I got my first day on ice for the 2010-2011 season.
First thing, I had to get some pictures of the Cleveland lighthouse. With the huge winds and cold temperatures we had, the lighthouse got COVERED in ice.
This one was taken from Wendy Park
This one was from Voinovich Park.
An hour and a half later, I was at Sandusky Bay, the Dempsey boat launch. I had been afraid that the ice was not thick enough, but a few test holes with my ice screw showed that it was at least 5 inches thick. It was just a bit rough, crusty, white ice. I had no trouble walking on it because I had specifically modified my ski boots.
You can barely see the tips of a couple sharpened stainless steel screws sticking out through the sole of the boot. The bits sticking out the sides are the ends of an aluminum bar.
Light wind, 12 M Liquid Force Havoc, but I managed some fairly good speed runs. Top speed was 43.6 mph. Nowhere near my record, yet, but its early in the season. I think I could probably have gotten some better speed if my skis had been a bit sharper. I had a tendency to get pulled downwind faster than I wanted, which lowered my apparent wind speed. I just gave them a new edge, and they are ready for tomorrow. Unfortunately, the wind will be much lighter, but it should be good training for when there's going to be some real wind.
Here is some helmet cam video for the day:
I almost forgot: I got some great shots of the sun setting over the frozen bay on the way home:
Hey, is Dempsey on Catawba Island, very close to East Harbor state park? How do you hold an edge on just ice? Those skis must be sharp. How long are your skis? What direction and speeds were the "light winds"?
Dempsey is on the bay side, the opposite side of the Marblehead peninsula, but not very far from East Harbor.
Yes, the skis are VERY sharp. I do some touch-up sharpening every week during the winter.
They are 182 cm. Rossignol Escorts. Very straight edges. They were made before they started making them with the curved edges. This helps keep an edge on ice.
Holy S*** Saul! This is amazing. 43.6 mph Wow!!
ReplyDeleteHey, is Dempsey on Catawba Island, very close to East Harbor state park?
How do you hold an edge on just ice? Those skis must be sharp. How long are your skis?
What direction and speeds were the "light winds"?
SteveB
Dempsey is on the bay side, the opposite side of the Marblehead peninsula, but not very far from East Harbor.
ReplyDeleteYes, the skis are VERY sharp. I do some touch-up sharpening every week during the winter.
They are 182 cm. Rossignol Escorts. Very straight edges. They were made before they started making them with the curved edges. This helps keep an edge on ice.
Winds were WSW about 15-18 mph.