 Cross-Country Skis, Ice & Inline Skates, Rollerskis, Skate & Ski Tours 2007 Ice Report Archive Toll-free (866) 244-2570 . . . www.nordicskater.com . . . 2008-09 Events . . . Email Us These ice conditions were reported by our observer network during the 2006-07 season. We have not yet begun to compile reports for the 2007-08 season. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of any reports published here. We do not guarantee the safety of the ice. It is your responsibility to test the ice before you go out on it. Ice report, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2007 To contribute an ice report click here. At the end of February, the best ice skating in the Northeast was on Lake Champlain, where black ice extended for miles south of the Charlotte-Essex ferry route. February Reports: Alaska ... Antarctica ... Connecticut ... Illinois ... Maine ... Maryland ... Massachusetts ... Minnesota ... Montana ... New Hampshire ... New York ... Ohio ... Ontario ... Pennsylvania ... Québec ... Rhode Island ... Utah ... Vermont ... Wisconsin Alaska ... In January, Westchester Lagoon in Anchorage was the site of Alaska's first-ever Nordic skating and skate-skiing duathlon. Read more Skating on Portage Lake was spectacular in November. Around Anchorage and on the Kenai Peninsula, there was black ice up to 18 inches thick. Check out these photos, route maps and video. Antarctica ... Australian adventurer Wade Fairley spent a year filming the Emperor penguins' breeding cycle for the BBC, and skating across the sea ice on Nordic Skates. Wade's breathtaking photos are now available as a set of notecards. Read more about Wade's adventure. Connecticut ... Numerous reports of black ice 2 weeks ago from Guilford to East Hampton to Lake Waramaug to Candlewood Lake. Is there any ice left this week? To contribute an ice report click here. Illinois ... Chicagoland had skateable natural ice 3 weeks ago. Probably gone now. Maine ... Walkers Pond in Brooksville has the best ice in Maine again this week. Plymouth Pond in Plymouth is not skateable at present, but in January Plymouth was a mecca for ice sailing with Nordic Skates and Skimbats. Maryland ... The C&O Canal along the Potomac River was mostly frozen and some sections were skateable 2 weeks ago. Probably melted now. Massachusetts ... These reports were submitted 10 days ago. Check locally for updates. Billington Sea in Plymouth is reported skateable on a surface of black ice. Lake Wequaquet on Cape Cod has glassy smooth black ice. Long Pond in Lakeville/Freetown, 3 miles long, has skateable black ice. Beware of open water around Nelson Island. Massapoag Pond in Sharon has black ice. Myles Standish State Forest near Plymouth has numerous kettle and bog ponds with skateable ice. Ponkapoag Pond in Canton has black ice. Minnesota ... The west end of Lake Superior has skateable black ice from the lift bridge in Duluth 10 miles up the north shore toward Two Harbors. Montana ... 20-mile-long Canyon Ferry Lake outside Helena is now snow-covered. Earlier this winter it had some of the best black ice in all of North America. Perfectly smooth black ice 24 inches thick on the southern half of the lake, 7 miles long by 4 miles wide, from the duck ponds to Confederate Gulch. Best access was near the grain silos. North from Confederate Gulch to White Earth (2 miles) was black ice 12"-14" thick, then a band of bumpy ice 150 meters wide. From White Earth north to the dam at Canyon Ferry (11 miles) the ice was 8 to 14 inches thick with numerous pressure ridges. Carry safety equipment and use caution. Check the wind forecast, as this is remote country. The annual iceboat regatta took place February 3 through 11. New Hampshire ... Little Squam Lake in Ashland/Holderness has 24+ inches of gray ice in most areas. A plowed trail 0.8 miles long starts from the Ashland town beach at the west end of the lake, just off Routes 3 & 25 through the covered bridge. Occom Pond in Hanover is open for skating. The ice has been cleared. The January 2007 issue of Heart of New Hampshire has some spectacular Nordic skating photos. Pick up a free copy at Nordic Skater, or download this PDF. Tim Jones' syndicated column Active Outdoors, which appears in newspapers all over New England, recently took a look at Nordic skating on Lake Sunapee. Let's hope Sunapee freezes up soon! New York ... Lake Champlain - see Vermont. Ohio ... Hinckley Lake in the Cleveland Metroparks was reported skateable 3 weeks ago. Ontario ... Ottawa's Rideau Canal opened for its 37th season of skating on January 26. The Rideau Canal Skateway runs 7.8 kilometres from the National Arts Centre to Dows Lake. Pennsylvania ... The Pennsylvania Canal along the Delaware River had 3/4 mile of skateable ice near Upper Black Eddy 3 weeks ago. Québec ... Two-mile-long Lac Beauport 20 minutes north of Quebec City is open for skating. The 3-kilometer skating loop is mostly excellent with gray-black ice and just a few rough spots on the north side. Lac Masson's 4-kilometer trail network is open. Watch this skating video from Lac Masson. The Rivière L'Assomption's 8-kilometer skating boulevard is open. Watch this skating video from the Rivière L'Assomption. Rhode Island ... Skateable ice was reported 2 weeks ago in Newport and in South Kingstown. Utah ... Utah Lake ouside Orem is 20 miles long by 6 miles wide, with black ice 8+ inches thick. There are numerous cracks and pressure ridges, so use caution. Vermont ... Deweys Pond in Quechee is not skateable. Lake Champlain has the best ice in the Northeast. Converse Bay in Charlotte has black ice 6 to 8 inches thick close to shore. Park at the Cedar Beach fishing access. An immense expanse of black ice begins just south of Converse, starting from a line between Thompson's Point on the east and Split Rock on the west, and continuing south for 6 or 7 miles to a line between Basin Harbor on the east and Barn Rock on the west. Numerous bald eagle sightings. This ice is 6 inches thick, but it is fractured by dozens of cracks. Carry safety equipment and use caution when crossing each crack. Avoid the rest of the lake, which is a smorgasbord of snow-covered ice, unskateable pack ice, dangerously thin new black ice, and open water. Lake Morey in Fairlee is not skateable. Lake Morey is on the cover of the January 2007 issue of Northern New England Journey, featuring Archer Mayor's cover story on Nordic skating with photos by Toby Talbot. If you missed it, download these PDFs of the cover and story. Wisconsin ... Lake Wingra in Madison has 3 to 5 inches of smooth black ice along the north and east shorelines. To the south and west is pearlescent folded ice, transitioning to rough consolidated floe ice. Sparse patches of light windblown snow. Skating conditions fast and smooth across 2/3 of the lake, passable over the rest. Madison's other lakes are just beginning to freeze over. We regret that we cannot post ice reports on a daily basis. If the report posted here is out-of-date, please subscribe to our email list, or visit the Upper Valley Trails Alliance website, or call one of the telephone numbers listed below. |
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Directory of ice skating and ice sailing locations Ice Skating Trails & Ovals in the US & Canada Additional listings below. Connecticut Danbury: Ball Pond has a 400-meter skating oval. Phone (845) 855-5061 for conditions. Maine Biddeford: West Brook Rink is a huge outdoor skating area on a man-made pond. Directions: Take the Saco exit off the Maine Turnpike, follow Route 1 South, which merges with Route 9 to cross the bridge into Biddeford. There is a fork and lights right after the bridge. Take a left on Hill Street, then the second left onto Pool Street. West Brook Rink is about 1/2 mile on the right at the foot of the hill. Open weekdays 3-8 PM, weekends noon-8 PM. There are lights for night skating. Phone (207) 284-9652. Camden: The Great Atlantic Speedskating Club has cleared a 400-meter oval on Hosmer Pond at the Camden Snow Bowl. New Hampshire Hanover: Occom Pond is 1/4 mile long, with a large recreational skating area and a speed skating oval. Nordic Skates and boots are available for rent at the Dartmouth Cross-Country Ski Center on the north end of the pond. Hours: Weekdays 9 AM - 5 PM. Weekends 9 AM - 7 PM. Phone (603) 643-6534. Holderness: Squam Lake has a 150-meter oval behind the Squam Lakes Association headquarters on Route 3. Phone (603) 968-7336. New York White Pond has a 400-meter skating oval. Phone (845) 855-5061 for conditions. Vermont Brattleboro: Best ice is on the Retreat Meadows adjacent to the West River. Park on Route 30, half a mile northwest of the junction with US 5 in downtown Brattleboro. Call (802) 254-6965 for ice conditions. East Thetford: Childs Pond on Route 5 has a hockey rink and a skating trail around the shore. Fairlee: Lake Morey has the longest groomed ice skating trail in the United States. The trail is 2.75 kilometers long and you can make a 5.5K round trip from the Lake Morey Resort to the Hulbert Outdoor Center and back. Nordic Skates and boots are available for rent from Nordic Skater in Norwich. Call (802) 649-3939 or (866) 244-2570 to reserve skates or for ice conditions. Quechee: Deweys Pond on Main Street (just off Route 4) has 1.5 miles of plowed trails around the shoreline and around the island in the middle of the pond. Park behind the Quechee Inn. Nordic Skates and boots are available for rent at Wilderness Trails XC Ski Center: Phone (802) 295-7620. Williston: Catamount Outdoor Center has a 250-meter skating oval. Call (802) 879-6001 for ice conditions. Québec Lac-Beauport: There is a 2.5-kilometer skating oval on Lac Beauport. Joliette: The Rivière L'Assomption has an 8.3-kilometer maintained skating loop. Ste-Marguerite-Estérel: Lac Masson has a 3-kilometer trail with an oval at each end, and a spur leading to Hotel L'Estérel. Ste-Marcelline-de-Kildare: Lac des Francais has a 3-kilometer trail. Ontario Ottawa: An 8-kilometer (5-mile) section of the Rideau Canal is maintained for skating during the winter. The Rideau Canal Skateway runs from the Chateau Laurier and the Canadian Parliament buildings to Dows Lake and Carleton University. Other Locations: Denver, Colorado Salt Lake City, Utah Weissensee, Austria Stockholm & Vicinity, Sweden |