Back on the Ice!

Great day to today.  After watching the weather for the last week Dave and I decided the time was right for natural ice.  We headed to Poolburn and were pleasantly surprised to find some of the ice had come back and were lucky enough to get a skate in a sheltered area in one of the bays.  We then headed for the Lower Manorburn and had a couple of hours on the ice in the main basin.  Ice was hard and fast. We met up with a couple from Dunedin and along with a few locals a fine time was had by all with Keith setting a new dress code for 'au naturale' ice skating.  A satisfying skate and looking good again for the next day or two.

Dave P surveying his icy kingdom 

Dave Y on Poolburn

Keith setting new dress standards

Keith showing his moves

Ice scoot in action

Lower Manoburn - Good skating on the most of the middle basin

Poolburn - needs a frost or two but early skaters might get lucky

Idaburn - thin ice in parts - not yet ready for a skate

Coalpit - thin ice - need a good few frosts.

It's only natural...ice!

A natural ice day!  Dave and I headed up to Poolburn for a day-break skate and while the ice was limited we had a great skate on black ice.  Unfortunately the temp was above freezing so we did not venture out too far.  A great place to visit in winter anyway.
We finished up with a skate on the Lower Manorburn dam.  Ice was hard and fast and we skated over most of the main basin.  Good to finally be on good ice which gave us confidence to play around a bit and good to see some of the locals out on the ice.
Weather outlook is not too flash though and these last days might be the best we get this winter....


Poolburn - 40-50mm of ice - only skate-able because it was hard black ice.  Already thawing when we left so not worth a visit unless there are a few frosts
Lower Manoburn - up to 65mm out in the main basin.  Good skating but weakening in warmer temps.

Dave and Dave

Finding thin ice......

Dave getting a lean on...

A winter's day...

Up this morning and out for an early morning skate on the Lower Manorburn Dam.  Great to have the first real free skate this year.
Dave P and I then headed for Poolburn Dam. Unfortunately we left the run a bit late and missed the safest ice but managed to have a skate around some of the edges of the dam.  Great to be up there though and Poolburn looked fab with a winter coat of snow around the edges.  We had a fine time exploring and enjoying the environment.
Finished off with another skate at Rush Cutters on the way back.   Hoping for another frost tomorrow.

Lower Manorburn is skate-able in Rush Cutters - if you go, skate early with the frost.  There is quite a bit of weed under the ice which weakens the ice so take care.   Ice 50-60mm thinning as you go out.

Poolburn - needs a big frost to thicken the ice.  (forecast not good)

Coalpit - about 10mm new ice in the shade.  Not close to skate-able
Idaburn 15mm on one side then going to water.     Not close to skate-able

A diversion on the way to Poolburn

Dave P on Poolburn

Poolburn

Digger's Day

Years ago when I first got into natural ice skating I asked an old dude called Digger how long he had been skating the Lower Manorburn Dam.  "Every year since ( something like) 1947," he replied. " Ice every year." I asked and he replied' "Yep at least 1 day."

We'll after such a bad start to the season I thought this year will be my first year not to skate but today was Digger's one day!  Had a skate this morning - a bit creaky but hey good to be on the ice.

Skated in parts of Rushcutters.  Ice elsewhere but not yet thick enough. 

The dam is one good frost away from good ice.  Hopefully tonight it will freeze again.

Saw lots of ice on a trip around today but not quite enough for a skate but good to be out on a winters day.

A dodgy skate........

A bit colder..

On the way through Central Otago today I checked out a few of the ice spots.  Still no ice on offer.  A little bit (1cm) of new black ice in shaded places on the Lower Manorburn and only the odd skim elsewhere.
Colder weather is forecast for the rest of week so hopefully something will come of it.

Lower Manorburn

Warm again

The Lower Manorburn yesterday with a skim of new ice.  Today the temp is +12 deg!

Photo by A.T.

Ice...... wherefore art thou?

The warm and wet continues.... apart from two very cold mornings at home.  Nice to see a -3 for a change and the frost around all day yesterday in some shaded parts .... but rain on the way.

Ice report today:  two cooler nights have made a (very) thin skiff of  ice in Rush Cutters Corner at the Manorburn Dam.   Nothing much anywhere else........