In the spring our candleing ice sheets are around 10 - 30 cm thick. Unfortunately in the winter our ice is around 1 - 2 meters thick and paddling isn't an option. The narrow multichined hull of the West River 180 relatively easily breaks up the thicker candling ice. In answer to Wes Boyd's question - I use my Mountain Equipment Coop brand Graphite paddle - it is strong enough and thin enough to get in between ice crystals to get a good grab for the next paddle stroke. I use a homemade greenland paddle that I can sacrifice in tougher conditions. I like the ice axe idea - I use two 7" scuba knives to skim myself along ice, that I can't break through. Longer distances than 100 meters of horizontal ice climbing get quite exhausting. :-) Jim > -----Original Message----- > From: Dan Harrison [SMTP:DHARRISN_at_hfcc.edu] > > I icebreak all winter long in Michigan. Two weeks ago ice was still > forming overnight on Traverse Bay off Lake Michigan. I've successfully > navigated ice sheets about 2 cm thick, by carrying an alpinist's ice axe > on a lanyard attached to the lifelines with a carabiner. I bury the pick > in the ice and haul myself forwards, until (a) the ice breaks under my > weight; or (b) I get to the other side. I call it "horizontal ice > climbing." For rivers, I use my Dagger Edisto, which I like for its flat > bottom, but dislike for its vertical prow. For open water, I favor my > Greenland-style Valley Avocet RM, which slides up onto the ice easier, but > is tippier on large thick sheets. > You're right, that delicate tinkling sound is very special. And my > wildlife sightings tend to be memorable, too. > Dan Harrison > > [snip] *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu May 22 2003 - 11:00:49 PDT
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:31:07 PDT