Woke to minus 6 this morning - good to see a frost again. Headed up to check Poolburn. The track had a light skiff of snow near the top. The ice had melted around the edge leaving a metre gap to the ice pack. New ice had formed at the edge but not enough to stand on - plank time!
Despite the snow, the ice was still skate-able between the snow patches. Skated out around the small island being wary of the snow covering the ice hazards Always good to be on Poolburn.
Then headed to to the Lower Manorburn to finish off with a skate over most of the middle basin. Could skate to the other side and into the beginning of the gorge. Great ice - hard and smooth - very enjoyable.
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Hidden hazards on Poolburn |
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Checking the edge ice. |
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Plank to get on to the main ice pack. |
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Great ice on the Manorburn |
Ice Report: Poolburn - Thin ice around edge of the ice pack. Main ice has snow effected areas which hides weak ice. Main ice pack is now thinner. Skating not recommended unless checked very carefully. Track ok when frozen but muddy and rutted otherwise.
Manorburn: Good skating over most of the main basin. Smooth and hard. Thinning out towards the other side. Water in the gorge and the neck. Was good with the frost.