Ice Skating

[Dad207]

So, last year after a hard freeze and a melt, I was able to go ice skating outside of Minge Cove for a couple of days.Out of the ordinary I know, but is there any regular (non-hockey)skating group on the lake ?

[fatlazyless]

To see someone ice skating the big open spaces of Lake Winnipesaukee on ice skates is very rare, and except for the February organized hockey event in Meredith Bay, ice skating on the lake is just not done very much? Why is that ...... I don't know?

You see a whole lot more ice skaters at the ten dollar-skate rental included, 8-10pm Friday Night House Party at the https://campus.plymouth.edu/arena public ice skating Friday happening than you see all winter out on the natural Winnipesaukee ice. Lake ice can be rough, tough, and very solitary for skating while arena ice is peopled, super smooth, sound system propelled, choice of hot chocolate, coffee or tea ...... hot pizza ..... somewhat difference ..... what's happening?

Sunday, December 2, 1-3pm, skating with Santa ..... the real original Santa Claus will be there! ....... public skate; six dollars, skate rentals-four dollars, located 60-seconds off Route 93, Exit 25, just beyond the Citgo gas station on the left ...... free parking in the back of the big ice arena building.

[wolfegirl]

Often the surface on the lakes is less than ideal for skating; besides the texture being affected by snow and thawing and re-freezing, there are often cracks, etc. Best skating is usually in more confined areas that have set up nicely and where snow hasn't messed up the surface. Also, snow mobiles often traverse skating areas. Coves, smaller lakes, ponds, have best opportunities for those (rare) years when you can just go and go without too much worry.

I'm familiar with Lake Wentworth and the Wolfeboro area in general; Winnipesaukee different ballgame entirely...maybe Winter Harbor could be good. haven't tried there. There is a rink in Wolfeboro too, with open skating hours and rentals.

This year looks promising as its getting cold this week.... maybe some ice skating during Christmas week?

[garysanfran]

Skating slow rivers and streams through Audubon Sanctuaries was always a favorite of mine.

In a rink I feel a need to skate counter-clockwise. Not a good idea!

[GTO]

So, last year after a hard freeze and a melt, I was able to go ice skating outside of Minge Cove for a couple of days.Out of the ordinary I know, but is there any regular (non-hockey)skating group on the lake ?

There is a nice rink in Moultonboro I think run by park and rec. it is actually an out door hockey rink with boards but they have times set up for hockey and non hockey skating. They also have lights for night skating. For schedules just look up ice skating, Moultonboro. They keep the ice nice with their own zamboni

[magicrobotmonkey]

Every few years conditions work out just right and we get beautiful ice like this on winnisquam:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAYXhhFidbA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zw6yr4vtfo

[Dad207]

Thanks! I had two days on Winni last year that were pretty much like that; lucky, hope to get one or two in this year as well. We'll see.

[VitaBene]

You could skate on Kanasatka right now!

[Beauport]

Had a great time skating on Hanson Cove today. Meredith bay is still open, but I found 5.5 - 6.5 inches of ice when I drilled. Amazing to enjoy the open cove with flat ice...it does not happen often.

[thinkxingu]

Had a great time skating on Hanson Cove today. Meredith bay is still open, but I found 5.5 - 6.5 inches of ice when I drilled. Amazing to enjoy the open cove with flat ice...it does not happen often.I'm surprised it's frozen--there are quite a few bubblers in there, right?

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[fatlazyless]

Tried to go ice skating, yesterday afternoon, in my 16' Alumacraft, on the 200-yards of solid ice blocking the path out, out around Rock Island, Bear Island, and Lovejoy Sands-Shep Brown public boat launch. I must be losing my grip because I just could not bring myself to cruise fast down at the ice like an ice-breaker ..... picking at it with a heavy ice chopper told me it was just too thick.

What the Marine Patrol needs is a heavy, powerful ice-breaker to keep the transportation lanes open! It seems that all the construction barges have done their thing, and are wintering at the Lovejoy Sands town docks for the duration.

Holy smokes ...... can probably, hopefully, still go boat in the other direction over to Meredith Marina, or Thurston's, or Aqua Marina, or Flightcraft or somewhere today ......and hopefully not be doing any ice skating ..... to get my boat out of this lake. The Meredith town ramp at the big intersection is probably not doable due to too much ice, down in close there.

You know this here lake wasn't scheduled to freeze till January 5 - 10 ..... so what's up with the global warming? Should have done this, last Tuesday, when I was thinking about it .... it was a nice day.

[Beauport]

I'm surprised it's frozen--there are quite a few bubblers in there, right?


There are, including mine :laugh: but staying out where the ice is unaffected is not tough (or was not tough...the dusting of snow last night is probably a deal killer). My experience with the ice eaters is that the effect is only several yards beyond the open water area and the clear ice made it pretty easy to see where things got sketchy. I'm not encouraging anyone to test this, use your own judgement. But we got a great couple of skating sessions in.

[fatlazyless]

Lucky, lucky, lucky: I am so lucky I was able to ice skate my 16' v-hull aluminum boat out through the 200-yards of smashed ice trail left after a big construction barge barged through. To my big surprise there was a barge working at the Dolly Island house today which meant it probably come over from Shep Brown's so what was solid ice for 200-yards yesterday was today a doable way to ice skate it out ...... lucky, lucky, lucky!

Going about 5-mph the boat was able to move through a long meandering crush of both small ice and big 5-10' ice plates, make it through, which seemed uncertain at the time, but I just went for it, and it kept on going ... a yikes type of a move!

[Biggd]

You're posting at 3:30 in the morning? :rolleye1:

[Janet]

You're posting at 3:30 in the morning? :rolleye1:

I wondered the same thing. 2:37 am?!

[Biggd]

I wondered the same thing. 2:37 am?!My computer says 3:37am.:confused:

[fatlazyless]

Is pretty interesting that all the big mass of ice that was present yesterday between Bear Island and Rock Island and the main land has disappeared and apparently melted into water as of today. What ice that was blocking the through way water passage yesterday is now all open water.

So apparently, the warmer temperatures on Friday-Sat-Sun-Mon were enough to do this, and today the cold is here again.

I was really surprised to see the ice disappear like this.

I could have waited one day to avoid the risk of boating through the clogged broken up ice ...... who knew .....I was thinking that yesterday was like the last day before more ice is made what with today's predicted cold temps? Good grief?

[Biggd]

Good grief? I haven't heard that phase since my grandmother died 40 years ago.🤣🤣🤣

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[Slickcraft]

Good grief? I haven't heard that phase since my grandmother died 40 years ago.🤣🤣🤣

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https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/good-grief-charlie-brown

[fatlazyless]

Driving down Route 25 past Squam Lake in Holderness today, I noticed about 13 vehicles all parked along the old wood highway fence there, about 1/4-mile north of the Squam Lakes Assoc, where there's easy access to the Big Squam ice.

13-vehicles is like a big group around here, so's I made a U-turn and went back to see what's happening.

Squam ice skate sailing & kiting: Way out on the ice there's ice skaters with personal, hand held sail rigs and sail kites that are moving along with the wind, out there.Today seems like a perfect day with sunshine, clear skies, temp-25, and winds 10-20, and clean smooth ice with a small dusting of left over snow blowing about the ice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PQfSPDXYR0 is a 2010 film shot on Lake Winnipesaukee.

The ice sailors/kiters at Squam today were equipped with pfd's, helmets, elbow and knee pads, and one had on hockey shoulder pads.


13-cars all involved with this seems like a big number. Usually, there's like maybe two or three vehicles at that spot, doing the ice sailing from there.