~2 feet of "real" snow) before the tracks are any good, and we're just not there yet. Trails that use railroad tracks are my least favorite type of snowmobile trail...

If WMUR is correct for tomorrow's storm (5" to 10" of heavy, wet snow) and with the weather getting cold following the storm we should have some pretty good riding in the area.

Irrigation Guy · 01-17-2011, 03:10 PM

The snow was soo light it was blown right off the tracks in the windy areas.

Webbsatwinni · 01-19-2011, 01:31 PM

Its fun this time of year to sit and watch the ice grow on the webcams. But once the lake is all locked in, we wait for people to post 1st hand how the ice is as it all looks the same on the cams.

That said, any news flashes? Thickness reports, Open water sightings, etc?

Lake Fan · 01-19-2011, 03:59 PM

We walked from 19 Mile Bay out to Whortleberry Island on Sunday 1/16. There were cars and trucks all over the bay and several had ventured out past the Graveyard as well. The holes we drillled out at the camp all had about 12" of solid ice in them, but no fish.

SunsetPointWentworth · 01-20-2011, 08:19 PM

I was over at the Groundhog Camp last night and Mrs. Groundhog said that the old mans eyesight was getting pretty bad and to put your $$$ on an early ice out.

hazelnut · 01-20-2011, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SunsetPointWentworth

I was over at the Groundhog Camp last night and Mrs. Groundhog said that the old mans eyesight was getting pretty bad and to put your $$$ on an early ice out.

All other signs point in the exact opposite direction!

I like my winters cold and snowy and my summers hot and dry. If it were up to me we'd have 6 months of 80's and sunshine 6 months of 20's and snow.

robmac · 01-21-2011, 09:30 AM

I'd vote for that forecast Hazelnut.

JB Long Island · 01-24-2011, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hazelnut

All other signs point in the exact opposite direction!

I like my winters cold and snowy and my summers hot and dry. If it were up to me we'd have 6 months of 80's and sunshine 6 months of 20's and snow.

I'm assuming the 12 inches of slushy conditions we had over the weekend are now a thing of the past with the cold blast, but can anyone confirm the surface has now hardended up ? The shack is still on land !

Jonas Pilot · 01-24-2011, 12:13 PM

It all depends on where you're heading as far as the ice thickness. Shallower water like coves will have thicker ice than waters that are deeper and more effected by the wind. I was surprised the other day when someone said they came across slush. It's been below freezing for quite awhile.

Lakegeezer · 01-24-2011, 12:36 PM

In general, the problem is not having a safe thickness of ice. It is a foot or more thick in many areas and mostly safe everywhere. The problem is slush. It was created by the sleet storm we had last week. Think of it as a lasagna with 6-8" or so of snow on top of a thin ice crust, then 3" of water, then a foot of ice. When you snowmobile or walk on it, you frequently break through the thin crust and get wet. Snowmobiles bog down. The snow is insulating the water from freezing. On Sunday, it was really bad - after the -16F temperatures last night (in M'boro bay), and the wind, the crust is thicker, but the water is still there (as of Monday at noon). The snowmobile slush tracks are frozen all the way through the slush layer and have a thin layer of blown snow, so are pretty passable. If the water layer does not freeze before this week's storm, it may never.

JB Long Island · 01-24-2011, 01:12 PM

Thanks for the update LG -
I'm just hoping we get the top surface firmed up hard enough to move the bob houses around- this weekend was a disaster.
JB

cappy56 · 02-11-2011, 06:54 PM

10" between gov s and pendelton nic snow pak for riding good luck at the derby

01-14-2011, 02:21 PM	#2
ishoot308 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Gilford, NH / Welch Island Posts: 5,932 Thanks: 2,290 Thanked 4,941 Times in 1,917 Posts	Nice!! Great report!! Thanks!! Leave tomorrow for a sunny vacation for a week. Good cold weather happening here all next week so it looks like the ice will be perfect when I return!! Dan

01-14-2011, 07:39 PM	#3
ArborTech Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gilmanton, NH Posts: 53 Thanks: 8 Thanked 35 Times in 11 Posts	Ellacoya - Glendale Talked to a kid who rode from Ellacoya to Glendale yesterday. He said the same thing, kind of sketchy. I also walked out about 400yds from Glendale and had 6-8in of ice the whole way.

01-17-2011, 10:34 AM	#4
texas chopper Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 19 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Meredith Bay report I drilled a few holes this past Saturday and had 5-6" of clear ice 75' from shore. This was inbetween Grouse Point and Weirs Beach on the west shore. There were a few sleds out there but only a few. I think after this weeks cold nights you will see alot of activity on the lake next weekend. Also be careful on trail #15 from Weirs to Ashland as there are alot of exposed RR tracks.

01-19-2011, 01:31 PM	#9
Webbsatwinni Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Lebanon Ct and Rattlesnake Island Since 2007 Posts: 610 Thanks: 180 Thanked 137 Times in 72 Posts	Any new update? Its fun this time of year to sit and watch the ice grow on the webcams. But once the lake is all locked in, we wait for people to post 1st hand how the ice is as it all looks the same on the cams. That said, any news flashes? Thickness reports, Open water sightings, etc?

01-20-2011, 08:19 PM	#11
SunsetPointWentworth Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: claremont/wolfeboro Posts: 155 Thanks: 114 Thanked 51 Times in 26 Posts	Inside trading... I was over at the Groundhog Camp last night and Mrs. Groundhog said that the old mans eyesight was getting pretty bad and to put your $$$ on an early ice out.

01-14-2011, 02:09 PM	#1
Massasauga Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Winter=Gilford / Summer=Rattlesnake Posts: 25 Thanks: 0 Thanked 39 Times in 9 Posts	Winnipesaukee Ice Report I just blasted out to the south side of Rattlesnake (from the Landing) by snowmobile. Although I had no problem I am known to push it a bit... , Bottom line is the ice is still very marginal. Even a small spot of open water just 100 yards out from shore near my camp on Rattlesnake (very unusual...). For perspective... the ice just locked up from Ames to Diamond to South side of Rattlesnake last Wed (1/5). The Broads locked up on Thu (1/6). Further, there is still a fairly large open spot between Welch and Ellecoya (odd that this has not frozen given how cold it has been the last few nights). While many of the bays are likely safe, I would not yet spend time out on the main body of the lake.

The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Massasauga For This Useful Post:
cappy56 (02-11-2011), ishoot308 (01-14-2011), JB Long Island (01-14-2011), Jeanzb1 (01-14-2011), Jonas Pilot (01-14-2011), Webbsatwinni (01-14-2011)

01-17-2011, 01:19 PM	#6
BoulderBronco Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 121 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	5-6" of ice out there is pretty good for this time of year. That would make me think there is a solid 10" down in town. Maybe? Hopefully the snow is blowing off and/or compacting a bit so it is not so insluated with these cold temps and the ice can really build. Should make for a great and safe derby this year. I'm suprised the trails on the tracks are that beat down considering all the snow you guys got the other day. More to come it sounds like. Wish I was there.

01-17-2011, 01:37 PM	#7
hilltopper Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Meredith Posts: 716 Thanks: 25 Thanked 105 Times in 66 Posts	We haven't gotten any snow with that had a decent moisture content. It takes a lot of snow to make railroad tracks rideable. It takes at least a foot of PACKED snow (~2 feet of "real" snow) before the tracks are any good, and we're just not there yet. Trails that use railroad tracks are my least favorite type of snowmobile trail... If WMUR is correct for tomorrow's storm (5" to 10" of heavy, wet snow) and with the weather getting cold following the storm we should have some pretty good riding in the area.

01-17-2011, 03:10 PM	#8
Irrigation Guy Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Moultonborough, NH Posts: 484 Thanks: 89 Thanked 138 Times in 72 Posts	The snow was soo light it was blown right off the tracks in the windy areas.

The Following User Says Thank You to Webbsatwinni For This Useful Post:
lakefr (01-19-2011)

01-19-2011, 03:59 PM	#10
Lake Fan Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Whortleberry Island Posts: 107 Thanks: 15 Thanked 37 Times in 24 Posts	We walked from 19 Mile Bay out to Whortleberry Island on Sunday 1/16. There were cars and trucks all over the bay and several had ventured out past the Graveyard as well. The holes we drillled out at the camp all had about 12" of solid ice in them, but no fish.

The Following User Says Thank You to Lake Fan For This Useful Post:
Jonas Pilot (01-20-2011)

The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to hazelnut For This Useful Post:
Ryan (01-24-2011), Shreddy (01-21-2011), SPT13 (01-21-2011), trfour (01-21-2011), Winnisquamguy (01-21-2011), XCR-700 (01-20-2011)

01-21-2011, 09:30 AM	#13
robmac Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Nashua,Meredith Posts: 951 Thanks: 213 Thanked 106 Times in 81 Posts	I'd vote for that forecast Hazelnut.

01-24-2011, 12:13 PM	#15
Jonas Pilot Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Wolfeboro, New Hampshire is my home, 24-7-365 Posts: 1,686 Thanks: 1,047 Thanked 336 Times in 189 Posts	It all depends on where you're heading as far as the ice thickness. Shallower water like coves will have thicker ice than waters that are deeper and more effected by the wind. I was surprised the other day when someone said they came across slush. It's been below freezing for quite awhile.

01-24-2011, 12:36 PM	#16
Lakegeezer Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Moultonboro, NH Posts: 1,657 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 342 Thanked 618 Times in 278 Posts	Slush layer is on top of much ice In general, the problem is not having a safe thickness of ice. It is a foot or more thick in many areas and mostly safe everywhere. The problem is slush. It was created by the sleet storm we had last week. Think of it as a lasagna with 6-8" or so of snow on top of a thin ice crust, then 3" of water, then a foot of ice. When you snowmobile or walk on it, you frequently break through the thin crust and get wet. Snowmobiles bog down. The snow is insulating the water from freezing. On Sunday, it was really bad - after the -16F temperatures last night (in M'boro bay), and the wind, the crust is thicker, but the water is still there (as of Monday at noon). The snowmobile slush tracks are frozen all the way through the slush layer and have a thin layer of blown snow, so are pretty passable. If the water layer does not freeze before this week's storm, it may never. __________________ -lg

The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Lakegeezer For This Useful Post:
cappy56 (01-24-2011), JB Long Island (01-24-2011), Jonas Pilot (01-24-2011)

01-24-2011, 01:12 PM	#17
JB Long Island Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 29 Thanks: 8 Thanked 8 Times in 3 Posts	RE: Slush layer is on top of much ice Thanks for the update LG - I'm just hoping we get the top surface firmed up hard enough to move the bob houses around- this weekend was a disaster. JB

02-11-2011, 06:54 PM	#18
cappy56 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: weirs beach Posts: 3 Thanks: 4 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	ice 10" between gov s and pendelton nic snow pak for riding good luck at the derby