I see clear water -20th July

A lot has passed ice-wise since I last posted!  This is the first part.  Last Wednesday Dave P and I made a 'leaning on the car talking' decision and decided to head to Canterbury to check out the ice and catch up with Alan K .  We left Dunedin after lunch and made Lake Clearwater after dark.  Alan (and two of his friends) made us very welcome at his bach.

Alan and Dave accompanied me down to the lake and I had a creaky night skate in one area of Lake Clearwater.  (no photo!)

Our plan was to skate Clearwater in the morning after what we hoped would be a good frost, and head to Lake Ida the following day.

Last Dam Skate for 2011?

Headed to Queenstown today for the snow and on the way checked for ice at any spots I could find.  No joy in the warm temperatures.  On the way home in the evening I dropped into the Lower Manorburn Dam just for a look.  Found a patch of ice that was thick enough for a skate!  Surface was smooth and hard in the shade.  Had a skate in a limited area - enough for a few turns and a bit of a glide around.  The ice seems to be on its last legs with big patches of water showing - and this may be my last skate here this year unless we get some cold hard weather.

5.00pm - Looking down to the middle basin - water on the left.

Last time for 2011.......

Bubble time.....

Woke this morning to the sound of rain (after frost last night) but decided to head out to the Lower Manorburn any way for a pre-work skate.  Light sleet was falling.  The ice was fall of air bubbles but seemed safe enough for a skate - although very noisy!  Skated from just below the neck down into the gorge next to Rush Cutters.  Good to have a big area to skate on but the ice seemed a bit fragile from all the air bubbles.  Fresh snow on the hills will hopefully keep temps down.

Fresh snow on the hills

By the light of the silvery moon.....

One of the small pleasures of life is walking off the ice in the moonlight after a skate. Visited the Lower Manorburn tonight and was pleased to find skate-able ice as the end of the day - especially as it had been a warm (for winter) windy day.
Skate-able ice in Rush Cutters corner - around 50mm thick but creaky out into the basin. Found good hard ice in the gorge to the right of Rush Cutters and had an enjoyable skate as the sun went down and moonlight took over. If you pick your spots there is skating to be had but the ice needs careful checking. Will last with a frost or two and the snow on the hills should help bring temperatures down. (hopefully!)

Moonlight on the Manorburn

You're on thin ice....

Last Saturday at Poolburn we were pushing the boundaries a bit by skating on thin ice.  We managed for a bit because the ice was frozen hard but eventually Ryan broke through.  You can see in the video how flexible the ice was and we had to skate quite carefully (in shallow water)  trying not to put extra pressure on the ice. A wrench for Ryans' shoulder but apart from that he is ok.

Cruising the Manorburn!

Headed out to the Lower Manorburn early this morning  to find good smooth ice all over the central basin! Great  skate over the whole main area.   Ice thickness ranged from 50mm+ out to around 40mm on the far side and was locked in. Too thin either end to go further.

The bad news! - dropped by on the way out of town in the evening and the ice was covered with water and creaky.  Warm temps and wind during the day had knocked it back.  Hopefully a few frosts will rebuild.

Morning!

Evening!

Making Ice!

Dropped into the Lower Manorburn tonight to see how it is after the weekend.  Has made ice since we visited yesterday morning.  Had a relaxing evening skate on hard smooth ice - and great to be skating freely on the Manorburn! What a great way to finish a days work!
Ice depth in Rush Cutters 35-40 mm - getting less as you get out of the bay. Safe but creaked a bit due to the weakening effect of above 0 deg.  A few stones and things on the ice but easily avoided. Should be great after a cold night and a good depth to build on through the week.  Did not check other areas due to fading light.