
Know When It's Safe to be on the Ice
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I was wondering the same about Ice thickness; I found an article stating the middle the pond is the last to freeze because sunlight focuses;
Is Ice Thicker in the Middle of a Lake? Surprising Facts You Never …
https://fishriverlodge.com/is-ice-thicker-in-the-middle-of-a-lake
When I was a young kid, our family lived in Cincinnati, OH for a few years. Across the street and about 100 yards in, was a small lake. The people who owned the lake were generous and mindful. When the ice formed, they'd shoot a .22 into it and if the ice held to their satisfaction, we were allowed to ice-skate and sled across it. As long as we lived there, there was never an accident or incident. Spent many happy hours on the ice on that lake!
When I lived in Alton NH a member of the Alton Bay Flying Club and had my own Cessna 172, in February President's weekend we plowed a runway on the ice and had fly-ins. The only FAA sanctioned ice runway in the US at that time. Planes came from all over to experience it including twin engines and as far way as VA & MI.. The stores ran out of goodies. The gazebo in the middle of Alton Bay was the command center. I parked many airplanes. There were a couple of skidding accidents were the pilot met with a snow bank.
Taxiing around and parking the planes around the ice fishing shacks and staying between the snow banks was interesting.
If a Google search for the Alton Bay Winter fly-in was done, many pilots posted a video showing what it's like to land. This is unique in NE. OFA or Yankee Magazine should do a story about it.
As the snow was plowed off the ice, it exposed the ice to freezing temperatures making the ice thicker. The benefit of thick ice.
There is no ice thickness chart showing up on this website.
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