Ice thickness

[Webbsatwinni]

We came up Sunday to do some snowmobiling and made our way to silver sands in Gilford. There were ice houses out on the lake so we went on the ice just to say we did. We stayed in that cove and spoke to some people ice fishing and they said that most of the ice they saw was 4 - 5 inches but a lot of areas still only had 1 inch or less.

On the thin parts there were snowmobile tracks which we thought was just nuts. There also was a track under the Gov Island Bridge through open water.

Did anyone else get an ice thickness update over the weekend?

[XCR-700]

I havent been out yet this season, but hope to soon.

Where were you riding around the lake?

I to am interested to hear what thickness people are seeing.

Thanks

GH

[Webbsatwinni]

We stayed in the cove around silver sands in Gilford, there weren't any snowmobile tracks past that and we were not going to be the first.

[XCR-700]

Did you ride anywhere else?

I have never ridden on the trails around the lake.

I tend to ride in the Andover and Plymouth/Rumney areas, but have heard there are some good trails around the lake.

Any recommendations?

Thanks - George

[Webbsatwinni]

We were just up for the day dropping off our sleds for the season, so we did not get much riding time in.

We went from the airport in Gilford, past Patrick's to the lake. Then we went back up past the airport and crossed over into the airport near the movie theater and took the power line trail for quite a while and back. My 9 year old daughter was bugging me to go snowmobiling, so that is why we did the day trip. She wanted to see the lake and be the first in the family to have her picture taken at the lake, so here it is.........

[XCR-700]

OUTSTANDING picture!

I boat there all summer (most of my life) but have never snowmobiled near or on the lake.

So I'm trying to figure out where the better trails are and what parts of the lake are safe to ride on.

Its still early in the season for me, but I would like to get some miles in around the Winnipesaukee area this season.

I'm pretty cautious about riding on lakes and one as big and as far south as Winnipesaukee is not something I want to break trail on. Are there marked trails across Winnipesaukee?

Thanks for the photo, looks like she had a good time.

George

[Cobalt]

I went out yesterday with a friend for the first time this season on the Moultonboro Bay side of the lake. This area usually freezes first since it is not pounded by the high winds found out on the broads. I live in an area facing the broads that were wide open less than 2 weeks ago. I would not ride across the broads at this time.

We hit the lake at Camp Tecumseh and it was fast and smooth with about 6 inches of powder which was packed down by other machines. You can access 15 N & S from the lake. We took 15N up to the Castle trails and rode half way over the mountain which would take you to Ossipee. The trails on the Moultonboro side were very smooth with a hard base, but there is not much snow with some icy corners particularly on the mountain which under heavy traffic will wear quickly.

I rode the Andover/Rumney area last year for the first time and feel you will find very different riding conditions around the lake. I am sure some will disagree, but the trails are not as wide or fast with heavy traffic taking its toll on the conditions on the weekends. If you go down to Ossipee, you can take the railroad tracks north or south, but again this is a main corridor with exposed rails at times unless there is plenty of snow.

I would pick up a trail map for the area, and park at the Castle lot unless you plan on riding over from Plymouth along the tracks which will take you to Meredith.


Good luck.

[ishoot308]

Can someone tell me the ice conditions between Glendale Town Docks and Welch Island??

Thanks!!

Dan

[Webbsatwinni]

Last year was our first at the lake for snowmobiling and it was great. We went all around the local trails and plan to go farther this year. One trip we did make was to the top of Mt Shaw, everyone that rode with us that day is still talking about the view. This is one of the pictures I took that day, all I can say is wow.

[BoulderBronco]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

Can someone tell the ice conditions between Glendale Town Docks and Welch Island??

Thanks!!

Dan

Yeah. Lets hear some ice reports.

[Webbsatwinni]

And while someone is kindly testing the ice between Glendale Town Docks and Welch Island, can they take a drive over to the north broads side of Rattlesnake and report back? My kids are jonesin' to go for the weekend and even with the low temps, it seems to early.

Has anyone been on the Rattlesnake access road yet?

[DRH]

Originally Posted by XCR-700

OUTSTANDING picture!

I boat there all summer (most of my life) but have never snowmobiled near or on the lake.

So I'm trying to figure out where the better trails are and what parts of the lake are safe to ride on.

Its still early in the season for me, but I would like to get some miles in around the Winnipesaukee area this season.

I'm pretty cautious about riding on lakes and one as big and as far south as Winnipesaukee is not something I want to break trail on. Are there marked trails across Winnipesaukee?

Thanks for the photo, looks like she had a good time.

George

XCR-700 - The lake should soon be safe to ride on in most areas, and when it is do yourself a favor and take a tour around the different sections of the lake and view the incredible scenery. Most of the typical summer atmospheric haze disappears during the winter because the air is very dry, so the views of the mountains are spectacular.

There are no marked trails on the frozen lake, but you'll see commonly-traveled routes that other snowmobilers have used to get from one area to another. You should stay safe sticking close to the tracks of others who have traveled those areas before you.

I took this photo of Quilt Lady (another Forum regular) several years ago from the ice on the northern side of Rattlesnake, not far from Webbsatwinni's place. The view of the mountains from the ice on a clear, sunny day is hard to beat.




Here's another photo, taken last February somewhere in the Tuftonboro or Moultonboro area. The views that day were outstanding.

[Webbsatwinni]

DRH,

Thanks for sharing the great photos, I was amazed last winter that the view in the summer could get any better, and they did. Can you give an ice update later in the week (given it's not too cold to go outside), we are thinking that if the reports are good, we would come up Sunday and stay the night.

We just know the broads are different and we want to be really careful.

[XCR-700]

Many Thanks to you all, I'm sold!!!

Again, I'm very cautious about riding on southern lakes, but the views can't be beat and so I'm hoping to give it a try this season.

I think for my first couple of trips out I might hit the Bear Brook and Patuckaway, then a trip to Winnipesaukee looks like a must do.

I'd be trailering up from MA, so can anyone recommend a place to park truck and trailer with reasonable access to the lake?

I'll make sure we post before coming up, with any luck we could hook up with some of you folks and maybe enjoy the sights together.

Thanks Again

George

[jeffk]

After this cold snap the ice on the lake should be in very good shape unless we get a strong thaw. It's always good to be cautious and there are some spots on the lake that never freeze because of currents.

One thing to be aware of is the ice heaves that can occur. Some of them can be quite large and dangerous to hit at high speed.

I would suggest the parking lot by Castle in the Clouds. You can get to the Mountain scenery (Mt Shaw) by going up the Castle trail or head to the lake, about a 20 minute ride. Once on the lake at Ambrose Cove in Moultonboro you can head in several different directions. If you go over Moultonboro Bay down to Melvin Village you can pick up trails that will loop you over land back to the Castle parking area. Its a nice loop with lots of opportunities to explore other trails if you want to.

If you are OK with a long day you can probably get mountain and lake riding done in the same day. It's kind of cool to be up in the mountains looking down at the lake and a few hours later riding where you were looking at.

From the lake you can get to the Kona trails which weave through Moultonboro neck wooded areas and is a popular trail.

The snow cover may still be a little light at this point. From what it sounds like we could use another good 8+ inch storm to really get things going.

[Formula260SS]

The lake must have been "cracking" last night, I would expect tonight to be active. 5 Degrees in Southern NH this morning

She's gonna get tight fast this week

[Merrymeeting]

No temps above freezing in 10-day forecast so I expect the ice will be fine from this point on...

[XCR-700]

Anyone have any recommendations for getting to the lake from the south side?

If possible I would prefer to find a place to park the truck/trailer around Weirs/Gilford or possibly Alton/West Alton or even Meredith.

I know the south side of the lake much better than the north side, so if possible I would rather start out on that side.

Thanks to all for you comments.

George

[Ryan]

I believe you can park in the movie theater parking lot in Gilford across from the airport.
From there you can go multiple directions on the trails, or out to Winni.
You are across the street from the gas station, which has maps.

I also believe parking is available at Weirs beach. Not sure about the conditions of the rail.

[DRH]

Originally Posted by XCR-700

Anyone have any recommendations for getting to the lake from the south side?

If possible I would prefer to find a place to park the truck/trailer around Weirs/Gilford or possibly Alton/West Alton or even Meredith.

I know the south side of the lake much better than the north side, so if possible I would rather start out on that side.

Thanks to all for you comments.

George

George - You can access the lake at Alton Bay using the public boat ramp next to Shibley's restaurant. There's limited parking for your truck & trailer across the road next to Pop's Clamshell.

[NHDOLFAN]

I would check Ellacoya State Park. There is more parking and easy access to the lake.

[Mink Islander]

Got on at the Cattle Landing docks this AM around 8:00 -- (a little more than a mile beyond the turn for Shep Brown's Boat basin) on Meredith Neck Road. Ample parking there and easy safe access to the lake on the south side of Bear Island. You can probably get on at Sheps too -- from the water, follow the road past the showroom to where the barges are. Usually can drive right on there. I didn't go by there today, however, since I'm on foot, so don't know the conditions.

The hill at Cattle Landing is a bit steep down to the lake but it has plenty of snow cover right now. 7+ inches of mostly black ice through the narrows. Stay to the North (Bear Island) side to avoid the thin spots near shore due to ice eaters around mainland docks in that area. In front of Mink we have 8+ inches. Ample snow cover.

A few sled tracks between Mark and Bear. Saw a sled over by Mark Island around 11:30.

I think the winter season is officially underway!

Beautiful quiet (but chilly) day.

[NHDOLFAN]

I would like to venture out to rattlesnake from Wolfeboro Bay. If anyone has updates as to theice thickness I would appreciate it. I know the Bay is solid but always weary of the Broads.

[Island-Ho]

You can access the southern side of the lake easily from the Gilford public docks. There are no parking restrictions there this time of year.

[Webbsatwinni]

We are planing on venturing out to Rattlesnake tomorrow. Is it just me or is the lack of bob houses visable on the cams and indication that the ice isn't safe yet?

With this weeks temps, I would think that there wouldn't be an issue. But I thought I would toss it out to the forum and see what others think before we head out.

[DRH]

Originally Posted by Webbsatwinni

We are planing on venturing out to Rattlesnake tomorrow. Is it just me or is the lack of bob houses visable on the cams and indication that the ice isn't safe yet?

With this weeks temps, I would think that there wouldn't be an issue. But I thought I would toss it out to the forum and see what others think before we head out.

I went out with our son today and we found conditions to be pretty poor. The high winds this past week scoured much of the snow off the ice, creating 1) many bare spots of sheer ice, 2) many snow moguls making riding somewhat rough, and 3) a snow surface (what snow remains) that is so hard that the snowmobile tracks couldn't pick up enough to keep the engines cool.

We first went from Minge Cove around the southeast end of Rattlesnake. As we headed northwest past Rattlesnake Guy's & Gal's place (which faces Parker Island), we encountered a huge area of large ice shards sticking up almost horizontally from the surface of the lake. There were thousands of them, many of which stick up over 12". Once we had slightly entered that area we were unable to continue forward and had to turn around and back-track out of there. It appears that the surface of the lake had frozen to a depth of about 2" of clear, solid ice, and then the high winds broke up large sections of it into "shards" and blew them southeast where they piled up and were forced together, causing them to ride over-and-under each other so many of them were forced into near vertical positions where they re-froze. I haven't seen anything quite like that before. I don think a vehicle of any kind could navigate that area at this time. We saw those shards of ice over a fairly large section of the lake in that area.

I don't know if the northwestern end of Rattlesnake has those conditions or not, and it could be a totally different situation there. I can tell you that what little snow remains on the ice is so hardened by the wind and bitterly cold temps. that we couldn't keep our machines cool today and we decided to come back after a relatively short time out there.

However, there is a snowstorm forecast for tonight and tomorrow that could totally change conditions for the better.

All should beware the sharp vertical ice shards near the southeast end of Rattlesnake, however!

[Webbsatwinni]

Thanks DRH, we may rethink.

[DRH]

It's snowing hard here at the lake now. At 9:45 a.m. we have about 3" of fluffy new snow on the ground. Temp. is 10 degs. with no wind.

The poor snowmobiling conditions we encountered on the lake yesterday, specifically the overheating problem due to the hard-packed snow surface, will almost certainly be resolved with this new snow. The NWS is calling for up to 9" total accumulation today in NH.

11:30 A.M. UPDATE: We now have 6" of snow and extremely low visibility. The NWS has increased it's expected snowfall estimate and is now predicting up to 14" for this area.

[hilltopper]

Just shy of 6" in Meredith now with heavy snow continuing. If we get wrap around snow instead of the storm simply pulling out, 10" to 12" isn't out of the question. Snowmobiling should be top notch after this!

Update: 1:40 PM. 9.5" and counting.

[fatlazyless]

...drilled three holes yesterday w/ my 4" handcranker, and the ice thickness was 9". 9" and 10", about 100 yards out just east of buoy #3, in something like 25' of water...saw about 25 snowmobiles and a couple atv's....and zero cars or trucks

[Mink Islander]

at Mink Island. Light fluffy stuff.

[hazelnut]

My brother in law and I purchased a pair of sleds on Saturday afternoon at HK Powersports in Laconia. He bought a Yamaha and I bought a Polaris. Anyway we took delivery on the spot, (Good People at HK by the way). We took off from Laconia headed across Paugus bay picked up the railroad track up near the channel, headed through the Weirs and hopped back on the lake by Akwa Marina and went out across by Eagle around the tip of Meredith Neck and between the neck and Bear Island then cut in to the Patrician Shores area to his house. Later on that evening we went into Center Harbour took the trails over to Moultonboro Neck alll the way out to Ambrose area allllll the way down through Moultonboro bay all the way through the Graveyard out to Cow Island. We visited some friends out on the Island then headed back. This time we took ice to the Long Island bridge and crossed over the town beach headed past Braun bay along towards Black Cat Island and then across to Patrician Shores. SO, I would say the ice is pretty solid based on my experiences this weekend. The conditions were AWFUL though. VERY bumpy like moguls on a ski hill.

Today was a VERY different story.

The lake is covered in a beautiful light fluffy powder. The only challenge was seeing through all the snow blowing up over the windshield, ha ha ha. It was like riding in a snow cocoon. During the height of the snowstorm I was out on the lake trying to find Center Harbor. It took me two tries. Once I did we headed up over the Red Hill trail from Center Harbour over to Meredith. Fueled up at Cumberland Farms and headed back over the hill to Center Harbour. Later on I took the Moultonboro Neck trail over to Ambrose cove again then looped back and backtracked over the trail back to Canter Harbor. I'm tired and sore but it was SOOOOO worth it.

[Treerider]

Took a ride at 4 pm today....too much powder, snow so light the skis sank to the bottom, and the powder over the hood!!!

[Webbsatwinni]

We decided to come up with the predictions of snow, yesterday afternoon the viability was poor but the ride was fine. We stopped frequently to check the ice and we wore our picks around our neck.

The snow was a little deep for our sleds (only because the snow was coming over the hood) but other than that, we had no issues getting to Rattlesnake.

We spent the night and the first sunrise of 09 from the lake was worth it!

I took some good shots of the broads side of Rattlesnake and will post them when we get home.

[murph]

Hazelnut who do you know in Patrician Shores? I have a place there and go up almost every weekend to go riding.

[hazelnut]

Hey murph,

My sister and her husband are actually renting in Sands of Brookhurst. I said Patrician Shores because more people have probably heard of it than the other.

I'll probably see you around this winter then.

[nightrider]

This past weekend there was 10" of ice on the eastern shore of Winter Harbor opposite the opening to the broads. Plenty of sleds coming into the Harbor from the broads all day Saturday. Not too many Sunday as it was snowing hard.

[murph]

Well if you see a bright orange sled with white skis. Its me. My dad will be one a red and black sled but you shouldnt have a problem spotting me if you do happen to see me go by... cant miss my sled haha

[hazelnut]

Awesome, look for my all black Polaris 600 Touring sled and I'll most likely be following my brother in law on his bright blue Yamaha Apex - GT. Tough to keep up with that beast.

We did quite a bit of riding this weekend.

[BoulderBronco]

Originally Posted by nightrider

This past weekend there was 10" of ice on the eastern shore of Winter Harbor opposite the opening to the broads. Plenty of sleds coming into the Harbor from the broads all day Saturday. Not too many Sunday as it was snowing hard.

I must say I'm suprised there was only 10". Is Winter Harbor basically Wolfeboro bay? I figured with these temps we would see a solid 14-16" everywhere by now. Wouldn't these temps yield about 1" per day of new ice?

[trfour]

Forget your brother in-law, you are very fortunate that you haven't ridden with trfour!

[Formula260SS]

Originally Posted by BoulderBronco

I must say I'm suprised there was only 10". Is Winter Harbor basically Wolfeboro bay? I figured with these temps we would see a solid 14-16" everywhere by now. Wouldn't these temps yield about 1" per day of new ice?

I was very surprised there was only 7" outside of Minge Cove, I expected bigger numbers also. This goes to show how important it is be be sure the ice is safe no matter how cold it's been

[tis]

Originally Posted by BoulderBronco

I must say I'm suprised there was only 10". Is Winter Harbor basically Wolfeboro bay? I figured with these temps we would see a solid 14-16" everywhere by now. Wouldn't these temps yield about 1" per day of new ice?

Winter Harbor is on the other side of Wolfeboro Neck, where the Libby Museum is. It starts at the broads entrance (or exit) and goes down by the old airport to Carry Beach, over to the Libby, by Piping Rock and up to the Basin Bridge.

[Zee]

Originally Posted by BoulderBronco

I must say I'm suprised there was only 10". Is Winter Harbor basically Wolfeboro bay? I figured with these temps we would see a solid 14-16" everywhere by now. Wouldn't these temps yield about 1" per day of new ice?

Winter Harbor actually froze almost two weeks before Wolfeboro Bay. That makes a big difference.

[BoulderBronco]

Originally Posted by Zee

Winter Harbor actually froze almost two weeks before Wolfeboro Bay. That makes a big difference.

Really. So if there is only 10" in Winter Harbor there can't be much more than 5-6" in Wolfeboro. I guess I thought ice would generate much faster with the recent temps.

[NHDOLFAN]

I have read about how there is 10" of ice in one location and 5-6" of ice in another. Does anyone have a conversion chart that shows the weight capacity to inches of ice?

[Webbsatwinni]

Here is a website we found that has some good safety and capacity information.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/thickness.html

[NHDOLFAN]

Great. Thanks for the info. It appears that the lake is close to being safe for snowmobiles. Bring on the Derby!

[XCR-700]

Originally Posted by Webbsatwinni

I took some good shots of the broads side of Rattlesnake and will post them when we get home.

The photos are GREAT!!!

Thanks - GH

(this one is THE BEST!!!)

[Webbsatwinni]

XCR

It is now my background at work to help the daydreaming.

BTW, nice boat, what year is it? I have been looking for a Glastron for some time and have not found a clean one to play with.

[BoulderBronco]

Originally Posted by XCR-700

The photos are GREAT!!!

Thanks - GH

(this one is THE BEST!!!)

Man that looks fun. But how safe is it out there? Did you check the ice? The broads are obviously the thinnest part usually so I personally would not want to go out there without knowing how much ice there was.

[Webbsatwinni]

We snowmobiled to the point and walked it first (and not in a line) with picks hanging around our neck. It was very solid and the pictures are not in the middle, it is only 60 ft from Rattlesnake.

30 ft off the breakwater felt really solid. We did cut a hole to check and it was 7+ inches thick where we checked. We did not cross the broads or spend much time on the ice knowing that the broads are typically thinner.

[BoulderBronco]

Originally Posted by Webbsatwinni

We snowmobiled to the point and walked it first (and not in a line) with picks hanging around our neck. It was very solid and the pictures are not in the middle, it is only 60 ft from Rattlesnake.

30 ft off the breakwater felt really solid. We did cut a hole to check and it was 7+ inches thick where we checked. We did not cross the broads or spend much time on the ice knowing that the broads are typically thinner.

Sounds like you know what your doing. Did you actually measure the ice or was that 7"+ a guestimate? I guess 7" out there isn't that bad. The thing I don't understand is how there can be that much (or little depending on how you look at it) in the Broads with all the cold temps, yet in the smaller areas I am hearing reports of the same. Did you see anyone else out in that area north of Rattlesnake? Tracks? Thanks for the report and pics.

[XCR-700]

Originally Posted by Webbsatwinni

BTW, nice boat, what year is it? I have been looking for a Glastron for some time and have not found a clean one to play with.

Its a 88 Glastron Carlson CVX-20 Sprint, and your right there hard to find around here.

I actually searched the country for this one and found it in Montana!

Its not the best "family" boat for Winnipesaukee. They look GREAT and are fun on a day when the lake is dead flat, but add any chop and its a rough ride.

Not much room in the cockpit either,,,

All that said, its my dream boat!!!

Our "family" boat is a 89 Glastron Carlson CSS-23, the ride is not too much better, but its a bit bigger - its deeper - and has cuddy (very small one) plus being a sterndrive, its a whole lot quieter.

Keep them pictures coming!!!

Thanks - George

[fatlazyless]

Took a walk out about 200 yards, just east of buoy 3, and measured three different spots about 50 yards apart. 10" - 9" - 11" with the eleven inch measurement being the furthest from shore....using a yardstick with an angle plate attached to the end, so it should be accurate. The last big snowfall has been compacted to about 5" of heavier snow with slush underneath.

[XCR-700]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Took a walk out about 200 yards, just east of buoy 3, and measured three different spots about 50 yards apart. 10" - 9" - 11" with the eleven inch measurement being the furthest from shore....using a yardstick with an angle plate attached to the end, so it should be accurate. The last big snowfall has been compacted to about 5" of heavier snow with slush underneath.

Have you seen any trucks or ice houses out there yet?

Thanks for the update.

George

[fatlazyless]

No, have not seen any cars or trucks out by buoy 3 and vicinity.

But, did see today, about six pickups and cars on Meredith Bay ice, parked next to bob houses, not very far from the town docks. Have no idea what the thickness is there.

[Senter Cove Guy]

We are planning to ride snowmobiles from about the 19 mile bay area over to Meredith on Derby weekend. Assuming we don't have some kind of thaw, would there be any reason not to do this? Are there areas on that trip to avoid? Like "The Hole in the Wall" or in between Eagle Island and Governor's Island? Just want to be safe.

[trfour]

Ice conditions can change so quickly that I would recommend that you keep monitoring this thread and others. It is pretty wonderful that so many folks are providing such critical info here. As of today, you would be fine, although I would stay clear of the channel through the Hole In the Wall.

I had a large cooling system with/ electric fan, and used graphite impregnated hyfax on my track frame so I never had to worry about overheating with my sled in minimal snow/on Lake ice conditions. Most are not so lucky.

Happy sledding to you and yours.
T

[This'nThat]

Originally Posted by BoulderBronco

I figured with these temps we would see a solid 14-16" everywhere by now. Wouldn't these temps yield about 1" per day of new ice?

No. The 1" per day of ice formation only occurs when temperatures are a constant 15 degrees below zero, with no snow cover. Otherwise, it's considerably less than that.

[Mink Islander]

We've got about 12-14 inches (measured) on the North side of Mink Island. First couple are snow ice. The rest is good solid black ice. So by my rough calc's we've been making approximately 1/2 inch per day of ice so we should have nearly 20" by derby weekend if it stays cold.

Saturday's wind blew a lot of snow off the lake and drifted/packed the rest, though the riding should still be ok, but not great. Noticed a fair amount of surface water (slush under foot) passing through Cattle Landing on Sunday. There's usually an expansion crack in the general area off the white boathouse on Dolly Island across to the mainland and near there is pretty damp. I didn't have a auger with me so I could check the thickness. There was 7+ inches through there last week so other than any gaps that will appear if the weather warms, it should be fine through there- particularly on sleds. Not sure I'd drive a truck through there, however. Always an area to be a bit more cautious.

Been pretty quiet on the lake overall near me. Over the past two weekends I have seen a few groups of sleds heading north around Bear hugging the shoreline, some heading between Jolly and Camp heading NE and a few heading East towards the Broads. Ample sled traffic through Cattle Landing and south towards Governor's/Meredith. I expect traffic will pick up this coming weekend as the Derby nears!

[BoulderBronco]

Originally Posted by This'nThat

No. The 1" per day of ice formation only occurs when temperatures are a constant 15 degrees below zero, with no snow cover. Otherwise, it's considerably less than that.

No kidding. So those years when we had 20"+ it must have been crazy cold for a while. What kind of ice do you think the lake is generating these days? 1/2" a day? 1/4" a day?

I seem to remember having a derby, probably about 20 years ago, that we had 30" of ice halfway down Meredith bay. Can anyone remember that year? Whats the most ice you guys can remember?

[Mee-n-Mac]

For all the years we've had people, snowmobiles and various cars and trucks go through the ice I've often wondered if there wasn't a "good" way to measure the thickness in hopes of preventing all but the most foolhardy from taking a cold bath. I did some looking a while ago and tried to find a cheap and easy way to allow a person to make that measurement. I looked at doing it with sound (ultrasonics) and that doesn't seem viable. The problem is one of many layers of ice, snow and air all of which are in some unknown combination contributing to many reflections with varying timings through each layer (time correlating to thickness and density). I haven't given up on the idea but put it on the back burner as a result. I know airborne ground penetrating radar has been used but that seemed neither cheap nor easy. Electromagnetic induction coils have been used but that method depended on the salinity / conductivity of the water underneath. That's not going to work on a lake. There's a simpler variant of the radar method, detailed here, that seems to work. I don't know if 15 years advancement in electronics and signal processing would allow it to be "cheaply" though. The simplest answer would seem to be a small cordless drill attached to the end of a walking stick. You could get fancy and automate / instrument it to give a nice digital reading but I'd think color banding the bit would be sufficient. It doesn't help the sledders or truckers, unless they bother to stop and take a reading, but walkers might benefit. Of course they've already done a preliminary test just standing on the ice .....

Thoughts anyone ?

[Mink Islander]

Once you have drilled all the way through, how would you know at what point the bit hit water? Also, would need quite a long bit -- 2 ft of ice is not unusual. I suppose if you just wanted to test whether the ice was at least, say, 5 inches, you could use a shorter bit, mark the bit with tape or paint at the desired depth and drill to that level. If no water is found, then you know it's at least that thick. The problem is that you won't know how "good" the ice is using that technique -- meaning how much is slush ice vs. black ice. Just seems hard to get away from a handy manual ice auger -- might only need a 4" to be able to see where the black ice begins. Then I use a marked stick with a nail sticking out at 90 degrees to hook the bottom edge of the ice and measure up.

Google the Nimrod Ice Auger adaptor. It let's you use a cordless drill to connect to a number of brands of manual auger bits. Not sure how well it would work in extreme temps.

[Webbsatwinni]

All of this is good advice, the one main part that was stressed to me last year while learning about ice safety was about ice picks (I included a picture below). We wear them around our necks when ever we are on the ice. Knowing the ice depth is great, but what if the ice is thinner than you assumed and you are already on it?

I also added a picture we took two weekends ago, we cut a block out of the ice to see how thick it was, it was very solid ice (it is next to a hammer to provide scale). It was 100 ft into the broads off of Rattlesnake and it was a good 7-8 inches deep. Also, we checked the hole the next morning and there was over an ice of ice in less than 12 hours.

[NHDOLFAN]

Have you seen a lot of activity on the broads? I need to go to Rattlesnake via Wolfeboro Bay and want to make sure it's safe. I am on the Alton side of Rattlesnake.

[Webbsatwinni]

We were up last weekend and there was a steady stream of snowmobiles driving across the broads. We didn't, but there were many out there. And there is one lone bob house right in the middle of the broads straight out from Rattlesnake.

So to me, it looked safe just based on the activity.

[NHDOLFAN]

Thanks for the info. I can see the lone bob house from the Wolfeboro docks. Can't wait for the derby...

[fatlazyless]

Twelve and one half inches of hard ice, underneath about six inches of heavy snow, and about four inches of wet slush, just west of Buoy 3, is what I measured, today.

Walking through this stuff is a slow-go.

[BoulderBronco]

11-12" of good solid ice halfway down Meredith bay. There is another 2-4" of solid slush ice on top of that. Conditions are great if you have a snowmobile. Not much slush at all.

[Webbsatwinni]

We were up this weekend and traveling by snowmobile on the lake was easy. There was a lot of traffic on the broads.

[searay220]

A few of us stopped by on our sleds on a friend down on Alton Bay fishing from his bob house yesterday. He measured the ice while we were there and it measured 18" thick. It's a good thing because he is just a short distance from the runway and plane parking lot. I can't believe some the vehicles that go out and drive on the ice without even thinking twice.

[fatlazyless]

Took a measure one spar west of fl-3, at 12 1/2". This snowless, rough icy surface is just no good for snowmobiles. All day today, saw one snowmo, one atv, one hovercraft and no cars or trucks.

Seems like the deep freeze got done shut down and a sunny, warmer trend has begun ....exit stage right, the dog days of winter....aaaaarrrrrooooo......

[XCR-700]

Anyone been out on the lake today?

Thinking of coming up to ride tomorrow and wondering what the conditions are like.

Any recommendations???

Thanks

GH

[Treerider]

so you actually believed that there was only 5" and in some places 1" of ice.......you aint from around here are yah??

[Webbsatwinni]

Not sure why you are choosing to challenge it now, but would you chance it?

[Formula260SS]

Drilled 2 holes off Rattlesnake Saturday, @ 24" in each hole. Been a while since I've seen the lake so good for snowmobiling. It was flat and fast !

[hazelnut]

HONESTLY!!!!!! I can't believe how beautiful the Northern Broads were between Bear and Long Island. It was a first time for me venturing across the middle part of the lake like that. I couldn't help myself. The conditions were so good it was incredible. The light conditions on Friday late afternoon, and the snow was so flat and smooth..... Well I just kept adding throttle and more, and more and almost full throttle but not quite.... I could have.... But.... wow. It felt like you were actually floating or flying. Just awesome.

[welch100]

Is it safe???

Thanks!

[fatlazyless]

Over by fl-3, just south of Bear Island, saw a Ford F-250 pickup, 4-wheel drive go past today, and head towards the Weirs.....1st vehicle seen out here all winter. Went out and drilled two holes, and the ice was a solid 16" thick with no slush on top....just 5" of dry, light snow.

[Lakewinn1]

Does anyone know the thickness of the ice near Far Echo? Haven't been at the lake in the last few weeks.

[Aviatr]

Originally Posted by Lakewinn1

Does anyone know the thickness of the ice near Far Echo? Haven't been at the lake in the last few weeks.

Ice out is not far away. 2 weeks and the lake will be all open. As I'm sure you are most likely aware of, all trails are closed and the lake is not desireable for riding anymore. Good winter, but let's get summer here NOW!!

[Lakewinn1]

Looking forward to ice out and getting the boat in the water..... summer can't be far away! Totally agree with your assessment of winter.

[csuhockey3]

Originally Posted by Aviatr

Ice out is not far away. 2 weeks and the lake will be all open. As I'm sure you are most likely aware of, all trails are closed and the lake is not desireable for riding anymore. Good winter, but let's get summer here NOW!!

What does Lilly pond by the airport look like? Seems to be the unofficial "2 week warning" as many of your know. Once Lilly pond is open it's about 2 weeks to ice out!!

[chipj29]

Originally Posted by Aviatr

Ice out is not far away. 2 weeks and the lake will be all open. As I'm sure you are most likely aware of, all trails are closed and the lake is not desireable for riding anymore. Good winter, but let's get summer here NOW!!

Sorry, I am no Lake Winni ice out expert, but IMO there is no way the lake will be "all open" in 2 weeks. I want to be on my boat as soon as the next guy, but it ain't gonna happen by April 6, much to my dismay.

[Blue Thunder]

Originally Posted by chipj29

Sorry, I am no Lake Winni ice out expert, but IMO there is no way the lake will be "all open" in 2 weeks. I want to be on my boat as soon as the next guy, but it ain't gonna happen by April 6, much to my dismay.

I'm no expert either, but I'm with you Chipj!!

BT

[Webbsatwinni]

I too think it will be longer, but we can all hope that Aviatr is correct.

[codeman671]

2 weeks? No way.

3 weeks is more like it. My "revised" guess is around the 15th. A far cry from my contest guess which was much later.

[GusMan]

Hi All,

Looks like there's one lonely ice shanty left on the weirscam! I bet it pretty well frozen in place there until this mini-freeze ends!

Cheers....

Gusman

[Webbsatwinni]

Originally Posted by codeman671

2 weeks? No way.

3 weeks is more like it. My "revised" guess is around the 15th. A far cry from my contest guess which was much later.

3 weeks would be nice, that puts us in the week of the 13th. That is enough time to get the snowmobiles cleaned and away, and still go up on the kid's April Vacation.

*Fingers Crossed*

[mg2107]

Bet its closer to a month.

[trfour]

Originally Posted by GusMan

Hi All,

Looks like there's one lonely ice shanty left on the weirscam! I bet it pretty well frozen in place there until this mini-freeze ends!

Cheers....

Gusman

All gone this morning when I checked....

[nvtngtxpyr]

There's a lot of open water showing on the Weirscam. Is that normal? Are the dock bubblers keeping it that clear?

[fatlazyless]

There's still lots, like about 15 snowmobiles and atv's out by buoy three, and ice fishing as well. Yesterday, somehad a motorcycle, probably a street/off road bike, and it was look'n very wobbly....could have used some ice studs.