Dave and I headed to Poolburn today to see if any ice had survived the stormy weather. We were surprised to find snow all over the Ida valley with temps around -6. Looked amazing. I wasn't that confident we would be able to reach the dam but the road was passable due to farmers having pushed a track through. Poolburn looked fabulous surrounded in snow. All the previous ice had gone. New ice had formed over the last 2 days and managed a crackly skate at the edge of the main bay before moving over to the little bay where the skating was great. Only 30-40mm of black ice but held ok. Rest of the lake was too thin with water showing in a lot of places. Heading back we stopped at Oturehua for a skate at the domain. Great day out exploring.
